Never Forget This Day

“What great good will come if we heal this moral wound that 152 years of residential school has inflicted upon Canada’s Aboriginal peoples.” Aboriginal Bishop Mark MacDonald

I felt that Canada took a huge step in this healing process  on Sunday May 31^st when over ten thousand native peoples, members of mainline Christian churches and many other Canadians joined hearts and hands to make the five kilometer solidarity walk from Gatineau to Ottawa’s City Hall.  As the sea of people - youth, middle aged and elders made their way over Portage Bridge and overflowed into Marian Dewar Plaza, I sensed that we were all one.  Something much larger than ourselves was happening. As we walked together, respect, love and solidarity filled the air as our hearts pulsed in the rhythm of the native drumbeat along the route.

Once gathered in the plaza, a succession of dignitaries addressed the exuberant, colourful crowd:  local band chiefs, mayors, Kathleen Wynn as Premier of Ontario, Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Marie Wilson and T&R Chair Justice Murray Sinclair who held the assembly in the palm of his hand. Mr. Sinclair urged the people, “Never forget this day.  It is the day we began to move forward in Canada.”

As we reached out to each other in that gathering, I felt that all of Canada was present with us in that moment.  Surely great good will come from the resolve and determination of a nation bent upon healing the wound that residential school has inflicted on the people of the land.

Jean Moylan CSJ

An Event of Global Significance

On June 2, 2015, I sat in the Delta hotel as the three commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation commission presented their findings and recommendations after 6 years, 7000 stories of survivors and several events across the nation. It struck me that in my lifetime, so far, I add this to two past events of global significance and heartfelt hope. The first is the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and all the oppression and separation that its presence signified. The second is the dismantling of apartheid which was heralded as Nelson Mandela took steps from prison into freedom.

The third is the releasing of the Truth and Reconciliation report with its clear naming of a century of cultural apartheid in Canada. The systemic racism and colonialism represented by the residential school system deadened the spirit of our country. Children were taken from families, parents were left childless, aboriginal spirituality was deemed inferior. Seven generations of children went through this system and the losses and dislocation at such a young age played out in their lives with their own children. As one survivor named it, “We fed our experiences to our children,"

Over and over, we heard that this is not an aboriginal problem. It is the crisis of a whole country seeking to rediscover its spirit...its soul.

There were representatives from indigenous communities from around the world. They know the experience of radical disrespect for their culture, spirituality and languages.

The mood here is one of hope, commitment to take responsibility, gratitude for those who bore the burden of the residential school experience. Most of all we all left knowing that reconciliation shows its face through changed mindsets and hearts and through changed policies and practices.

Margo Ritchie, CSJ

It Matters to Us!

How many of us really know our Canadian history?  In grades 5 and 6 we learned about John Cabot, Samuel de Champlain and others who arrived on our shores as explorers and claimed Canada for France and England.  However, are we really aware of what their conquering ways did to the Native Peoples who inhabited this wild, wind-swept and magnificent country?

The foreign invaders scooped up a wealth of furs and natural resources and brought settlers who introduced disease and pestilence. Land was bartered away in a series of treaty agreements that were ignored by the settlers.

Eventually, there ensued over a century of residential schools established by the government “to take the Indian out of the Indian”.  The residential school experience has left a huge black mark on the Canadian psyche.  Much healing needs to occur.

Today, most Canadians have heard about the Truth and Reconciliation Process which is an effort to bring healing and reconciliation among Aboriginal Peoples and Non-Aboriginals, the settlers of the present day. 

Come and join us on Tuesday, March 10^th and Wednesday, March 11^th at Western University’s Faculty of Education Building as we advance the work of transforming the legacy of residential schools.  Join us for an evening with well-known singer Susan Aglukark and the Sisters of All Nations Singers from Western University.  Be with us the following day to hear Wab Kinew one of “9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know” share his message of truth and healing.  Participate in workshops to facilitate learning about the residential school experience and our way forward.

Our conference promises to be an uplifting, healing experience.

All are welcome.  Click HERE for poster.  We would be happy to have you join us.

Jean Moylan, csj

Sharing salt and breaking bread – facing racism head on

Recently, Winnipeg has been in the news as a hotbed of racism. But I have encountered racism and discrimination everywhere I have lived, and when I lived in Lethbridge, Alberta, I took action.

It all started when I was at a Tim Horton’s and heard some customers making racist remarks about aboriginal people. Looking up, I saw the hurt and shocked face of an aboriginal woman sitting at a table near mine. It was not the first time I had heard racist remarks in my city, and I thought to myself “they can’t do that anymore!”

I contacted two friends from the aboriginal community and a church minister. We formed a small committee and set up Lethbridge Action on Racism Circle. Eventually, our small group of four expanded into a board of directors which also included another church minister, an aboriginal graduate student, an immigrant woman, and two university professors.

Our first step was to get people talking about racism and discrimination. We set up a blog: http://lethbridgearc.blogspot.ca/ with posts about initiatives taken by other community groups such as Lethbridge Immigrant Services and the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge. To help get the city talking, we participated in CTV special about racism and discrimination in Lethbridge. We also went to the community college and spread a big sheet of brown paper across three tables and laid out markers. As students walked by, we urged them to write their thoughts about racism and discrimination.

Throughout the coming year, we worked to support events put on by community organizations that promoted diversity and tolerance, such as the aboriginal Friendship Festival, the Immigrant Achievement Awards, the Sisters in Spirit Vigil, the Amnesty International Demand Dignity campaign, and Anti-Hate Crime Week. Our view was that if we worked in partnership with others, we could make our community stronger.

We undertook a really innovative poster campaign. The “Show Your Face” campaign featured the faces of southern Albertans with the tag line “I live in southern Alberta, and I am standing up against racism and discrimination. Show your face – speak out!” We simply called for volunteers to have their photos taken, made the posters, and then put them up all over town. It was really effective, because people would walk by and see their neighbor’s face with the anti-bigotry message.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of our work was the two potlucks we held. We wanted to get the community together to talk about racism and discrimination and come up with a grassroots plan for action. We invited religious organizations, civic society groups, aboriginal organizations, Lethbridge City Council, the Lethbridge City police, and extended an open invitation via the Lethbridge Herald to members of the public. We were donated space in a church to hold the potlucks. We had no idea how many people would show up!

We gave each attendee a number when they arrived, so that people would be sitting with people they did not already know. We wanted everyone to meet new people and break out of their familiar circles. Each table had a facilitator who helped their fellow dinner guests answer the set of three questions which were posed. We had simple ground rules: everyone's ideas were equally important, everyone must show respect, and everyone was worthy. We began to eat at 6:00 pm, and at 7:30 pm the facilitator from each table presented the results of their discussions to the whole room. Notes were taken on flip chart paper, and posted around the room as we progressed. By 8:00 pm, we had so many good ideas for positive action!

The recommendations from over 100 people who attended our potlucks were published in two booklets: “Sharing Salt” and “Breaking Bread.” These recommendations were presented to Lethbridge City Council, the Standing Committee on Community and Social Development, the Holy Spirit School Board, and in collaboration with the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs at a public library event. The reports were widely disseminated and published on the web.

I felt that, in one year, our small group, the Lethbridge Action on Racism Circle, accomplished a lot, and planted the seeds for social change in our community. And most amazing of all, we did everything without any funding! People brought food to the potlucks, the churches donated space, we used a free blog hosting site, we all donated our labour, and the booklets were printed by the YWCA who incurred the costs. It just shows that all that is needed to make change is to act. I moved away from Lethbridge when the year ended, but I hope that racism and discrimination continue to be openly addressed, because that is the only way to bring about change. It starts with talking and sharing and learning.

Mary Kosta
Archivist
Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

An Uncommon Path to Justice

On December 6, 2014 misogynic comments including a poll requesting opinions about sexually violating female classmates were posted on the internet by male dentistry students. Within the following days the ungentlemanly behavior of, members of “The Gentlemen’s Club”, male students in their final year of dentistry at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has been made public. These budding professionals had been posting degrading photographs and violent sexual comments about their female classmates on Facebook. Reaction from the professors, public, and fellow students has been swift and negative. The response of the targeted female classmates has been different. They proposed dealing with the issue through a process of restorative justice. Dalhousie University President Richard Florizone met with the women to seek confirmation that they truly wanted this course of action before complying with their request. President Florizone was tearful throughout his announcement and obviously had been emotionally affected by “listening to the voices of those directly harmed” by the behavior of the male students.

Since President Florizone’s announcement public reaction has been mostly negative. 5600 people added their names to a petition demanding expulsion of the thirteen male students. Two hundred students staged a public protest and several faculty members have requested an investigation. Numerous negative responses have been posted in response to newspaper reports about the restorative justice initiative. There are concerns that the process is inadequate, that the larger issue of misogyny throughout the campus is not being addressed, that the female victims are being pressured into accepting an inadequate process. President Florizone has stated that the process with involve the offenders, the women who have been harmed, and university officials. Decisions made through this process must meet the agreement of all parties; expulsion of the students has not been ruled out.    

Restorative justice practice could be a farce.  It is possible that offenders see it as an easy alternative to the legal process and enter into it for the purpose of avoiding justice, that community members pressure victims to “cooperate”, or that decisions made fail to bring about effective change in offenders or the community.  However, restorative justice can be very effective in bringing about change in offenders and healing in victims and the community. Frequently, as a member of a community justice committee in northern Canada, I would have emotional reactions similar to the protesters of the Dalhousie project as I read police reports of the offenders appearing before the Committee. As the hearing unfolded, I, other Committee members, victims, and offenders would be changed as we listened to each other. Offenders ‘caught’ how their actions had affected others, including their own families, their victims, and members of the community. Victims came to see the offenders as fellow human beings who genuinely regretted having caused harm and who were willing to try to somehow make up for the harm their actions had caused to themselves and to the community as a whole. For restorative justice to work the offenders had to accept responsibility for their bad behavior. President Richard Florizone’s difficulty in speaking after “listening to the voices” of the women dental students was obvious. I have observed how very difficult it can be for an offender to listen to the pain of persons he or she has hurt. Punishment cannot obliterate offenses, resulting pain, or the offender’s responsibility for his or her actions. Victims can choose to stay stuck in anger or revenge or to accept the fact of having been wounded, accept the wound as part of their life and move forward.

When restorative justice works well, it brings about unity and reconciliation in offenders, victims, and the community. It is more likely to bring about true and lasting change in offenders than would legal procedures focused on punishment. It is also a more difficult process that calls forth courage, honesty, and willingness to change. I congratulate the women dental students who have proposed restorative justice and I sincerely hope that all involved participate in a manner which will achieve the aims of the process. Trust, however, is restored more slowly after a serious offense. How long will it take and what must the offenders do to demonstrate that they have changed? How long will it be before the female classmates, university administration, patients, and the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario judge that the male students are fit to be trusted as professional dentists? Perhaps this will be a staged process taking place over time.

We have no guarantee that the Dalhousie restorative justice initiative will be absolutely successful in achieving its goals. Neither can we be certain that harsh punishment will change behavior and attitudes.  Much time, money, and effort has gone into the education of the thirteen students and their futures too are a consideration in deciding how to respond to their admittedly disgusting actions. Whatever choice is made affects the future of these men and cannot be made lightly. Nor can the harm done to their victims, the university, and our society be dismissed as unworthy of efforts to bring about healing and restored relationships.

Patricia McKeon, CSJ