Cancel Canada Day
On Thursday, May 27, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation confirmed that the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found buried in an unmarked mass grave at the Kamloops Residential School. Following this announcement, and subsequent announcements of unmarked mass graves of Indigenous children, multiple municipalities across Canada have announced the cancellation of Canada Day events. This includes at least 14 municipalities in 6 provinces and territories.
This decision has been made out of respect for Indigenous families and communities who have had loved ones stolen from them as well as survivors of these ‘schools.’ It has also been made in recognition of the historic and ongoing colonial violence and injustices enacted against Indigenous peoples by the Canadian state.
Barrie City Council should follow the lead of other municipalities by doing the same: cancelling plans, and working with local nations and peoples to find alternatives this year and in years to come.
To that effect, Council should pass the following motion, similar to one passed in Victoria, British Columbia:
That Council direct staff to put on hold any announced plans for Canada Day 2021 and do nothing further with respect to July 1st events this year; and
That the City work with partners as Beausoleil First Nation, Rama First Nation, Georgina Island First Nation, and other local First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples and organizations to explore and implement alternatives to the July 1st ‘celebrations’ to be held virtually and/or in-person, as public health measures allow, by September 30 (Orange Shirt Day); and
That the City engage in ongoing work with these nations, communities, and organizations to explore and implement alternatives on an annual basis, including but not limited to: local oral histories and cultural celebrations; the history of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Millennial Scoop; and any other alternatives recommended.
This is by no means the end of the work that must be done, the truths that must be learned, understood, and shared. It is, however, a start.
Brandon Rhéal Amyot
shared this idea
As previously outlined, this suggestion has remained classified as Under Review due to the referral of the June 28 memo for discussion at the August 9 General Committee meeting.
At the August 9 City Council meeting, the following motion passed:
1. That staff in the Recreation and Culture Services Department be directed to engage on an annual basis with partners such as Beausoleil First Nation, Rama First Nation, Georgina Island First Nation, and other local First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples and organizations, including the Barrie Native Friendship Centre and Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle, to explore and implement July 1st activities that include local oral histories, cultural celebrations and any other educational elements as recommended by the Indigenous community.
2. That the General Manager of Community and Corporate Services and staff in the Human Resources Department engage with local Indigenous Nations, peoples, and organizations on the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that fall under Municipal responsibility, namely Calls to Action #43, #47, and #57, and report back to General Committee by the end of 2021.
3. That staff in the Recreation and Culture Services Department be requested to ask the Downtown Barrie Business Improvement Association (BIA) to include indigenous history and acknowledgement education for future Canada Day applications for funding.
Because this suggestion has been adopted in some capacity, as outlined within the suggestion details, the status of this suggestion has been updated to Completed. Full information about the meaning of forum statuses: http://bit.ly/1Qg9qm8
Related links:
• Council & Committees: https://www.barrie.ca/committees
• Communicating with Council: https://www.barrie.ca/CommunicatingWithCouncil
• Legislative Information Portal: https://barrie.legistar.com
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E Jezebel
commented
Okay never mind I figured it out. You have all my votes and all my support! Thank you for doing this work.
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E Jezebel
commented
I'm trying to vote but it says:
User required: No user or not signed or not authorized. No token; Unverified; Signature verification failed; User not signed: oauthenticate failed -
Amy May
commented
Voted!
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Milk Bags
commented
Cancel it!
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Linda Mulock
commented
Canceling Canada Day will send a strong message that we, as a nation, grieve and acknowledge the genocide of the indigenous children.
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Jamie Ellis
commented
Cancelling Canada Day will send a message loud and clear that Canada’s Indigenous people have been heard. I believe in Canada Day celebrations, but let’s lower the celebrations half mast for the disrespect and loss of a culture.
I hear you. 🪶💔🇨🇦 -
Chantal Kathleen commented
There’s no pride in Canada day this year. We have to do better.
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Eleanor A.
commented
While I do think there should be some celebration of Canada Day in on annual basis, I believe much greater consideration is needed to acknowledging that it could be an upsetting occasion for Indigenous people. It's basically a celebration of colonizing of their ancestors' land and the effort at cultural genocide.
In my opinion, canceling THIS year would be appropriate, as a gesture of collective grief, honor and remorse for the thousands of children ripped from their families. And beginning deeper dialogue with local Indigenous groups is an excellent idea. It may well be possible to develop ways to celebrate Canada Day in the future, with more efforts to honestly acknowledge and work to correct the racist history that's a huge part of our national history.
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Rob Romanek commented
There is so much to do on the path to reconciliation that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. I’m sure there will be many naysayers to this proposal but I see this to be at least a first step.