January 5, 2021: Five Bold Steps Towards Reconciliation by Brandi Morin French/Cree/Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6 in Alberta

Comments by Barbara Blower Coordinator – Maamawi Collective.

They are numbered # 1 to 5, but # 2 resonated with me the most: “# 2:- TELL YOUR KIDS! “Most people my age weren’t taught the ugly truths of this country, such as treaty covenants broken by Canada, the enslavement of Indigenous peoples, the stealing, rape and abuse of their children and the ongoing colonial assault against Indigenous survival.”

I’m an immigrant and therefor a settler, non-Indigenous citizen/resident in Canada since 1966. I believe the work of RECONCILIATION is work that settlers, immigrants, none-indigenous people who live in Canada now must do. Suggesting that previous generations of settlers did the damage so todays settlers are not responsible is, in my opinion, the biggest barrier to achieving Reconciliation.