The Triumphs and Challenges of Reconcilication

Hello Friend,

As a Heiltsuk woman, National Aboriginal Day (soon to be renamed National Indigenous People’s Day) evokes mixed feelings in me.  I am at once proud of the tenacious spirit of resilience and justice seeking nature of my ancestors, but also ever reminded that there is a long way to go on this journey of reconciliation we are on together as a country.  And we are all in this together.  Our communities are threatened by many serious social issues: the housing crisis, the overdose crisis, a lack of a poverty reduction strategy in our province. But our communities are also strengthened by the strong interweaving of shared songs, stories, and food, healing together, and acknowledging the gifts we each bring.

It is no secret that across Canada indigenous people are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Indigenous women face a particularly risky existence as we have heard exemplified in the requests for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry.  This is especially true in our community on the Downtown Eastside.

This month Reconciliation Canada released a report entitled The Canadian Reconciliation Landscape which discussed the findings of a 2016 survey of 521 indigenous and 1529 non-indigenous Canadians. The survey examined current perspectives on the need for reconciliation, identifying supports and barriers, and who should bear the responsibility for taking action in order to illuminate a new way forward. 

Although there was general agreement between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians in all areas surveyed, there was also a troubling discrepancy between groups was regarding the likelihood of taking action in one’s personal life: – on this point non-indigenous Canadians were far less likely to consider taking such action. 

The United Church of Canada has been an active participant in the reconciliation process, in part by making two formal apologies to indigenous peoples (to read the full apologies click on the file below). In 1986, the Church issued an apology for its complicity in cultural and geographical colonization of indigenous Canada.  In 1998, the Church apologized specifically for its very prevalent role in the running of Residential Schools. Indigenous people within the United Church are engaged in supporting ways for non-indigenous Canadians to put these apologies into action.  The national Church acknowledges that there is still a long journey ahead of us all in creating a more equitable and caring society, and has changed the name of “Aboriginal Ministries” unit to “Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice” ministries.

In the face of this shared history, what can individuals do? We can educate ourselves by reading the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (click on the file below). We can read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. We can engage in conversations with our friends, family, and community members about what reconciliation means to us. And most importantly, we can remember that we each have a role to play in creating a community where each of us belongs.  At First United, we are committed to reconciliation and to building strong relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.  I sincerely hope you will join us on this journey.

  Blessings, Carmen Lansdowne, First United Church Ministry Society, Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, B.C.

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