You’ve likely heard the argument, or perhaps made it yourself. It goes something like this: "When you come to Canada you should be prepared to be Canadian. Do whatever you want to do from 'your own culture' at home, but otherwise this is how we do things here." Often in this argument someone …
Indigenous
Reconciliation is a Verb
This past weekend I was reflecting on Canada Day (you can read past blogs here), and how different the narrative is this year – specifically, how I haven’t heard the strong Indigenous voices and narrative that Canada’s 150 celebration brought up last year. I know that activism takes its toll. …
Canada: 150 years of…?
This year Canada as a colonized country is 150 years old. And we’re going to celebrate. I imagine that on July 1 there will be a plethora of festivities, with flags and music and who knows what else. Canada means different things to different people, for sure. You can read more …
Canadian Dolls
It’s fitting, on the heels of last week’s blog, that I have been introduced to The Maplelea Girls – a group of Canadian dolls. Conversations about race can be difficult. Yes, we are making progress, but there are still issues to raise and improvements to make – and unless we talk about these, …
Reconciliation in Canada
Last week I attended the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Conference – Inclusive Canada, 2017 and Beyond. It was a thought-provoking and intense two days with a strong theme of Indigenous inclusion. The opening keynote was by Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada. He …