Today might be July 1st, but like any other day of the past few weeks, I reflect upon what has happened here.
It would be easy to say, “well I’m from Quebec. We’re not the same here. Well I might have been born and raised here, but both my parents are immigrants, so I’m not really from here. My ancestors didn’t do anything to the people of these nations, it’s got nothing to do with me. This happened years ago, why would I get invovle now. My people suffered too so…”
But now is not the time to look for more excuses, nor play the blame game, nor hold the head in the sand party anymore.
We are CONFIRMING and REALIZING, right now (not DISCOVERING, this is NOT a discovery, we have known all along. Let’s use the right words here. Words have meaning and purpose) the horrific treatments that we inflicted upon the indigenous people when we try to eradicate them. And reality hurts.
But now is the time for accountability and responsibility.
Today as we are driving up north to go spend a few days in nature to recenter, refocus, realign, reconnect, we’ll show our respect and gratitude for the land we’ll be on and I’ll be reflecting on what it means to be Canadian. On what it means to be part of a nation that was born out of the death of so many. On what it means to have such a privileged life built on stolen lands. On how I can help and be of service to start repairing what we broke and what we keep on breaking.
And as I learn more and more every day about this culture that stood on this land before us, I’ll reflect on how I can be better and do better by these people. On how I can build a life, a practice and a business that are respectful and appreciative of the indigenous culture, and not continue participating in their culture appropriation.
We’ll never be able to understand what they have gone through, how much pain and sorrow this genocide has engendered, how much the colonization of this nation is at the root of the traumas of generations and generations of their people.
But we can stand in unity with the indigenous people today, and instead of celebrating the birth of a nation, mourn the death of hundreds of thousands of their children.
