First Nations Voice

MAY 2014 • PAGE 3 Born in 1867, Canada lost the last vestiges of external co- lonialism in 1982. The Constitution Act 1982 opened the door for healing and reconciliation with our "Indigenous Peoples". The Courts of Canada have been widening the opening and concurrently Canada has become more and more a multi-cul- tural, multi-faith country of global citizens with diversity repre- sentative of the global human family. As we approach our 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017, are Non-Aboriginal Canadians going to make a concerted ef- fort to advance understanding, goodwill, peace and compas- sionate action in relation to our Original Peoples? Non-Aboriginal Canadians born and educated in the coun- try since 1867 have relied on sources of truth such as schools, faith organizations, elected officials, Courts, governments and media to understand the Treaties with and the values, philosophies, cultures, spirituality and traditional livelihoods of our Indigenous Peoples. Over the last 50 years, it has be- come clearer and clearer that misinformation by those sourc- es expected to provide truth were made worse by Hollywood cowboy and indian movies and other works of fiction. This has caused accumulated ignorance. The resulting misunderstand- ing manifests with racism and residential schools, assimila- tion policies, Treaty violations, narrow and unfair and unrea- sonable interpretation of Treaties, and Court Judgments, and the Indian Act. Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents of non-aboriginals have passed on to their children, grandchil- dren and great-grandchildren this dissemination and perpetu- ation of ignorance by unreliable sources relied on for truth. Hollywood and other fictional accounts of Indigenous Peoples reinforced this ignorance. This kind of majority misunderstanding and ignorance is not peculiar to Canada. It led to civil war and slavery and severe discrimination against African Americans and Native North Americans. It led to colonialism throughout the world by power- ful countries arrogantly - but often with the best of intentions - imposing their laws, cultures, religions and forms of govern- ment on Indigenous Peoples worldwide. The human family today is divided into many sovereign na- tions that have not yet overcome the negative effects of colo- nialism or other causes of oppressive regimes and inter-tribal violence and civil wars have resulted. Canada has no moral right to judge, condemn or criticize these challenged parts of our global family. All of Canada's wealth and privilege and favoured history relative to other countries in the world calls for all Canadians to be humble and grateful and to seek to understand cultures, Peoples and their histories in sovereign nations in trouble. It is our calling to advance understanding of and goodwill and peace with those in those sovereign na- tions and their Peoples. Canada can in this manner contribute to peace, social justice and human rights within and amongst sovereign nations. To earn credibility with other Peoples and nations, to ma- ture as a country and to be on a strong moral foundation much must still be done by Canadian Non-Aboriginals. Non-Aborig- inals must go beyond the apology for residential schools and other Federal and Provincial Government initiatives and pro- gressive Court decisions. Since 1982, processes and modern treaties and agreements have been set in motion to correct historical wrongs. However, in Manitoba the remaining material wrongs and devastating consequences of historical wrongs can and must be addressed with a sense of urgency. One of these wrongs is the lack of fair and reasonable opportunities for First Nations Peoples as individuals and families to engage in meaningful jobs and small businesses to enhance traditional livelihoods and ways of life, like hunting, fishing and trapping in Manitoba. The consequences of historical wrongs include poverty, depen- dency, inferior education and despair. One solution is to open up resource development and small business opportuni- ties and meaningful jobs with ethical and qualified resource development corporations for our First Nations Peoples. A serious and generous com- mitment to invest in education and training and massive af- firmative support and fair and reasonable revenue sharing from resource use and devel- opment revenues is required and urgent. Small business, the backbone of any sustain- able economy, must be al- lowed to be created on Crown lands by Indigenous individu- als and their families with the support of their Indian bands. Provincial permits and licenses to facilitate this must be more readily available on an affir- mative action basis. Provincial and Federal policies or laws must be changed to allow and encourage it. Trapline license areas can become ecosystems for sustainable value added small businesses consistent with the culture, values and phi- losophies of Indigenous licensees to add value to traditional livelihoods of trapping, hunting and fishing. This opportunity to do what could have been done 147 years ago and any time since must be allowed. It is long overdue. Demand for resources is high. Access to resources is criti- cal. Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba must support and agree to such access. This paradigm shift approach to economic development for Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba is an urgent moral and humanitarian necessity. If Canada is to be a beacon of hope for the world, if Canada is to be a credible participant in advancing understanding, goodwill, peace and compassionate action in our global fam- ily, it must rectify its most egregious historical wrongs. One of these wrongs is the inequitable impediments to resource development which since 1867 have hurt our Indigenous Peoples and prevented them from becoming free from depen- dency and successful economically in and around their home communities in a manner that is consistent with their cultures, values and philosophies. May the 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017 be a time to celebrate the steps taken to right this historical wrong in Mani- toba. Then, not only Canadians, but those oppressed peoples in other nations in the world can have hope that a better world is possible. It proves democracy can work for the benefit of minorities. It shows violence is not an acceptable or neces- sary means to achieve peace and human rights. It shows that we are a country worthy of being the home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and an authentic beacon of hope for a better world. Rotary CANADA - BEACON OF HOPE FOR THE WORLD?

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