Thank you. Mr. Speaker, June is National Indigenous History Month. Throughout the month Canadians will be acknowledging Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, the Inuit, and the Metis.
As settlers, my ancestors were welcomed to these lands by Indigenous people. They were taught how to survive and how to navigate through the untouched regions of what we now call the provinces and territories of Canada. They built relationships with nations and shared with each other the teachings, knowledge, and skills of their cultures in an effort to form community. However, there is a dark side - the true collective history that was not taught until recently: A history of colonial, genocidal policies and doctrines that threaten to destroy all Indigenous people and their ways, to assimilate them into a dominant European structure.
I say we were taught about this "recently" because Indigenous people have lived on these lands since time immemorial. Longer than the explorations of 1492, older than America, older than the 156 years of Canada, so yes, the 21st Century is "recent" to learn the truth about the first peoples of this land.
The Government of Canada's website acknowledges National Indigenous History Month and provides some ideas how to acknowledge the month. However, we must take it further than listening to music, watching a movie, or reading a book. We can learn by participating and taking the initiative to go to celebrations and gatherings in our community and initiate conversations with Indigenous people, to not take over the conversation or to rush through a conversation, but to help create respectful spaces to intentionally listen to what is being shared with us. It is only when we make the journey from our intellect to our heart can we hear each other's truth and to know the person better.
My CA shared a teaching her elder taught her, and I quote. "Indigenous people seek to build relationships first, then do the work afterwards. It is to get to know each other better, to learn about each other, to celebrate and mourn with each other, to care for each other. When you connect in this way you want each other to succeed, you become allies and helpers in the face of threats and, more importantly, you become genuine friends. Non-Indigenous cultures seek to do the opposite - work first and succeed at all costs; power and control is the foundation and relationships are fine but not a priority." I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
I want to say that I acknowledge, support, and appreciate the true history of Indigenous peoples, not just for the month of June, but all year long, and I will seek to build relationships first. And now that I have a little bit more time, I would also like to wish all the graduates across the territory a good celebration, a safe celebration, and to not drink and drive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
