Regina Reconciliation

https://beyond.ubc.ca/orange-shirt-day/

3 things you might not know about Orange Shirt Day - Beyond Orange Shirt Day on September 30 raises awareness about residential schools in Canada and was inspired by this heart-wrenching story.

Shared from the cultural liaison John :

With a brief analysis of the factors that contribute to health and social equities one would be able to see that the root of all discrepancies are caused from the colonization of the Indigenous people. How does it pertain to colonization? Due to the colonialism inflicted upon the Indigenous people of Canada many agreements and promises made by the government were not in the Indigenous people’s best interest. Canada’s agreements with the Indigenous people were hastily made in fear of losing land to the Americans that were fighting for independence at the time. Most of these treaties and agreements were made with the intention of silencing any uprising that may disrupt the British in solidifying their claim to Canada. Due to the quick nature of the agreements being made many Indigenous groups of people had these made unfavorably for them; not to mention the culture and language barriers that were posed during this time, it's easy to observe that miscommunication would easily be a factor.
By solidifying their claim to Canada, the British were open to finding loopholes in policy making to benefit the government at the Indigenous people’s expense. The policy making and reconfiguring of agreements has undoubtedly been the most negatively influential towards the Indigenous people’s wellbeing. With this strategy of systemically breaking down Indigenous peoples’ rights for the benefit of the government is systemic racism influenced by our colonialist forefathers. There are many instances of injustices inflicted upon the Indigenous people of Canada by their own government such as: displacement of whole communities, strategic city and/or route planning for the exclusion of Indigenous people, and the creation of false narratives with the intention to deface the Indigenous image. There are many Indigenous groups in Canada that have been displaced without any proper consultation or reparations distributed for the loss of land and social equities; completely uprooted and placed in poorer or unwanted regions of the country. Most of these communities have been displaced or do not have access to normal social commodities such as: safe drinking water, homes in proximity of health centers, and even proper healthcare. The year is 2022 and Canada prides itself on being a progress, inclusive renown country that treats all equally, yet most of the Indigenous population are suffering some degree of third-world-like environments. Regarding displacement the government uprooted entire communities to benefit themselves by reaping the area of land of the Indigenous people without any proper consultation of retroactive reparations. These communities’ former homes were wrongfully developed and have amassed unimaginable production and benefits pertaining to economic development only further facilitating the gap between the Indigenous people of Canada and their colonizers. This gap only lengthens when looking at the Canadian health care system. Due to treaties and agreements this made healthcare for Indigenous people provided through said agreements but throughout the years many benefits of healthcare meant for Indigenous people have slowly been abolished. This is a clear demonstration of systemic racism rooted from a colonizer mindset by not honoring the agreements made and slowly taking rights away. As a result of these actions the Canada justice system in theory should not be looked at as legitimate; taking away rights granted in an agreement between the Indigenous and Crown makes any form of law by Canada illegitimate. Therefore how could a country be showcasing itself as progress and inclusive; when the country in question is guilty of misrepresenting its own people like many other countries it informally accuses and prosecutes.
All these noted examples show the social inequities Indigenous people faced and continue to face. The damage inflicted upon the Indigenous people generation after generation with intergeneration traumas, dispossession/displacement of entire peoples, social inadequacies, denial of any sort of real development, and the continued injustices prosecuted upon them by their own government goes to show the ethical considerations regarding health equity.
Reconciliation is - the restoration of friendly relations, the action of making one view or belief compatible with another, the action of making financial accounts consistent; harmonization.

The TRC calls to action address the ongoing impact of residential schools on survivors and their families.

With the new TRC initiative implemented by most companies and organizations throughout Canada, restoration of the relationship between the Indigneous people and Canada has begun. This is a great example of progression within the conversation of truth and reconciliation by utilizing government funding for an Indigenized form of support in such areas as housing, health, and youth programs. Through these Indigenized programs truth and reconciliation are presented and progressing in the right direction; with an Indigenized initiative comes true reconciliation. The TRC initiative is beginning to shape programs around Indigenous culture. This initiative will improve the quality of life of individuals impacted by the effects of modernized colonialism from strategic city planning to continued socio-economic issues that have yet to close the gap on further negative implications - the Indigenized approach to culturally supporting programs help in presenting how proper reconciliation is possible. Many services and programs that do culturally support their clients continue to make a difference in many people’s lives by offering the option of connecting with their heritage. A provided Indigenized initiative is the way society needs to proceed when considering truth and reconciliation. This is the only way to get a proper evaluation of what needs to be met in an individual’s circumstances; by people who have experiences within these social issues and for people still struggling today with these social issues. That is the way of getting a better understanding of the issues that are affected upon the Indingeous people by spreading awareness of the root causes as to why they are in the situation they are in today. Following that would be providing specified solutions to an individual’s problems with any healing method they prefer which all aid and relate to the TRC’s calls to action.

A brief history lesson on Jordan’s Principle on how it came to be. Jordan River Anderson was a First Nations child from Norway Cree House Nation in Manitoba. Born in 1999 with complex medical needs that could not be treated on-reserve, he spent more than two years in a hospital in Winnipeg before doctors agreed that he could leave the hospital to be cared for in a
family home. He spent his entire life in the hospital, despite clearance to live at home with proper care. Unfortunately, the federal and provincial governments could not decide on who should pay for that care. Depending on whether they live on or off reserve, different levels of government support and services for First Nations children and youth can be provided. This caused jurisdictional disputes between the federal and provincial governments over who should pay costs for in-home care. This led to the untimely and unnecessary death of Jordan Anderson in 2005 who at the age of five never got to go home or live outside of the hospital. He waited over two years in hospital for the funding dispute to be resolved and had never spent a day in a family home. His story is what inspired Jordan’s Principle.
​Jordan’s Principle is designed to ensure all First Nations children and youth can access the products, services, and supports they need, when they need them. It is a child first principle calling on the government of first contact to ensure First Nations children can access public services on the same terms as other children. In December 2007, Motion-296 in support of Jordan’s Principle passed unanimously in the House of Commons. Under this legal rule, First Nations children and youth can access any public services such as physical health, mental health, educational supports, early childhood services and more without having to face inequities because they’re First Nations. The government or department of first contact is responsible for funding, with financial disputes to be resolved after support is provided. With the introduction of Jordan’s Principle, there will no longer be any jurisdictional disputes, and First Nations children will no longer get caught in the middle of government red tape, thanks to Jordan. Meaning that every young person who identifies as First Nations in Canada can use Jordan’s Principle to access the public services they need, when they need them. First Nations children and youth can request services under Jordan’s Principle
whether they are on or off reserve and status or non-status.
Sadly, the poor implementation of Jordan’s Principle by governments has been extremely limited in effect, as noted in independent reviews by the Canadian Paediatric Society and UNICEF in 2012. Inadequate implementation was also brought forward in the Pictou Landing Band Council and Maurina Beadle v. Canada case; an application for judicial review to address the government’s failure to reimburse the Pictou Landing band for costs relating to Maurina Beadle’s son Jeremy Meawasige, who requires extensive in-home care. The Federal Court found that Jordan’s Principle is binding on the Government of Canada and ordered it to reimburse costs for Jeremy’s care without delay. Canada filed and then withdrew an appeal to this ruling.
In August 2014, the Caring Society and Amnesty International filed factums with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal stating that the federal government’s current interpretation of Jordan’s Principle. is narrow, restrictive, ambiguous, unlawful, and discriminatory, causing denial and delay of services to children in need. Jordan’s Principle must be interpreted as Parliament intended “to ensure that First Nations children who primarily live on reserve have access to public services on the same terms as all other Canadian children.” The Tribunal has the authority to decide if the federal government’s implementation of Jordan’s Principle is discriminatory pursuant to the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Again, the foundation is there for TRC’s call to action regarding Jordin’s principle but improper ex*****on within the federal government hindered the final process. Jordin’s Principle is an example of how advocacy, even against the federal and provincial partners who fund the social program, can still be effective and create equity for all people regardless of social/cultural status.

Thank you so much John for your knowledge and contribution!

Child welfare
1. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care by:
i. Monitoring and assessing neglect investigations.
ii. Providing adequate resources to enable Aboriginal communities and child-welfare organizations to keep Aboriginal families together where it is safe to do so, and to keep children in culturally appropriate environments, regardless of where they reside.
iii. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools.
iv. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing.
v. Requiring that all child-welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers.
2. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, to prepare and publish annual reports on the number of Aboriginal children (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) who are in care, compared with non-Aboriginal children, as well as the reasons for apprehension, the total spending on preventive and care services by child-welfare agencies, and the effectiveness of various interventions.
3. We call upon all levels of government to fully implement Jordan’s Principle.
4. We call upon the federal government to enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases and includes principles that:
i. Affirm the right of Aboriginal governments to establish and maintain their own child-welfare agencies.
ii. Require all child-welfare agencies and courts to take the residential school legacy into account in their decision making.
iii. Establish, as an important priority, a requirement that placements of Aboriginal children into temporary and permanent care be culturally appropriate.
5. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to develop culturally appropriate parenting programs for Aboriginal families.

Check out the 94 Calls-to-Action!

https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-calls-to-action