Every year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation gives Canadians the chance to reflect on their nation’s terrible treatment of Indigenous peoples. While many people may have treated yesterday as a typical holiday and simply ignored its entire importance, others understand why these 24 hours hold so much significance. Those of us with this different perspective know that although the oppression of Indigenous peoples is mainly orchestrated by those with economic power, all of us still play a role in its perpetuation. It calls us to share the responsibility of challenging the status quo.
It’s a calling we feel we have, not only as Canadians committed to our fellow citizen’s well-being, but as Catholics, as well. A nuanced and collective care for those whom society has deemed expendable stems from the early stages of our religious lives.
But it still begs the question: On this special day, how exactly do we allow our faith to materialize our concern for the marginalized into meaningful change in our private lives? Well, a good strategy would be to revisit major incidents of Indigenous injustice and use both papal tradition and the gospel to guide how we think about them.
For instance, we can look at the displacement of Lake St. Martin First Nations members and neighbouring communities in Manitoba. After the provincial government diverted floodwater to the reserve, 4,525 people of Indigenous descent were forced to abandon the only place they’ve ever known. The human-induced flood left children depressingly drawing images of their homes underwater. Many others described themselves as refugees.
In this situation, a Catholic-centred focus on the factors that lead to emotional devastation that is probably much too esoteric for a lot of us to understand, revolves around the actions of the Manitoba government.
The pain felt by these Indigenous communities is much too esoteric for many of us to relate to. However, Catholics can still use their creative capacity to reflect upon the factors that allowed this environmental crisis to happen. In this case, a specific scope must be placed on the actions of the Manitoba government.
Members of Lake St. Martin’s First Nation said they were all against having water sent their way. However, because provincial officials applied the Emergency Measures Act to override their constitutional obligation to consult with them, they never got the chance to express their disapproval before the final decision was made.
In Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis sets the stage for how we should absorb this part of the tragedy. He uses this post-synodal document to call on governments to listen to the concerns of the oppressed as emphatic participants, and give them a leading role to play when it’s time to make seismic choices that may affect them directly. As he explains, a “healthy sense of indignation,” requires one to discard outdated paradigms, and instead, “build networks of solidarity and development.”
The words of Pope Francis should encourage us to think about how the suffering of Indigenous peoples is continued through colonial practices that keep them unheard. For Truth and Reconciliation Day, we should ask ourselves: “Do I make sure I’m centralizing the thoughts and perceptions of Indigenous peoples when I read about sensitive situations involving them?”
The policies that allowed provincial officials to conduct this catastrophe should also be considered during our reflections. This is made clear through an article written by Dr. Shirley Thompson, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba, who works with several Indigenous communities to bring them environmental justice.
Thompson’s study found that flooding policy (section 5.2) may have been responsible for making Lake St. Martins First Nation and neighbouring communities invisible in environmental risk assessments. Since damage done to housing on reserves is a federal responsibility and not a provincial one, the Manitoba government wouldn’t have had any actual incentive to include them in their decision-making models. Pope John Paul II equips us with the insight we need to thoughtfully ponder upon this section of the situation.
In chapter 5 of Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II states that an authentic form of democracy is only possible in a state that has a “correct conception of the human person.” This means honouring everyone’s human dignity at every level.
A provincial policy that leaves a segment of the population more prone to human-generated disasters is an obvious denial of our God-given importance, thus making our governing system inauthentic.
This papal definition puts us in a position to rethink the way we understand certain concepts. For Truth and Reconciliation Day, we should also ask ourselves: Are inaccurate understandings of certain procedures preventing me from having a proper comprehension of Indigenous peoples’ experiences?
Finally, the Manitoba government suffered from a much broader problem of letting their country’s horrible history repeat itself. Their refusal to learn from the numerous times that both the federal and provincial governments failed to prevent the pain of Indigenous peoples in the past means that we must question their economics.
In Proverbs 1:5, the bible says, “Let the wise listen and increase their learning; let the person of understanding receive guidance.” Since the Pontifical Council For Justice and Peace stated that “education plays a fundamental role in the fight against racism,” we should make sure our learning and wisdom include plenty of lessons from the most excluded members in our nation.
For Truth and Reconciliation Day, we should ask ourselves: “While I strive to become a better Christian, do I make sure I’m becoming more culturally aware of marginalized people’s lived realities as well?”
As Catholics, we have more than enough faith-based resources at our disposal to make this day an important one. It’s about time we all come together to use them.
Kevin Tachie is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Manitoba. He is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Catholic Studies.
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