Former attorney general and federal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould addressed the shortcomings of Canada's truth and reconciliation ambitions Wednesday night in a keynote speech to the North Central Government Association annual convention in Fort St. John, offering up her own ideas of how Canadians can enact cultural change in their communities.
Wilson-Raybould, appointed the country's first Indigenous justice minister in 2015, says it’s time for Canadians, indigenous and non-indigenous, to abandon what she called "reconciliation slacktivism," and embrace a more holistic view of their country’s history to break down isolated, competing realities held by different communities and citizens from coast to coast.
The one question Wilson-Raybould says she gets asked more than any other is, 'What should I be doing to advance reconciliation?'
“Young and old ask it, individuals ask it, communities ask it, business leaders ask it, cabinet members, members of parliament, and other elected leaders ask it. They ask it with more and more frequency than ever before,” she told the gathering.
“It makes sense why this is the case. It can be hard to know what to do. This is what happens when something that has been ongoing as a struggle for generations is foregrounded for society in a largely and relatively short, intense period of time," she said. "Colonialism has been with us since the day this country was formed, and before. Reconciliation on the other hand, as part of public discourse and understanding, perhaps a few decades.”
Reconciliation isn’t something that needs specialized expertise, she said, but is often muddled by lofty political rhetoric or the confusing legalese of courts, as well as lawyers who seek new tools to further their arguments when First Nations seek justice for violations of their treaty rights.
“One of the outcomes of our history, of our legacy of colonialism, is that venues such as the courts and lawyers gained out-sized roles in indigenous matters. That is disorienting and alienating for many,” Wilson-Raybould said. “And while they have a role to play, including telling us we’re all here to stay, the courts and lawyers cannot make us stay and live together. Only we can do that. You and me. Us, working on the ground in our communities, our families, and our individual lives.
"This is our work; it is universal work we strive to do every day in our personal lives and know how to do as human beings, of building conditions of love and support, and connection and caring.”
Wilson-Raybould said the positive perception many Canadians had of their country has been changed and shaped by ongoing conflicts over natural resource projects, implementation of the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), and the recent discoveries of potential graves at residential schools.
“There is a pattern that continues too intensify of cascading news about indigenous peoples and rights; some of it massively upsetting and awful, some of it tense and confrontational, some of it puzzling and uncertain, some of it seemingly positive,” she said. “There is a reality and acceleration of voices and awareness of ongoing harms and demands for change. In some ways it feels ever-present, all around us, sometimes disorientating and confusing.
“But bottom line, this is our current reconciliation reality and it will be certainly be so for quite some time,” said Wilson-Raybould.
Wilson-Raybould cautioned not all actions in the name of reconciliation are equal. Lowering a flag or wearing a t-shirt, while valuable as a symbolic tool of education, is often described in the same ways as lifting kids out of poverty, or ensuring a First Nation’s jurisdiction in a particular matter is recognized, she said.
Governments are the most prolific offenders when it comes to "performative" reconciliation, she said, as politicians engage in actions that lack substance or depth to remedy past harms and address real world problems still plaguing First Nation communities today. That leads people to feel confused as to what’s really happening and what’s important, she said.
"When nearly everything is called reconciliation this is effectively the same as nothing being reconciliation. But this is what we have started to do in our society, which may in part be why some people are getting increasingly frustrated," she said.
“Not everything advances or equates to reconciliation. Let me be clear, governments are doing this the most, labelling everything as an act of reconciliation. They often do this for political gain, out of self-interest, and not because of a recognition of the real work that needs to be done to make progress,” she said, noting it often has the opposite effect — fuelling tension and conflict between indigenous and non-indigenous people, which can become dangerous, she said.
Wilson-Raybould referenced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was caught vacationing on the beaches of Tofino for the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation last year.
“Performative reconciliation is easier, costs less, and is less risky. Of course, you can still mess it up and reveal your true colours” she said. "That was sadly what we saw in Tofino."
Wilson-Raybould says the federal Liberals are not the only ones failing to address the rights, needs, and sovereignty of First Nations. She says that failure extends to the world stage, through UNDRIP, which she feels should never be confused as a cure-all.
“It reflects Canadian ideals that we have held for decades and decades. It is also vitally important that federal and provincial governments are starting to pass legislation to recognize and advance indigenous rights,” she said, but, “Legislation, as you know, for far too long has been used as a weapon against our people, as a tool for colonialism. After all, the Indian Act, a century-plus old statute, was the basis for the residential schools, the reserve system, and segregation. It remains the primary instrument governing First Nations people's lives to this day.”
And though UNDRIP is not a panacea, Wilson-Raybould says it is still a beginning step.
She encouraged the elected officials gathered for the NCLGA convention to implement its principles that will lead to tangible shifts on the ground in their communities. That includes new economic development partnerships, new education support models, and new decision-making structures between local government and First Nations. Over time, that will reduce tensions and increase the capacity to work together, she said.
"This can all be done and there are models emerging all over the country," she said. "Your communities can all be leaders in it."
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