All Canadians share responsibility of reconciliation: vice regal says

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This article was published 07/06/2023 (853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon stressed the responsibility shared by non-Indigenous and Indigenous people towards reconciliation during her second day in Manitoba, as First Nations leaders criticized the province for restoring and re-erecting the Queen Elizabeth statue ahead of Simon’s first official visit.

Simon’s three-day sojourn to Manitoba continued Wednesday with a stop at the Legislative Building, where she was welcomed with a vice-regal salute by a quarter guard from 17 Wing outside Government House, and within sight of the statue that has been repeatedly vandalized.

The bronze likeness of the monarch was spray-painted with the words “killer” and “colonizer” within hours of being returned to the legislature grounds on Friday. The statue was first toppled by protesters on Canada Day in 2021.

Simon — the country’s first Indigenous governor general and King Charles’s representative in Canada — said she has heard from First Nations people about how such statues can represent a painful era of colonization.

“It’s really important for Indigenous people to be able to express themselves in whichever form they want,” Simon told reporters after meeting the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Southern Chiefs Organization, Manitoba Inuit Association, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the Manitoba Metis Federation and Indigenous Relations Minister Eileen Clarke.

“But it’s also very important for us to recognize that the effects of colonization and residential schools have had such a devastating impact on the cultures and identity of Indigenous people — that there’s frustrations, there’s anger, and they will from time to time express that anger and their frustrations.”

On Wednesday, AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick issued a statement expressing disappointment that the Manitoba government had returned the statue to its pedestal without consulting First Nations and before installing a long-awaited statue of Chief Peguis on the legislature grounds.

“At this time, First Nations citizens are still actively seeking healing from the wounds of colonization and genocide inflicted by residential schools,” Merrick said in a release. “By replacing the Queen Elizabeth II statue as quickly as this, before erecting one that honours the history of First Nations in this province, shows a lack of commitment to reconciliation and accountability by this province.”

Reconciliation will require a life-long commitment by Canadians to address the effects of colonization and residential schools, and to get to a place where people respect and understand one another, Simon said.

Her office is focused on advancing reconciliation and convening groups to discuss topics that can cause division, including representations of the monarchy in Canada, she said.

“My role is to help understand what’s going on,” said Simon, who is Inuk from Kangiqsualujjuaq, Que. “So, in a way, I can’t say whether it’s right or wrong… but reconciliation is bringing those two understandings together, so that they can live side by side with respect.”

Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said he used the hour-long meeting with Simon to highlight the “erosion” of the treaty relationship with the Crown and raise concerns with First Nations registration, which he said is threatened under sections of the Indian Act.

“Those are two big policies that are affecting our communities. They’re affecting wealth, they’re affecting our citizenship, and I think that the Crown needs to understand that,” Daniels said.

“She’s not political, but at the end of the day she’s commander and chief of this country and she has her circles of discourse.”

Earlier Wednesday, Simon met with Manitoba Lt. Gov. Anita Neville at Government House, followed by a 30-minute visit with Premier Heather Stefanson in her office, where the two briefly discussed the premier’s recent trip to northern Manitoba before reporters were ushered out of the room.

Simon also delivered remarks to community and youth leaders at a reception at Government House Wednesday evening. She praised the “wonderful work” observed during her visits to Willow Place women’s shelter and Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Education Centre on Tuesday.

“I am here to begin a dialogue. One that will extend throughout my mandate. This dialogue is about reconciliation but it’s also about creating a more diverse and inclusive Canada,” Simon said. “I’m here to learn and listen to the joys and the challenges of living in this province.”

Simon will visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday and deliver a keynote address to graduates from the University of Manitoba.

She is set to receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the university, in recognition of her impact on Indigenous communities in Canada and dedication to public service.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca