Canada Day is tomorrow and I, along with many other Canadians will not be celebrating the way I have in the past. Before I say anything else I think it’s important to say that this is just what I’m personally doing. I’m not telling anyone how they should be feeling or what they should be doing. If you still plan to celebrate Canada day tomorrow that is completely up to you and no judgments whatsoever. I thought I’d just explain why I won’t be.
I have always been very proud to be a Canadian and I still am. I do however understand that Canada, as a country has not always been a happy or welcoming place for many over the years. There have been many, many dark times in Canadian history and many still deal with, and feel the effects of those dark times. Though things have changed, there are still many problems that a lot of Canadian’s face on a daily bases that stem from hundreds of years of cultural genocide, racism and broken promises.
A good example of this is the Residential School system. For over a hundred years the Canadian Government along with many churches, took Indigenous children from their homes and families and took away their culture. They were forced not to speak their languages or practice their religion. I learned about residential schools at a young age. My Mom and I lived in the North West Territories for awhile when I was very small and many in the town of Homan, where we lived had gone to residential schools. I can remember my Mom’s principal telling us stories about how all the children would run and hide when they heard the planes coming in the fall to pick up the children. That’s how recently this happened. The last school closed in 1996! Many were abused and many died while in the schools. A harsh reminder of this came recently when mass graves of small children were found at a few different residential school sites.
I won’t pretend to know or understand what Indigenous people are feeling or going through right now. I will never know. What I can do is listen, think and reflect. That’s what I plan to do tomorrow. On a day where I usually celebrate Canada I’ll think about and reflect on Canada and our many tragedies and injustices. Again, if you’re celebrating tomorrow, no judgment whatsoever. I just thought I’d explain why I and many others will be taking a day to not cancel Canada Day but to reflect.
Here are a few good sources of information.
- www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools
- /www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-residential-schools-kamloops-faq-1.6051632
- www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100015576/1571581687074
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Ben Holmes