On June 21, BookNet Canada published two paired blog posts examining the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, how they apply to the book industry, and actions that can be taken towards reconciliation. What it means to talk about reconciliation addresses some key findings from the Truth and Reconciliation reports and what reconciliation means:
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a series of final reports as well as 94 calls to action. These reports expose the history, legacy, and consequences of the residential school system, as well as starting points for reconciliation. The calls to action contain government and industry-specific actions Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians should take to advance the process of reconciliation.
What does reconciliation mean?
For the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “reconciliation is about establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country.“
To support these healthy and respectful relationships, the Commission outlines 10 reconciliation principles that underpin the calls to action and the way we should approach our journeys towards reconciliation:
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the framework for reconciliation at all levels and across all sectors of Canadian society.
- First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, as the original peoples of this country and as self-determining peoples, have Treaty, constitutional, and human rights that must be recognized and respected.
- Reconciliation is a process of healing of relationships that requires public truth sharing, apology, and commemoration that acknowledge and redress past harms.
- Reconciliation requires constructive action on addressing the ongoing legacies of colonialism that have had destructive impacts on Aboriginal peoples’ education, cultures and languages, health, child welfare, the administration of justice, and economic opportunities and prosperity.
- Reconciliation must create a more equitable and inclusive society by closing the gaps in social, health, and economic outcomes that exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
- All Canadians, as Treaty peoples, share responsibility for establishing and maintaining mutually respectful relationships.
- The perspectives and understandings of Aboriginal Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers of the ethics, concepts, and practices of reconciliation are vital to long-term reconciliation.
- Supporting Aboriginal peoples’ cultural revitalization and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, laws, protocols, and connections to the land into the reconciliation process are essential.
- Reconciliation requires political will, joint leadership, trust building, accountability, and transparency, as well as a substantial investment of resources.
- Reconciliation requires sustained public education and dialogue, including youth engagement, about the history and legacy of residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal rights, as well as the historical and contemporary contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canadian society.
You can read the full post on the BookNet Canada blog as well as their paired post, Taking action towards reconciliation in the book industry, which looks at how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action can be applied to the book industry.