Canada Day & Respect for Indigenous Peoples

Debwe, led by Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe (Lindsey Lickers) with artists Leah Roberts, Maybella King Reynolds, and Shaneixqui Brown, forms part of the art installation Red Embers dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

I pulled our furled Canadian flag from the rafters of the garage yesterday and put it out front in anticipation of Canada Day. I wanted our grandsons to see it as they arrived for a double sleepover and it is a statement, every year, of my love for this country. In part it is the scenic beauty which moves me, and the prosperous life I don't take for granted, and our desire to provide the "socialism" which so many Americans despise but which provides some dignity and wellbeing for even the "least of these." I am proud in a modest Canadian manner that this country welcomed more refugees last year than any other nation on Earth. This too reflects a gospel imperative in Matthew 25 and many passages in the Hebrew scriptures. Canada tends to be a secular nation, sad to say, yet we choose many values which are upheld in the Judeo/Christian tradition.

Here's what bothers me heading into this Canada Day weekend. We have a shameful history of imperialism and injustice when it comes to the First Peoples of this vast land. Too many Indigenous communities are impoverished without the basics of clean water and decent housing and affordable food. They die younger than the national average and have triple the suicide rate. Not only have we become comfortably numb to this inequality, we are lousy listeners.



If we think this is a matter of the past, consider the aftermath of the release of the Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We continue to hear pronouncements from those outside the Indigenous community who dismiss the premise that what occurred and is still happening was the outcome of "race-based genocide", the term used by the framers of the report. It is staggering to me these people have so little respect for those who have spent years on this study and that their white privilege immediately gives them a superior understanding of the issues. Beyond that, many have a limited understanding of what genocide as the systematic and systemic dismantling of culture and perpetration of violence really is.

Enjoy this weekend and celebrate Canada. Participate in worship tomorrow and give thanks for what Canada is, and the blessings of being a citizen of a great country. Ask yourselves what we can do as Christians to ensure equality and justice for all, including the Indigenous people amongst us.  God knows we have been part of the problem for centuries. Listening with respect and humility is a spiritual discipline we can all practice.

You might take a few minutes to read Pam Palmater's piece in NOW over the weekend.
https://nowtoronto.com/news/missing-and-murdered-canada-genocide/