National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 4 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation By Wendy King G rand Chief Jerry Daniels is running. But his is not a race for office. Like First Nation leaders everywhere, he is running to keep pace with the growing socio- economic crises First Nations people continue to ex- perience under colonialist oppression. Now into his second term as Grand Chief Daniels — a mem- ber of Long Plain First Nation — leads Southern Chiefs' Or- ganization (SCO), representing 34 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations and more than 81,500 citizens in southern Manitoba. Working from mandated resolutions, SCO supports com- munities in a variety of ways, including advocating on their behalf. "When I came in, 'community-driven' was one of the cor- nerstones of my mandate," says Grand Chief Daniels. "The strength of our communities will dictate the strength of SCO and our collective strength." Among SCO's key concerns are the economic deficits and traumas caused by the residential and day schools, the '60s Scoop, the child welfare system, and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people (MMIWG2S). SCO recognizes the need for both funding and the development of a holistic approach for all of these issues. For example, Survivors of the residential school system are not just those who were forced to attend. "All First Nations people and their families are impacted in some significant way and have experienced intergenerational trauma. There are very few that have been blessed not to en- dure that," says Grand Chief Daniels. SCO supports southern First Nations that want to organize programming and events to recognize and honour school Sur- vivors in ways that reflect the needs of individual communi- ties. First Nation peoples and communities want to lead their own healing, and this aligns with the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. This also applies to how SCO responds to the MMIWG2S+ crisis and aligns with the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. "We've really worked to maximizing the programming we have so we can support all of our Survivors, including our '60s Scoop and Survivors of the child welfare system through some common initiatives," says Grand Chief Daniels. The '60s Scoop stole thousands of Indigenous children from the arms of their families, with connections to communities and cultures brutally cut off, Grand Chief Daniels notes. The generational impact of the residential schools, the '60s Scoop and today's child welfare system requires generational in- vestment and strategy. Manitoba currently has 11,000 Indig- enous children in the CFS system. Grand Chief Daniels says there is a direct line that connects all these tragedies and all of these Survivors. Grand Chief Daniels says the tragedies and the trauma that result are outpacing the efforts to overcome them, and that Canadians must come to terms with the realities of why In- digenous people are struggling with what could be described as insurmountable challenges on socioeconomic indicators used to measure quality of life. He points out these are institutional and systemic prob- lems. "They are built within the mindsets and values of Canadi- ans. They become a reality through the actions of those who employ our people, those who train our people, those who are involved on the front lines of our people in the health-care system, the child welfare system and within the justice sys- tem." It needs to be noted that all institutions in Canada share this history. Grand Chief Daniels goes on to say that "history has been transferred from generation to generation through those who are in power or are in charge of these institutions and who have promoted those of the same values, same mindset, same language and same culture within those institutions. That's the true history — it is about the subjugation of Indig- enous people, the theft of our lands, the killing of many of our people — and not holding it up high as a priority. It's a history I know many Canadians do not want to acknowledge because it's shameful history, one that I don't think Canadians can ever be proud of. But it is the truth and if we're ever going to address the inequities in Canada, it has to be understood for what it is really is." Problems are growing very, very fast, he adds. "We're dealing with addictions issues and poverty growing at a rapid pace," says Grand Chief Daniels. "Do governments and non-Indigenous Canadians understand that we're not Southern Chiefs' Organization SHARES SUPPORT SUPPLIED PHOTO >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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