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Truth and Reconciliation: Shelburne Calls on Governments

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SHELBURNE CALLS ON GOVERNMENTS TO ACT ON TRUTH & RECONCILIATION REPORT

On June 28, 2021, Councillor Kyle Fegan presented a notice of motion charging all levels of government with implementing the 94 calls to action contained within the 2015 report released by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation committee. Moreover, the calls to action directed to municipal governments will be referred by Shelburne’s council to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee will report back with plans of action for implementing the calls deemed applicable to Shelburne.

“In light of the unmarked graves being discovered on the properties of the Kamloops and Saskatchewan residential schools, we must move our country and our governments beyond words of condolences and towards actions that advance truth and reconciliation,” declared Councillor Fegan in his motion.

Town of Shelburne Re-Examining Land Acknowledgement

The Town of Shelburne’s land acknowledgement may be excluding the Haudenosaunee peoples, also known as Six Nations, and that parts of the town lie upon the Haldimand Tract. “I think one of the things that I learned, especially after the 215 bodies were found,” pronounced Deputy Mayor Steve Anderson, “is a greater understanding of our indigenous…

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Council unanimously agreed to waive the required notice period so that a vote could take place immediately after Councillor Walter Benotto requested to do so. Councillor Lindsay Wegener seconded the motion after agreeing with Benotto’s sentiments on the need for urgency. Shelburne’s council wholly supported Fegan’s move to call on all governments to act on the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation report. 

“We must recommit to advancing the calls for action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,” affirmed Councillor Fegan. “These actions must be far-reaching and must work to advance access to housing, clean water, prosperity and justice for all Indigenous people in purchase in partnership with indigenous communities.”

Dufferin News reached out to Councillor Fegan for more information on the calls forwarded to Shelburne’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Councillor Fegan stated that although not all apply to Shelburne, highlighting all calls in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation report directed to municipalities assists other localities that follow Shelburne’s lead.

Dufferin Receives Notice of Development Moratorium

The County of Dufferin has received formal notice that there is a ban on development in some regions. “It’s them that own the property, they have the right to it, and I don’t have a problem with that,” declared Amaranth’s Mayor Bob Currie at a Dufferin County committee meeting. The statement was about the Haudenosaunee’s…

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Below are the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action directed to municipalities.

  • “We call upon all levels of government to fully implement Jordan’s Principle.” (Call 3)
    • According to Indigenous Services Canada, Jordan’s Principle ensures all Firth Nations children in Canada can ‘access the products, services, and supports they need, when they need them.’
  • Waiving the administrative costs for the name-change process and revision of official identity documents, such as birth certificates, passports, driver’s licenses, status cards, and social insurance numbers to enable residential school survivors and their families in reclaiming their names that were changed through the residential school system. (Call 17) 
    •  The call is for this clemency to last five years.
  • “We call on all levels of government to increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the healthcare field, ensure the retention of Aboriginal healthcare providers in Aboriginal communities, and provide cultural competency training for all healthcare professionals.” (Call 23)
  • “We call on all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, to create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginal-specific victim programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms.” (Call 40)
  • “We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.” (Call 43)
  • All governments to “repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, and to reform those laws, government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.” (Call 47)
  • “All levels of government to provide annual reports or any current data requested by the National Council for Reconciliation so that it can report on the progress towards reconciliation.” (Call 55)
    • Some examples of data shown in the report include:
      • The number of “Aboriginal children in care compared with non-Aboriginal Children, the reasons for apprehension, and the total spending on preventive and care services provided by child-welfare agencies.”
      • Educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people.
      • Progress on eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in youth custody over the next decade.
      • Progress on reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the justice and correctional systems.
  • “We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.” (Call 57)
  • “We call upon all levels of government that provide public funds to denominational schools to require such schools to provide an education on comparative religious studies, which must include a segment on Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices developed in collaboration with Aboriginal Elders.” (Call 64)
  • “We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students, and current landowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried. This is to include the provision of appropriate memorial ceremonies and commemorative markers to honour the deceased children.” (Call 75)
  • “We call upon provincial, territorial, municipal, and community archives to work collaboratively with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to identify and collect copies of all records relevant to the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to provide these to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.” (Call 77)
  • “We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.” (Call 87)
  • “We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and growth, and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games, including funding to host the games and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel.” (Call 88)

Shelburne will submit the resolution to the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, the Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, Dufferin Caledon Member of Parliament Kyle Seeback, and Dufferin Caledon Member of Provincial Parliament Sylvia Jones. Furthermore, all Dufferin County municipalities will be sent the communication. 

On a related note, Shelburne Council recently directed staff to re-examine its land acknowledgement after discovering that parts of the town could lie upon the Haldimand Tract, as shown by Museum of Dufferin records. If true, this means Shelburne’s land acknowledgement is excluding the Haudenosaunee. 

Orangeville To Honour Indigenous Children

On June 28, 2021, Orangeville’s council resolved to install an orange crosswalk at Broadway and First Street, specifically spanning from the side where the Rustik Restaurant is across to the Meridian Credit Union, to commemorate the Indigenous children forced into the ‘residential school’ program. Councillor Lisa Post, Federal Liberal Party Candidate for Dufferin Caledon, brought forward the…

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