First Nations • mackaycartoons

Friday June 25, 2021

July 2, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 25, 2021

Prime Minister Trudeau must expand residential school investigations

Like a nightmare Canada can’t wake up from, the real-life horror stories about the country’s Indigenous residential schools won’t go away.

June 1, 2021

On Thursday the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan announced it had located as many as 751 unmarked graves in a cemetery located beside the community’s former residential school.

This mind-boggling discovery, which the band’s chief, Cadmus Delorme, believes is evidence of criminal acts, comes less than a month after the remains of 215 Indigenous children, some as young as three years old, were found in unmarked graves near a former residential school outside Kamloops, B.C.

That first, grisly finding stunned the country. It also led to a national outpouring of grief and solemn commitments from our political leaders to help discover the truth about what happened to Indigenous children who died or went missing at these hellish, misguided institutions.

Now more than ever, as the shock waves from the Cowessess First Nation reverberate across Canada, the federal government needs to ensure the money and expertise will be there to achieve this.

After all, the 2006 Indian residential School Settlement Agreement covered 138 schools across the country. So far, investigators using ground-penetrating radar technology are looking at unmarked, nameless gravesites at just two of them. We have but scratched the surface of what might lie buried across this land.

By now, everyone in Canada should have a basic awareness of the dreadful things that happened at institutions supposedly created to educate Indigenous children but which were, in reality, diabolical machines for forced assimilation, a practice the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called “cultural genocide.”

June 3, 2015

From the late 19th century to the late 20th century, about 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were torn from their families and compelled to live in appalling conditions in these institutions which, while instituted and funded by Ottawa, were operated by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation register counts 1,420 children as having died of disease or accidents while attending residential schools across the country. But Murray Sinclair, the former head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has long maintained as many as 6,000 children died. The discoveries from the past month have led to speculation the final death toll could be even higher.

That’s why the $27 million Ottawa has freed up to help Indigenous communities with their own searches is nowhere near enough when it comes to addressing the scale of the challenges ahead. It’s also worth remembering this isn’t new money. The Liberals set it aside in their 2019 federal budget and simply hadn’t spent it.

June 27, 2017

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should consider that money a mere down-payment on what this country still owes to its Indigenous peoples. We all need to find out if crimes occurred at these schools and if coverups took place. Investigators — who should be chosen by Indigenous communities — will need the power to subpoena records from governments and churches that ran the schools, as well as access to the locations.

We need as much information as possible to know what happened, what might remain to be done and if anyone alive today should and can be held accountable.

The path ahead will not be a straight one. The Cowessess cemetery was used by the community both before and after the residential school operated there. There are likely adults buried there, too. Only a much broader investigation will take us to the truth. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)

Wednesday June 2, 2021

June 9, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 2, 2021

PM says cabinet discussing ‘further’ actions in response to mass grave uncovered at residential school

Amid calls to go beyond lowering flags at federal buildings and to fund the research and excavation of residential school burial sites Canada-wide, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t have any tangible next steps to announce Monday but said discussions are underway following a horrific discovery in British Columbia.

July 23, 2019

Trudeau said he will be speaking with his cabinet about the “next and further” actions the federal government should take in response to the discovery of remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Trudeau said that Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal will be discussing what role the federal government should be playing, noting “an awful lot” remains to be done when it comes to reconciliation.

Trudeau said determining where and how many more Indigenous children’s remains may be buried in this country is “is an important part of discovering the truth,” and there will be more done by the government, but offered no concrete commitment.

“We are committed to reconciliation. We are committed to truth. We are committed to being there to help the Indigenous communities understand the past and move forward into the future the right way. And as they make requests, as there is a need for discovering more, we will continue to be there,” Trudeau said. “We haven’t looked at exactly what the processes, or the needs are entirely, but Canada will be there to support indigenous communities as we discover the extent of this trauma.”

November 9, 2018

On May 28, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced that it had found the remains at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, using ground-penetrating radar. The discovery prompted calls for a national day of mourning and saw people across Canada set up memorials.

Among the concrete actions opposition MPs called for on Monday were for the federal government to follow through on the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action under its jurisdiction, and to stop fighting residential school settlements in court.

“It is not good enough for the federal Liberal government to just make symbolic gestures to commemorate this horrible loss. We are calling on the federal government to do something concrete. The Liberal government can’t on one hand grieve this horrible tragedy, this horrible loss while they are still taking Indigenous kids to court,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who became visibly emotional when speaking about the lives lost and the families left behind without answers.

June 3, 2015

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) issued its final report on residential schools in 2015, concluding that they constituted a cultural genocide. The comprehensive and extensive findings detail the inhumane mistreatment inflicted on Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent to one of the more than 130 institutions across the country. The last school closed in 1996, 25 years ago.

Asked repeatedly why more has not been done, and when more concrete progress can be expected, Trudeau said that he knows there is impatience, but the federal government can’t act alone. (CTV)

Tuesday June 1, 2021

June 8, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 1, 2021

Canada-wide search urged as children’s remains found

The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced last week that remains were found at a former residential school set up to assimilate indigenous people.

July 13, 2017

The find sparked outrage, prompting some in Canada to lay out tiny shoes at makeshift memorials.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged help but gave few details.

“As a dad, I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have my kids taken away from me,” Mr Trudeau told reporters. “And as prime minister, I am appalled by the shameful policy that stole indigenous children from their communities.”

While he promised “concrete action” when asked what the government would do he did not offer specific commitments.

Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said in a statement the families “deserve to know the truth and the opportunity to heal”.

“A thorough investigation into all former residential school sites could lead to more truths of the genocide against our people,” Mr Bellegarde said.

June 12, 2020

In Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, a statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A Macdonald, is being removed following the discovery of the children’s remains. Macdonald’s role in residential schools has made him a target for protesters.

The children found on Thursday were students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978. Some were as young as three years old.

Canada’s residential schools were compulsory boarding schools run by the government and religious authorities during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the aim of forcibly assimilating indigenous youth.

June 3, 2015

Kamloops Indian Residential School was the largest in the residential system. Opened under Roman Catholic administration in 1890, the school had as many as 500 students when enrolment peaked in the 1950s.

The central government took over administration of the school in 1969, operating it as a residence for local students until 1978, when it was closed.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada – set up to examine the history and impact of the residential schools – reported that the system amounted to “cultural genocide”. (BBC)

The discovery of unmarked graves at the former site of a residential school in Kamloops, BC, has sent Canada into paroxysms of shock and horror, which is an appropriate response, except that we already knew about this.

Thursday July 13, 2017

July 12, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 13, 2017

Commissioner Quits Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women Inquiry

While the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls continues to lose high-level staff and appears in disarray, Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs is urging everyone to not lose hope in the process.

July 1, 2017

Saskatchewan lawyer Marilyn Poitras issued her resignation in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday. She is the first commissioner to resign from the inquiry.

In the letter, Poitras said she is “unable to perform my duties as a commissioner with the process designed in its current structure.”

Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett told Ottawa media that she has met with the commission, reviewed their path forward and has faith in what they have planned. “They really do have the vision, the values, the tools and the plan to get this work done,” Bennett said.

She added there is “no question that we all agree that the communication has been an issue,” and they must do a better job telling families about their plan and vision. But she believes they will.

May 16, 2017

However, not everyone feels as though the inquiry, in its current form, will be able to do all that is hoped. Many families and Indigenous leaders have openly questioned the inquiry’s direction, its methods and chastised it for not involving more grassroots activists — who have been fighting for an inquiry for years. They feel the inquiry has lost its way and are demanding it begin again.

Poitras’ resignation follows a press conference held last Thursday by the inquiry’s Chief Commissioner Marion Buller. Buller gave an update on the probe’s summer progress after several controversies including high-profile resignations. On June 30, executive director Michèle Moreau quit the inquiry. Moreau cited “personal reasons” for her resignation.

June 3, 2015

Buller has defended the inquiry and its progress to date, saying she will meet all the milestones including an interim report in November even though only a handful of families have spoken at public hearings.

Buller has said staff leaving the inquiry have all done so for “personal reasons” and that some had dream job offers. The inquiry has five commissioners who are mandated to travel the country, hearing the testimonies of families, then making recommendations on how to protect vulnerable Indigenous women and girls. An RCMP report in 2014 indicated there are 1,181 Indigenous women and girls who have been killed violently or have disappeared. Many believe that number is low.(Source: Toronto Star)

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Friday June 30, 2017

June 29, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

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Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 30, 2017

Some people don’t want to celebrate Canada 150, and that’s okay

As Canada gets set to blow out candles representing 150 years of being a nation some very loud voices are trying to drown out some of the cheering and hoots of celebration. Indigenous peoples are marking July 1 as a day to remind maple leaf flag waving people that it is in fact a day to celebrate colonialism, institutional racism, broken treaties, and genocide of first nations. It has added a very interesting twist and pause for thought on a usually sanguine and relaxing Summer holiday in Canada. It contrasts greatly with the comparatively optimistic and boosterish Canada we know from the hued and grainy films and memories of Canada’s centennial year. Not everyone in Canada is celebrating Canada150, and that’s okay.

June 27, 2017

Like many 48 year olds and many generations before and after me I’m a student of school taught Canadian history through elementary and into university levels. It has served as a launch pad to explore and read up on topics not covered in deep detail in those courses. History knowledge lends itself to appreciate all kinds of other facets of life from food to music, sports, arts & entertainment, science to geography, and the peoples who populate this planet. There are evolving and new interpretations of history and culture being revealed which shouldn’t be resisted, but indeed, be embraced.

As a white middle aged male I admit to bristling somewhat to Canada150 celebrations being referred to as “Colonialism150.” It falls like a wet rag on this annual occasion, made more significant because it’s called sesquicentennial, and forces one to look at the narratives we’ve understood to have built a country, mixed with national pride, and enforced by maple leaves on everything we consume, and the unending smugness we have towards our so called “ally” to the south. It’s intended to make people think beyond the celebratory images of Prime Ministers, and great hockey goals, and unique national food products. To step into the shoes of recent immigrants to Canada, with varied interpretations of a nation outside of what Stephen Harper once infamously dubbed “old-stock” Canadians.

September 22, 2015

Colonialism150 should make us all reflect on the hardships faced by our own ancestors, whether indigenous and non-ingenous, and put the struggles they faced into the perspective of other humans into a present, and future context. My Scottish ancestors were chased around their island sanctuary of Lewis by their English overlords, as my English ancestors from my other set of genes were scraping enough farthings together to flee from soot choked polluted Croydon in the 1840s to emigrate to Upper Canada. They were hardly “colonists” in the sense of rich land owners ordering natives around upon their arrival. As for my Newfoundland and Irish ancestors from the 2 other branches of my genealogy, just trust me that it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk for them either when they arrived on these shores in the early part of the 1800’s.

The Canada150 is a celebration of changing times. We look back to that innocent and optimistic age of 1967, when Canada was a country still populated by the veterans of both world wars, when peacekeeping was set in motion, universal healthcare and CPP were brought in, Expo67 and the swinging sixties were at its height. The elder Trudeau was on the verge of becoming Prime Minister at the time. Contrast that time with the era Trudeau the younger and Canada Day 50 years later has become a celebration of progressiveness by acknowledging institutional oppression of the past, including the one-time progressive concept of placing indigenous children in residential schools. Great strides have gone to undoing the evils suffered by first nations in recent years, but also of multicultural groups, LGBT, women, children, to the physically and mentally challenged – and we all know much more still has to be done. For the case of indigenous people much has been promised by the current Federal government but accommodation has to go beyond what respected First Nations activist Roberta Jamieson calls “gesture politics“, as in Justin Trudeau’s asinine decision to turn the colonial architecture of the old U.S. Embassy across from the Parliament Bldgs into an aboriginal something-or-ever instead of a National Portrait Gallery.

June 12, 2008

Perhaps the most significant aspect for Canada in the past 50 years was the reconciliation/accommodation of Quebec and French speaking minorities across Canada. Think back to the Quiet Revolution of the 60s, which simmered before the FLQ crisis of the early 70s, giving rise to the Parti Québécois, Bill 101, two referenda on separation, the Bloc Québécois, district society, a lot of hollering over borders, some flag burnings, standoffs, and much eye rolling – there are still on going problems, as there always will be, but I think, with a lot of overtures handed to a province which had been overlooked, Quebec in Canada is a lot better off in 2017 than it was in 1967, and that is something to celebrate.

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In the 50 years leading to this country’s bicentennial I’m betting the effort made to linguistic minorities since 1967 will be extended to indigenous peoples going forward. That hope is worth waving a Canadian flag about, with the acknowledgement that many indigenous peoples are not celebrating on July 1, and more has to be done to reconcile with the first nations people of the nation we’ve been calling “Canada” for 150 years. Cheer for the accomplishments of a nation born in 1867, but respect the original people of that very land. – Graeme MacKay

Published in the July 1st 2017 issue of the Calgary Herald

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