Wednesday marked a day of listening across Canadian media, looking to find a path forward after Canada's horrific residential school system. (The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Water Cooler: Reflections on a day of listening

Jul 3, 2021 | 10:50 AM

NANAIMO — The Water Cooler is NanaimoNewsNOW’s letters to the editor-style segment, featuring conversations about the news in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

This week’s feature highlight’s Wednesday’s Day of Listening, where Canadian radio stations and media outlets amplified Indigenous voices in the light of the ongoing discoveries of human remains at former residential school sites

Jo F., Nanaimo: This day of conversation is an important long overdue step and indeed needs to be supported with concrete actions! As awareness increases about the extent of violence in these legislated institutions of genocide, let’s also not lose sight of all the current and ongoing ways Indigenous people and communities continue to be harmed.

Call on Feds to STOP all court cases fighting against indigenous children and settlements in court, to lead nation to nation talks to restore sovereignty, to stop subsidizing corporations to exploit the land for oil, gas, minerals at the cost of health and autonomy for indigenous communities.

Clean water, equal funding on reserve for health, education…And the ongoing abducting of Indigenous kids into care at disproportionate rates…There is a lot that can be done to move forward in a better way even if we cannot change the past. For indigenous people and communities to heal requires safety, autonomy and justice.

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Susan P., Nanoose Bay: I am a poet and spoken word artist from Nanoose Bay. I have rewritten the words to “Oh Canada” to hopefully capture how we are feeling, and to try to capture some of our collective grief and shame. I stand with you.

Oh Canada
We bow our heads in shame
1000 children died, and it is us to blame
With grieving hearts, we will stand beside
the families we have shattered
and offer more than contrition
for every child that matters
Let’s stand in silence, let us feel their pain
Oh Canada, we all must own this shame
Oh Canada, don’t look away again

NanaimoNewsNOW: Wednesday was an opportunity to hear many stories about the affects Canada’s residential school system had on countless individuals. Thousands and thousands of people were stripped from their families and had their culture erased in the name of what certain people felt was right.

We’ve seen clearly that those decisions were very, very wrong.

As we said on Wednesday, the day of listening must just be a first step. It can’t end here. We can’t just accept the discovery of 1000+ (and the number continues to grow) bodies of children and move on. We must change, we must act.

Action begins with education, it begins with conversation and it begins with a united front. Action will come from various levels of government, led by Ottawa, but must be demanded for by the people.

As Susan noted in her adapted version of ‘Oh Canada’, “we all must own this shame”. We’re unable to disengage from this trauma because it happens in another country, or it happened in another time.

Many of those involved directly in residential schools, either as children or facilitators, are alive today and their actions are part of our society.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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