ANALYSIS: What is Reconciliation?

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

The word “reconciliation” means two groups coming to a truce after a time of conflict. In Canada, this refers to recognizing the truth about our history and working with Indigenous people to mend the consequences of these events to move forward together. This means education about the cultural genocide that happened against Indigenous people and how they were and still are disadvantaged.

For decades, Canadians were unaware of the horrible conditions that Indigenous people had to endure in residential schools and on reserves, as Indigenous history wasn’t taught about taught in schools until recently. This led to the development of stereotypes about Indigenous people, since people only saw inaccurate portrayals through media.

It is important to educate those who are Non-Indigenous and bring Indigenous peoples into that process. For so long, the narrative has been controlled by people who have not been impacted by Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples.

The second part of reconciliation is working with Indigenous peoples to create a better future for Indigenous peoples. This means fair education and clean water for reserves. Over 100 reserves across Canada do not have access to clean tap water, something many Non-Indigenous Canadians often take for granted. Support for the survivors of residential schools who have experienced trauma is also needed.

While only making up 4.9 per cent of Canada’s population, Indigenous people make up 30 per cent of Canada’s prison population. These statistics tell us that Indigenous peoples are facing a cycle of addiction and poverty, which leads to incarceration. Life expectancy for Indigenous people is also much lower than other Canadians as many reserves do not have access to quality healthcare. One of the most prominent causes of these basic needs not being met is the way reserves are funded. Normally, provincial governments control education and things like clean water, but reserves are funded by the federal government. Reconciliation means recognizing all these inequalities and creating plans of action to fix every single one of them.