Canada’s federal government is taking measures to address some unpleasant aspects of this country’s relationship with aboriginal people.
A change in the wording to Canada’s oath of citizenship is in the works. The change will include a reference to historic treaties with aboriginal people.
The federal government is also drafting an apology for the Sixties Scoop, which removed aboriginal and Metis children from their families and placed them in foster care or with non-aboriginal families.
The revised citizenship oath and the apology both represent an effort to address past wrongs. They may make some of us feel uncomfortable, but they are necessary and long overdue.
At times, relationships between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Canada have been strained.
Earlier this year, in the build-up to the Canada 150 celebrations on July 1, some aboriginal groups were launching information campaigns voicing their disappointment with the treatment they have received from non-aboriginal Canadians.
Among other things, treaties have not always been honoured.
The proposed text change to the citizenship oath reads, “I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including treaties with Indigenous Peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.”
It’s an important change, one that acknowledges Canada’s relationship with aboriginal people.
And it’s not the only such recognition.
In Summerland and Penticton, a statement is made at some public events, ceremonies and government announcements, recognizing those who were here before the first white explorers, missionaries or settlers arrived.
“We respectfully acknowledge that we are situated on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Syilx people.”
This is a carefully worded statement, recognizing this region’s history.
I’ve heard this statement or close variations at numerous events over the past few years, but I don’t recall anything like it even a decade ago.
Most treaties were made long ago and reflect an important part of Canada’s past.
The federal government’s apology for the Sixties Scoop is a lot more uncomfortable because it deals with something quite recent.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, an estimated 20,000 aboriginal children in Canada were taken from their homes and adopted by white families in Canada and internationally.
I remember going to school with some of these children. And later, I met families who had fostered or adopted aboriginal children during this time period.
This is not a question of whether these children were treated well by their adoptive families. It is not a question of whether the adoption policy was implemented with the best of intentions, as an attempt to help the children affected.
Even if they received the best possible care, these children lost a connection to their birth families and their culture.
And the effects linger to this day.
Some are now, as adults, working to discover and connect with the culture they lost.
The apology for the Sixties Scoop is an acknowledgement of a past mistake.
And, unlike other government apologies, this one will include some compensation. The federal government has settled on a maximum payout of $750 million.
Past mistakes must be acknowledged and steps must be taken so they are not repeated.
The change to the citizenship oath and the apology for the Sixties Scoop are both important steps in acknowledging wrongs which have been done to aboriginal people.
The challenge now is to learn from our past and to ensure similar mistakes are not made in the future.
John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.