reconciliation

Friday September 30, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 30, 2022

King Charles: Will the monarchy move reconciliation forward in Canada?

Earlier this year, at a reception in Canada’s national capital, King Charles – at the time the Prince of Wales – was asked for an apology.

September 20, 2022

The request came from Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, who told him that the Crown needs to make amends for the “assimilation and genocide” of indigenous schoolchildren at residential schools run by the Anglican Church – of which Charles is now the head – and for its role in colonisation.

The three-day visit was Charles’s nineteenth official tour in the country, and his last as the Prince of Wales.

Charles did not apologise on the trip, though he spoke of the need to “come to terms with the darker and more difficult aspects” of history.

But some are hopeful that the new King’s accession will be the beginning of a more positive relationship between the Crown and indigenous peoples in Canada.

Around the world, Commonwealth nations, including Canada, are grappling with what the role of the monarchy following Queen Elizabeth’s death, and what her son, Charles, should do to make amends for colonialism.

In Canada, the King’s accession comes amid a national conversation about reconciliation with indigenous peoples.

June 1, 2021

It is a conversation that has been building for years, but came to the forefront last summer as First Nations came forward with evidence of the discovery of unmarked graves on the sites of former residential schools – government-funded institutions established in the 1800s that were part of a former policy to assimilate indigenous children.

For Canada, reconciliation is multi-faceted. In addition to a royal apology, many have called on the Crown to return indigenous artefacts that were removed and taken to Britain, and to play a more active role in honouring historic treaty relationships between the monarchy and indigenous people.

These treaties are constitutionally recognised agreements that define the rights and responsibilities between indigenous groups and federal and provincial governments. Treaties with the Crown date back to the 1700s, and negotiating modern treaties is seen as an important part of reconciliation. 

June 3, 2015

Cree writer and former treaty negotiator Darrel J McLeod argued in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper earlier this month that Queen Elizabeth failed to use the resources available to her to make amends for things done in the Crown’s name – from issuing formal apology to the repatriation of indigenous artefacts.

He said he hoped the King will “have the insight and determination to accomplish what his mother wasn’t able to and use whatever time that might remain for the Windsor dynasty’s role in Canada to turn things around”.

Canada was a monarchy even before it was a country. Over 500 years ago, both French and British monarchs presided over colonies in Canada.

The connection between the Crown and indigenous peoples dates back even further, to when Europeans first set foot on the continent. (BBC) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Tuesday August 23, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 23, 2022

Michelle O’Bonsawin becomes 1st Indigenous person nominated to Supreme Court of Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday his nomination of Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada.

June 3, 2015

She will become the first Indigenous person to serve on Canada’s highest court.

O’Bonsawin is Abenaki from Odanak. She is Franco-Ontarian and fluently bilingual, according to a news release announcing the nomination.

She has served as a judge on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice since 2017. O’Bonsawin also holds a PhD in law from the University of Ottawa.

In her application questionnaire, made available by the Department of Justice, O’Bonsawin described how her experience as an Indigenous person in Canada has shaped her life and legal career.

“I believe my experience as a francophone First Nations woman, a parent, a lawyer, a scholar and a judge provide me with the lived understanding and insight into Canada’s diversity because I, and my life experience, are part of that diversity,” she said.

Saturday July 30, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 30, 2022

Pope Francis says Canada trip showed he may need to retire

July 26, 2022

Pope Francis has said that he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his week-long Canadian pilgrimage was “a bit of a test” that showed he needed to slow down and one day possibly retire.

Speaking to reporters while traveling home from northern Nunavut, Francis, 85, stressed that he had not thought about resigning but said “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a pope stepping down.

“It’s not strange. It’s not a catastrophe. You can change the pope,” he said.

Tuesday March 29, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 29, 2022

Pope meets Canada Indigenous groups seeking apology for abuse of children

June 3, 2021

Pope Francis has heard first-hand the horrors of abuse committed at church-run residential schools in Canada, as Indigenous delegations pressed him for an apology.

Indigenous survivors are visiting the Vatican this week for meetings with the pope about the scandal that has rocked the Catholic church.

More than 1,300 unmarked graves have been discovered since last May at church-run schools attended by Canada’s Indigenous children as part of a government policy of forced assimilation.

“The pope listened … (he) heard just three of the many stories we have to share,” Cassidy Caron, president of the Métis National Council, told journalists in front of St Peter’s Square. “While the time for acknowledgment, apology and atonement is long overdue, it is never too late to do the right thing.”

Tuesday November 2, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 2, 2021

Justin Trudeau just rolled the dice on reconciliation

June 2, 2021

Justin Trudeau has made a dangerous bet he can right a long-standing wrong against Indigenous children without instead setting back the cause of reconciliation for years. Canadians can only hope he wins this wager.

On Friday, his government bitterly disappointed people across the country when it launched a last-minute court appeal against a ruling requiring it to pay billions of dollars to Indigenous youngsters who were discriminated against in the child welfare system.

The PM and his Liberals don’t deny responsibility for this wrongdoing. Nor do they reject their obligation to come through with significant compensation. Even so, they ignored the pleadings of Indigenous groups as well as the opposition Conservatives and New Democrats by appealing orders from both the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court to pay up.

June 1, 2021

If that had been the extent of this government’s action last week, it would deserve the universal condemnation of Canadians today. But the government’s response was more complex and nuanced. And herein lies the nub of the prime minister’s risky gamble.

On Monday, his government began negotiating with the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society to settle the dispute out of court — by the start of December, no less. Until then, it has put on hold its appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. That means if the talks result in a mutually agreeable deal, there will be no appeal and everyone can go home happy.

In addition to this, the government will not appeal a second Canadian Human Rights Tribunal order that would result in Indigenous children receiving access to government services without delays caused by jurisdictional disputes.

February 29, 2020

There is cause for guarded optimism but, even more, deep concern in what the government has done. In rejecting the most direct route to a just settlement, it has opted for a winding, rock-strewn path that may take it over a cliff. It’s hard not to agree with Indigenous leaders who point out that this battle for compensation began 14 years ago and the Trudeau Liberals have had ample time to work out a fair settlement.

But they didn’t. And in 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal declared the government had “wilfully and recklessly” discriminated against First Nations children living on reserves by underfunding child and family services. As a result, children were taken from their communities and put into government-run programs.

July 13, 2017

Because of the undisputed harm this caused, the tribunal ordered Ottawa to pay $40,000 each to as many as 54,000 Indigenous children who were removed from their homes after 2006, as well as their relatives. The Federal Court upheld this decision on Sept. 29.

The government insists the Federal Court erred when it concluded the tribunal had acted reasonably in ordering compensation for First Nations parents and grandparents as well as children. In so doing, the government might argue it’s trying to defend the best interests of taxpayers as well as those of the Indigenous people being compensated.

January 15, 2014

But Trudeau is walking a fine line. He has long proclaimed there is no more important relationship for his government than the one it has with Indigenous peoples. If he is seen as merely trying to save money in this case, he’ll further alienate Indigenous people while doing a disservice to all Canadians. And if his government can’t secure a deal this month, it will only make things worse by dragging things out with a Supreme Court appeal.

What comes next can’t be brinkmanship designed to force a settlement. Canadians have to see good-faith, productive negotiations. For this country’s sake, the government’s goal can’t be the cheapest deal but rather the one that’s fairest for every Indigenous victim. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)