Canadian Voice of Women for Peace members, from sea to sea to sea, share in the profoundly deep ripples of sorrow across Turtle Island as we offer our deepest sympathy to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Residential School survivors, the Cowessess First Nation Marieval Indian School survivors, their families and community. We stand in solidarity with all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis elders, chiefs, families and communities. The mass graves of young, beautiful, hopeful children were forgotten and intentionally forsaken for so many years by this colonial state known as Canada. What has been known to Indigenous families, is now brutally revealed to all Canadians. Our government, past and present, must take ownership of the horrors that, institutionally, Canada perpetrated on thousands of children including the trauma affecting many more in the generations before them and, also, after them, who suffered similar horror and abuse. It is our duty today, and every day going forward, to honour these children, to denounce what our country did to steal them from their families; to rob them of their homes and their land, their language and their culture; and to effectively attempt to erase their very existence.
It is unacceptable to have our Prime Minister offer a vague apology, refusing to take full responsibility on behalf of a government that instituted the Indian Act, as it is equally unacceptable that the religious institutions that established and oversaw the residential school system should not be held to account.
Canadian Voice of Women for Peace strongly encourages the imperative that all Canadians learn actively and act decisively toward a just and decolonized vision. And we stress that it is imperative that all recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission be carried out and implemented in full, along with every last one of the recommendations in the Missing and Murdered Women and Girls Report.
We also believe that each First Nations Community that once housed a Residential School and all the people who live there, especially those whose children never came home, must be given the power to consider and decide the way forward for their community as a first step in this process. If they do choose to go through this very difficult process, it is our duty to ensure that exceptional efforts are put in place by government and mental health professionals to ensure that there is appropriate support for grieving families and these fragile communities.
On July 1, we join in the call to give Indigenous people space to mourn and for non-Indigenous people to take action to challenge Canada’s ongoing colonial project. We urge all to take action where you are. This 5 min interview with Cindy Blackstock on CTV tells us how we can support Indigenous children now. Cindy Blackstock has led the way in fighting the government for recognition and equal rights for Indigenous children today. Consider making a donation to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, or other worthy organization, as part of our commitment to creating a better future together. https://fncaringsociety.com
Watch the interview with Cindy Blackstock
Those in Ontario are encouraged to send a letter to Premier Ford and Minister Lecce regarding Indigenous history curriculum needed in Ontario. A sample letter is linked below; Send to: stephen.lecce@pc.ola.org, premier@ontario.ca. https://climatefast.ca/sites/default/files/files/Leece_letter.pdf
In a spirit of reconciliation, compassion and hope,
The National Board of Directors of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
