94 Quilt: Blocks 57 - 63

I acknowledge that I am living on unceded territory of Anishinaabeg (Source: Canadian Encyclopedia) on the shore of erielhonan, (Iroquoian word meaning 'long tail') now called Lake Erie.

The post that explains my 94Quilt project is here.  Since July 1 I've been making a flying geese block a day as I read one of the 94 Calls to Action, its accompanying explanations and progress report, and links that go with each one.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is the main website with a wealth of information.

Beyond 94 is the CBC-created site that is an ongoing report card monitoring how we are doing with the calls.

Reconciliation

57. Educate public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples.

In progress. Projects underway.

The Canada School of Public Service is working on curriculum for federal public servants. (see note on their app below Call 63)

• The "Indigenous Learning Series" is being created in collaboration with unions and "Indigenous learning experts and elders to ensure that the series is inclusive of and informed by Indigenous perspectives."
• There are currently six courses.
• Public servants in the Northwest Territories and Ontario are required to receive Indigenous cultural awareness training.
• Manitoba, BC, and Alberta have all taken steps in educating public servants; details on Beyond 94.

58. The full call is worth reprinting here.

We call upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in the Catholic-run residential schools. We call for that apology to be similar to the 2010 apology issued to Irish victims of abuse and to occur within one year of the issuing of this Report and to be delivered by the Pope in Canada.

Not started.

Prime Minister Trudeau has called on the Pope more than once to do this.

59. Church parties to the Residential Schools Settlement to educate congregations on why apologies are necessary.

Complete.

60. Faith groups to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities.

In progress. Projects underway.

Basically each of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement has implemented this Call, but to varying degrees. This actually floors me that it had to be a Call! Like how do you send clergy and staff into a specific community no matter what culture/nation it is without educating them about that very culture??

61. Church parties to the Residential Schools Settlement to fund reconciliation and culture revitalization projects.

In progress. Projects underway.

• Again, all of the churches fund or have funded healing, community-controlled culture and language, and community-controlled education relationship building projects, but to varying degrees.
• Only one church, the Anglican Church of Canada coordinated dialogues with Indigenous spiritual leaders in direct response to this Call to Action.
• In 2015, lawyers for Catholic Churches of Canada successfully argued that the church was no longer responsible for raising a promised $25 million that was to go toward healing and reconciliation projects. I'll let you read more on that on Beyond 94. It is beyond sickening; it's criminal that they plead poverty. Here is an article by Charity Intelligence Canada from August 2021 with just one graphic from it that may open your eyes. It took me all of five seconds or less to find this information.

62. Develop and fund Aboriginal content in education.

In progress. Projects underway.

• Currently all provinces and territories include the history of residential schools in their curriculum, but not all of it is mandatory, and some provinces are scaling back on their commitments to Indigenous education.
• Scaling BACK...
• Can you guess which two? Alberta and Ontario, both led by Conservative, close-minded, attempting to kill public education premiers). Don't get me started. As a teacher, I am outraged at what has happened as soon as these two got in power, and what continues to happen to erode public education.

63. Council of Ministers of Education Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues.

In progress. Projects proposed.

Sites, Articles, Books of Interest

My friend Gale let me know of this app Indigenous Reconciliation, which is a partnership between Canada School of Public Service and the Department of National Defence. It is a great place to start educating and decolonizing yourself.

I also downloaded APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) Lumi, a free app where you can stream Indigenous programming.

In the 1990s, my husband and I loved the CBC show North of 60 about the Dene people in the fictional town of Lynx River. We learned so much about Indigenous culture in this "culturally correct" TV show (source: CBC) which aired for five years and is available on Apple TV as well as APTN Lumi. 

We weren't the only ones learning and being vested in the show's characters. This brief CBC article interviewing the show's creators explains the magic that happened by just the second year of this iconic Canadian show where many Indigenous actors got their start.

Here is my quilt so far, with six of the ten columns sewn together. It's rather wild, but I like the randomness of it.

In case you missed my little rant in my stories on the weekend, here is just one of the slides that I hope people will do their research on the party leaders' history and record of voting, as well as who is promoting them. Interesting that the Canadian National Firearms Association is promoting the Cons on Twitter today. 

It's worth noting that the Liberals' cabinet when they won the majority came pretty close to matching the Canadian population, having a historic 48.3% of it women, 22.3% visible minorities, and 4.9% Indigenous. Would a leader who has:

• repeatedly voted against implementing UNDRIP, 
• who has changed his stance on guns multiple times over the past week, 
• removed from the Internet that page of his platform that said they will repeal the assault weapons ban,
• who can't or won't insist that all his party members be fully vaccinated (and they're going door to door canvassing!!),
• a party who has allowed bills trying to take away the right to abortion to be put forth seven times in the past 14 years, most recently under O'Toole,
• who wants to tear up the $10/day federally funded childcare plan that EIGHT of ten provinces have signed up for...

Would this be the leader and the party we want in control? Look at the mess in Alberta, the eroding of education and environment under Ford in Ontario. We want that federally? But also, be very very careful of voting NDP, a party long-supported by my parents, and by me...have you noticed that Jagmeet has not criticized any of the Cons platform or actions? I thought he was on the same side as the Left-leaning Liberals! I am so disappointed in his behaviour, outright lies, and false claims, and his refusal to answer questions about cost/budget for his grandiose statements. He could cost us the $10/day child care deal that EIGHT PROVINCES have agreed to and signed on with the Liberals! Think of how that alone could help our economy, allowing women to go back or to simply enter into the workforce, and thereby paying income tax on their earnings. This more than covers the cost of the $10/day federally funded daycare! Look at Quebec; they've been doing this since the 90s and it has worked incredibly well.