Catholic Response to Call to Action 48 of the TRC

July 31, 2016Posted inResource
A Catholic Response to Call to Action 48 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (On Adopting and Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) 1. Introduction: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued 94 Calls to Action almost a year ago. One of these called on all faith groups in Canada to “formally adopt and comply with the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.”1 Catholic Bishops, institutes of consecrated life, societies…
CANADIAN PUBLIC OPINION ON ABORIGINAL PEOPLES

Canadian Public Opinion on Aboriginal Peoples

June 14, 2016Posted inGathering Theme
The biggest challenge faced by Aboriginals, when asked unprompted, is “stigma, inequality, discrimination.”  It topped the list (18%, up from 6% in 2008) of about ten issues.There is little optimism among Non-Aboriginals that progress is being made in narrowing the gap in living standards (“getting bigger” 22%; “Not really changing” 54 %). Use the controls on the grey bar below to access more viewing options and the download button.

Reconciliation

June 14, 2016Posted inGathering Theme
“Many people came to the conversation without really thinking about reconciliation was. They kept focusing on what reconciliation wasn’t. It wasn’t about forgiveness. It wasn’t about sovereignty. It wasn’t about title to the land. It wasn’t about government control. So they came with a bunch of negative perspectives. Once we came to terms with understanding that reconciliation is establishing a balanced and respectful relationship between two or more sovereign and existing entities, and in a way that allows them to function in a partnership going forward, I think that idea gelled very quickly for us."-- Reflections of the Chief Commissioner on…

TRC Reading Challenge

June 9, 2016Posted inResource
The TRC Reading Challenge, this started out as a simple idea. I can’t believe it. We’ve passed 3000!! Let’s keep going. This is hope. Step 1: Sign up on the Pledge to Read page. Step 2: Challenge another person by email, Facebook, Twitter, in person. Step 3: Start reading the TRC report now, or START ON JUNE 21st. **The actual reading and progress reports don’t have to start until June 21st** Step 4: Share your progress starting on June 21st. Take as long as you need to read it. It’s not a race. It’s a commitment.

A Survivor

June 9, 2016Posted inResource
“A Survivor is not just someone who "made it through" the schools, or "got by" or was "making do.” A Survivor is a person who persevered against and overcame adversity. The word came to mean someone who emerged victorious, though not unscathed, whose head was “bloody but unbowed.” It referred to someone who had taken all that could be thrown at them and remained standing at the end. It came to mean someone who could legitimately say “I am still here!” For that achievement, Survivors deserve our highest respect. But, for that achievement, we also owe them the debt of…

Chief Joseph on Reconciliation

June 7, 2016Posted inResource
Healing a Nation Through Truth and Reconciliation | Chief Dr Robert Joseph | TEDxEastVan Published on May 24, 2016 Canada’s past held some dark and terrible secrets on the treatment of it’s First Nations peoples. Chief Robert Joseph experienced these destructive forces firsthand in the Residential School System and he now explains how sharing these truths was the first step to reconciling a nation. Helping to heal this racism and intolerance is to recognize ‘we are all one’.