A Canadian Genocide

A Canadian Genocide

June 10, 2021Posted inNews Archive
You likely have heard about the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Residential School in late May 2021. This discovery is on top of the documented more than 4,100 children previously identified by the TRC’s Missing Children’s Project. Some of the remains are of children as young as three years old. Circles for Reconciliation acknowledges these findings and recognizes they are not simply rumours. This is a horrible legacy of our Canadian past. This heartbreaking news is too familiar for many Indigenous families across Canada. Waves of grief continue to flow through many of our Indigenous…

Theodore Fontaine: A Remarkable Elder

May 30, 2021Posted inNews Archive
Theodore Fontaine died on May 10, 2021. He was an Elder with wisdom, compassion, forgiveness, humility, fearlessness in telling the truth of the past, all coming from a deep sense of pride in who he was and his people. His book, “Broken Circle, The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools” is a remarkable memoir of his years in the Fort Alexander Indian Residential School, from 1948-1958 and the Assiniboia Indian Residential School from 1958-1960. For years, he supported survivors and spoke about reconciliation with those who were perpetrators of his abuse. Theodore was also a friend and advisor to Circles…

Thomas Berger

May 15, 2021Posted inNews Archive
Our video tribute to the life and work of a true Canadian hero, Thomas Berger, who died on May 11 2021. In honouring the life of Thomas Berger, the honourable Murray Sinclair describes how Thomas Berger inspired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to follow his model of going to the people. The TRC interviewed over 6,000 people as it crisscrossed the country. YouTube video link

Violations of the Spirit of Treaties

February 10, 2021Posted inGathering Theme
This theme briefly summarizes seven major violations of the intent of the treaties to recognize, respect and acknowledge each Indigenous nation. It brings together an overview of policies and practices that have had, and continue to have, such a profound impact on the lives of Indigenous people in Canada. Use the controls on the grey bar below to access more viewing options and the download button.

The Sixties Scoop

November 25, 2020Posted inGathering Theme
While the treatment of children varied from family to family, the children are united in the shared impacts on their connections to culture, identity and languages.While the operation of the child welfare system has experienced changes since the 1960s, it remains a critical failure in upholding basic rights, support for health and for the well being of Indigenous children in Canada. Use the controls on the grey bar below to access more viewing options and the download button.

The Indian Act: Disempowering, Assimilatory and Exclusionary

November 25, 2020Posted inGathering Theme
Getting beyond or removing the Indian Act, however, is not as simple as it sounds. The paradox of the act is that it is also integral to securing the legal protection of reserve land for the common use and occupation of First Nations—and there remains very little Canadian territory that is set aside specifically for Indigenous groups. For First Nations, the only way out from under the Indian Act is through the negotiation of self-government agreements, a process that is itself subject to some staunch criticisms. Use the controls on the grey bar below to access more viewing options and…
Canada Life and Power Corporation Contribute $70,000.00 to fostering meaningful relationships for reconciliation

Canada Life and Power Corporation Contribute $70,000.00 to fostering meaningful relationships for reconciliation

October 7, 2020Posted inNews Archive
Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada are pleased to announce a $70,000 contribution to Circles for Reconciliation. The contribution will assist with the project’s national expansion to build meaningful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and advance the process of reconciliation into communities across Canada. “Building strong relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous through awareness, knowledge and conversation is exactly what Circles For Reconciliation aims to achieve,” said Jeff Macoun, President and Chief Operating Officer, Canada, Canada Life. “We’re proud to support this important organization and hope many Winnipeggers and Canadians will seek out an opportunity to participate in a…

A Summer Intern for Circles

September 15, 2020Posted inNews Archive
A Summer Intern for Circles Circles for Reconciliation was pleased to have Peeha Luthra, a Loran Scholar, as a summer intern for a full three months in 2020. Patricia Barford Mann, a Member of our Advisory Committee in Toronto, had recommended us to the Loran Foundation. The program contacted us to ask if we would like to host and mentor a student for the summer with no cost to our program.  Peeha Luthra, a third year undergraduate, with a double major in English Literature and Political Science at McGill University joined us after interviews. Her maturity, her skills, her creativity…
Opening Guidelines for Zoom Circles

Opening Guidelines for Zoom Circles

June 29, 2020Posted inCircle Procedures
We want to begin our Circle with a Land acknowledgement. Such acknowledgements commemorate Indigenous peoples’ principal kinship to the land—and the fact that we have not and cannot be erased from her, our collective first mother. They’re a starting place to a change in how the land is seen and talked about. Let me begin by reflecting on why we are we meeting in a virtual circle, and our project is called “Circles for Reconciliation?” The circle itself is considered sacred. First Nations people observe that the circle is a dominant symbol in nature and has come to represent wholeness,…