CBC’s road to reconciliation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2024 (670 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Feb. 5, here in Winnipeg at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, we launched our first national Indigenous strategy, Strengthening Relations, Walking Together. Eight years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its final report, including Call to Action 84 on how the public broadcaster can better serve Indigenous Peoples, CBC/Radio-Canada marks a historic moment.

When I first visited Iqaluit in 2018 as the new president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, Inuit residents told me just how much CBC North is a lifeline in their communities. I’ve heard it many times since — CBC/Radio-Canada is vital to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities from coast to coast to coast. And yet, most non-Indigenous people are unaware of the role CBC/Radio-Canada has played in the lives of Indigenous Peoples for close to 70 years.

In 1958, CBC/Radio-Canada established its northern service and soon after became the first national broadcaster to put Inuktitut- and Na-Dene-speaking hosts on the air. Trailblazing journalists like Bernelda Wheeler and Brian Maracle brought Indigenous perspectives to the airwaves with CBC Radio’s Our Native Land. Today, we provide in-depth coverage of issues affecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis through CBC North, CBC Indigenous, ICI Grand Nord and Espaces autochtones and offer content in eight Indigenous languages.

Over the past five years, CBC North has been digitizing and cataloguing more than 70,000 hours of audio archives dating to the 1960s, a rare and invaluable collection documenting the lives and languages of Indigenous Peoples. We have also focused on providing a platform for Indigenous creators to tell authentic stories, such as award-winning podcasts like CBC’s Finding Cleo and Radio-Canada’s Laissez-nous raconter nos histoires crochies. Last year, we aired Bones of Crows, the first mini-series commissioned by CBC, Radio-Canada and APTN in English, French and Cree.

But I have also heard that the public broadcaster could have done better — and can still do better. How do we ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada continues to serve First Nations, Inuit and Métis with the content and services they want?

Our national Indigenous strategy will be our guide. With it, the public broadcaster establishes its first Indigenous Office, which will oversee and implement the strategy. This office will also ensure continual engagement and consultation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, leaders, associations and other stakeholders.

We will deepen our relationships with Indigenous creators and Indigenous organizations such as APTN and the Indigenous Screen Office.

We will also continue to collaborate with other public service media. We have, for example, agreed to develop an Indigenous podcast initiative with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meaningful actions toward reconciliation also means acknowledging the past; a journey of understanding. We will conduct a comprehensive review of the past 80 years of our archives and our portrayal of the experiences and events affecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis. This review will be conducted by a third party and will provide recommendations to ensure a respectful, inclusive and accurate portrayal of Indigenous Peoples and their experiences.

It is time for a new approach, one driven by Indigenous communities and the Indigenous employees at the public broadcaster. This strategy has been Indigenous-led from its very beginning. Hundreds of First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders, audience members, CBC/Radio-Canada staff and members of the media industry shared with us their perspectives on how CBC/Radio-Canada could better serve them. We started this engagement process right here in Winnipeg, in 2022. To everyone who shared their thoughts: Thank you. We heard you. Our strategy is the result of what you had to say.

CBC/Radio-Canada will work more closely with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to better reflect, respect and amplify their perspectives.

Our new strategy marks a new approach for the public broadcaster, one where Indigenous Peoples themselves will be at the forefront of determining how we serve them.

But it’s not a finish line. It’s a beginning. We will continue to invite ideas on how we can do better, so that the strategy can evolve as we learn. We are determined to address the past and build a future that we can all be proud of, together.

Catherine Tait is president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada.