01 July, 2017
"I only wish that we had some quick easy fixes but, clearly, there aren't quick easy fixes". It's a travesty, and is a disgusting era of a Canada that doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy and wanting to spark up fireworks.
To begin with, as a Cree man, my ancestors have inhabited this land for over 10,000 years. "So it's hard for me to understand why they can't give some of it back".
The latest is the National Gallery of Canada's impressive new Canadian and Indigenous Galleries. If you find yourself in this "get over it and move on" camp, it's worth remembering that the last residential school - Saskatchewan's infamous Gordon Residential School - only closed its doors in 1996.
But, Indigenous community media has its own role to play that is separate and distinct from non-indigenous media serving Canada's urban centers.
This is my Canada. They also want to bring attention to the problems of climate change and resource extraction in Canada. We consider the treatment of our Chinese settlers, the Japanese Canadians sent to internment camps during the Second World War, and the stripping away of their lands and belongings. Sure enough, in all my worldwide travels, I am always greeted by someone from another country who lets me know how nice Canadians are.
On National Aboriginal Day, June 21, the Communist Party of Canada sends our warmest greetings to all First Nations, Innu and Métis peoples.
The Communist Party of Canada demands to remove the colonialist structure and legacy which is at the heart of the crisis of Confederation.
But we are founded on those peoples and events. But that is not my story. "So why would I ever celebrate?" I know that those hateful voices do not represent all. For exampla, after World War I, on January 10, 1920, Canada joined the League of Nations as an independent nation.
A major celebration is expected to be underway in London's Trafalgar Square, where the northern country's birthday is celebrated each year. I am celebrating that I can breathe Canadian air without having to wear a mask like I have witnessed others do in some of the world's largest cities. I am celebrating that I can write these words without fear of persecution or government interference like I have witnessed in China.
About a month later I was snapping photos at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology on Attawandaron Road and took an opportunity to speak with Neil Ferris, the Lawson chair of Canadian archaeology. This weekend we will mark the 150th anniversary of the fulfilment of their dream and celebrate the greatness of that dream.
"Canada 150 is an opportunity to celebrate but also to reflect on our past", the statement read.
Earlier this year I joined the Governor General, the Prime Minister and thousands of Canadians as we commemorated the incredible commitment and sacrifice of Canadians at Vimy Ridge 100 years ago. I am not celebrating one "birthday".
I stressed the importance of that particular point, considering the incredibly high rate of indigenous youth suicide in Canada and the fact that, according to UNESCO, 88 of the 90 indigenous languages still spoken in Canada are on the verge of extinction.
How else to explain that 150 years after Confederation, a judge and prosecutor in Edmonton [Alberta] can jail a young indigenous woman, placing her in handcuffs and leg shackles, for the "crime" of testifying against her violent sexual predator?
Charnel Anderson is a freelance writer based in Toronto, originally from northwestern Ontario.
