In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, “to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
In late 2020, the federal government responded to this call and designated Sept. 30 as National Truth and Reconciliation Day—to be marked for the first time in 2021. This is an important and worthwhile development, but we must not think that reconciliation is a one day a year project.
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On June 26, 2021, at her installation as the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency Mary Simon said, “My view is that reconciliation is a way of life and requires work every day. Reconciliation is getting to know one another.”
Soon after, in an interview in Maclean’s, Murray Sinclair (former chair of the TRC) said, “My colleague Marie Wilson, one of the TRC commissioners, was always fond of saying that reconciliation is not a spectator sport. You have to do something. So, many people took that to heart and are doing something. Whatever it is, whether it’s wearing a shirt or talking to their kids or sending money to a good Indigenous cause. They’re doing something and those things are good. But those who have more power have more responsibility. So that means that everybody has to convince them to use their power wisely, to use their privilege wisely, to be more open to recognizing the impact that they can have.”
The Anglican Church of Canada has been doing something and has been walking the way of reconciliation for many decades—a journey that saw us repent and apologize in 1993 for our complicity in the Residential School system; and in 2019 offer a second apology for the spiritual harm we inflicted upon the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. In the September 2021 issue of Crosstalk, David Humphreys wrote an article that chronicles our Church’s extensive commitment to reconciliation.
Reconciliation is about working to create or restore relationships between people and God. It is also about creating or restoring constructive, peaceful, life-giving, and just relationships between people. In many ways, reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus.
Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian and ethicist, says “reconciliation is when my enemy tells me my story and I am able to say, yes that is my story.” When we hold one another’s stories, when we hear our story told by those we are estranged from—and when we can tell the story of those who are estranged from us—the relationship will change. Reconciliation is transformative.
Reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and non-indigenous people is very much about getting to know one another and learning how to walk together in a new way, based on justice, truth, peace, and mutual respect. Reconciliation is definitely not a spectator sport.
If you are a non-indigenous person, take time to get to know about the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, the Indian Act, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Listen to podcasts, read novels by Indigenous authors, attend educational or cultural events, and learn more about contemporary Indigenous culture. Make friends. Walk on a new path and see where it leads.
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The Rt. Rev. Shane Parker is the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
Reconciliation is not a spectator sport
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, “to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
In late 2020, the federal government responded to this call and designated Sept. 30 as National Truth and Reconciliation Day—to be marked for the first time in 2021. This is an important and worthwhile development, but we must not think that reconciliation is a one day a year project.
On June 26, 2021, at her installation as the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency Mary Simon said, “My view is that reconciliation is a way of life and requires work every day. Reconciliation is getting to know one another.”
Soon after, in an interview in Maclean’s, Murray Sinclair (former chair of the TRC) said, “My colleague Marie Wilson, one of the TRC commissioners, was always fond of saying that reconciliation is not a spectator sport. You have to do something. So, many people took that to heart and are doing something. Whatever it is, whether it’s wearing a shirt or talking to their kids or sending money to a good Indigenous cause. They’re doing something and those things are good. But those who have more power have more responsibility. So that means that everybody has to convince them to use their power wisely, to use their privilege wisely, to be more open to recognizing the impact that they can have.”
The Anglican Church of Canada has been doing something and has been walking the way of reconciliation for many decades—a journey that saw us repent and apologize in 1993 for our complicity in the Residential School system; and in 2019 offer a second apology for the spiritual harm we inflicted upon the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. In the September 2021 issue of Crosstalk, David Humphreys wrote an article that chronicles our Church’s extensive commitment to reconciliation.
Reconciliation is about working to create or restore relationships between people and God. It is also about creating or restoring constructive, peaceful, life-giving, and just relationships between people. In many ways, reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus.
Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian and ethicist, says “reconciliation is when my enemy tells me my story and I am able to say, yes that is my story.” When we hold one another’s stories, when we hear our story told by those we are estranged from—and when we can tell the story of those who are estranged from us—the relationship will change. Reconciliation is transformative.
Reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and non-indigenous people is very much about getting to know one another and learning how to walk together in a new way, based on justice, truth, peace, and mutual respect. Reconciliation is definitely not a spectator sport.
If you are a non-indigenous person, take time to get to know about the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, the Indian Act, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Listen to podcasts, read novels by Indigenous authors, attend educational or cultural events, and learn more about contemporary Indigenous culture. Make friends. Walk on a new path and see where it leads.
Author
The Rt. Rev. Shane Parker is the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
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