94 Calls In Action

I have heard a news outlet share that the pope’s visit is the result of the uncovering of unmarked graves last year. No. This apology is long overdue. This apology was called for within one year of the TRC 94 Calls to Action being released, which was in 2015.

There are four Calls to Action within regards to Church Apologies and Reconciliation, including developing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies were necessary ( #59).

58. We call upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools. We call for that apology to be similar to the 2010 apology issued to Irish victims of abuse and to occur within one year of the issuing of this Report and to be delivered by the Pope in Canada. 

What would action entail?

61. We call upon church parties to the Settlement Agreement, in collaboration with Survivors and representatives of Aboriginal organizations, to establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for:
* Community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects; culture- and language revitalization projects; education and relationship building projects.
* Regional dialogues for Indigenous spiritual leaders & youth to discuss Indigenous spirituality, self-determination, and reconciliation.
 
Buffy Saint Marie: Rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.
“The apology is just the beginning; what’s really key to the pope and slaughter of Indigenous millions over the last 500 years, what’s behind it and made generations before the pope think that was okay, was the doctrine of discovery, which essentially says, if you are a European explore, a white guy upholding Christianity, you can go anywhere in the world, you can either convert and enslave or kill. I would hope the pope would help rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.”
(Link to video in bio)

Reconciliation in its broadest terms, speaks to understanding the world around us and understanding our place within it.
-Chief Stacey Laforme, Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation

May 23 marked one year since the recovery/uncovering of 215 children in Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, near Kamloops, B.C. The number of children being uncovered continues to increase to this day. This is Canada’s history.

From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation:

We call upon “all Canadians” to independently, professionally and whole-heartedly commit to receiving appropriate cultural competency training/education, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 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.

(This paraphrased statement appears in the 94 Calls to Action 26 times in varying contexts)

1. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care by:

iii. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools.

24. We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, UNDRIP, Indigenous Teachings and Practices.

Media and Reconciliation

86. We call upon Canadian journalism programs and media schools to require education for all students.

Business and Reconciliation

92. We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt UNDRIP as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.

Newcomers to Canada

93. Revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal peoples of Canada, including information about the Treaties.

Thank you. ❤️

This Thursday marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
If you are looking to support indigenous governed projects we invite you to donate to 94 Calls In Action and share this post.
If you would like to learn more about the history of Orange Shirt Day, watch this video and listen to Phyllis' story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuW4WbekhxY

The dollars raised from this fundraiser will be donated to three local grassroots organizations::

Revitalizing Our Sustenance Project, an Indigenous youth led program that provides Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth opportunities to learn about the importance of sustainable agriculture practices while feeding the community,
Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction, created as a response to the ongoing colonization and lack of services for the urban Indigenous population; and
Endaayaan Awejaa, an Indigenous led non-profit working towards creating safe and healing spaces for all youth in North Bay, ON.

Phyllis Webstad - On Orange Shirt Day. Phyllis Webstad explains the story of her experience at Residential School and the origination of Orange Shirt Day in Canada. She discusses the present situa...

Out of the 94 Calls to Action that were released by the TRC in 2015, only 14 have been “completed” to date. In addition, calls 53-56 call on the government to establish and fund a National Council of Reconciliation, which would oversee the progress on reconciliation and keep the government accountable.

Since the Interim Board submitted their Final Report to Minister of Crown -Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett with detailed recommendations on June 12, 2018 there has been only two updates:

1. Sept. 5, 2019 – “The Government “will take into consideration the advice and recommendations provided in the final report during the decision-making process”
2. April 11, 2019 – Budget 2019 announced a budget allocation of $126.5 for the fiscal year 2020-2021 to provide operating capital to the National Council (far less than the $1B recommended by the Interim Board, and yet to be seen)

Not only must we remain accountable to the 94 Calls to Action, but we must also advocate for system-level change to ensure that each of these calls to action are being met.

TW-Residential S**, abuse, genocide, colonization

The Roman Catholic Church is the only institution that has not made a formal apology for their large role in running residential “schools”. Not only does the church have yet to apologize, but as we see outlined in Calls to Action 58-61, an apology is only but a primary step towards reconciliation. The church must also commit to the education of their members on their part in the genocide and colonization of Indigenous peoples, the importance of respecting Indigenous spirituality, the history and legacy of residential “schools”, and the funding of community-controlled projects.

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, an Inuk woman and Nunavut NDP MP, says, “I’ve heard so many pretty words like reconciliation, diversity, and inclusion. Let me be honest, brutally honest. Nice words with no action hurt when they are uttered by those with power.”

We’re still moving, still learning, and still raising funds for some awesome local, grassroots initiatives.

Join us for the home stretch! Between now and the end of July:

1. Commit to 94 minutes of movement/exercise. Go for a walk, run, or bike ride. Play frisbee in the park. Whatever gets you moving!

2. Commit to 94 minutes of learning. Listen to a podcast during a commute, watch YouTube videos, read articles.

3. Donate to the 94 Calls in Action GoFundMe! Link in bio. You’ll be supporting three incredible organizations: Revitalizing Our Sustenance, Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction, and Endaayaan Awejaa.

Thank you for all of your support so far! We ❤️ you.

“Historically, Canada has always ranked in the top 10 countries to live in the world, based on factors like life expectancy, education, and standard of living. …When Canada was measured on the conditions in First Nations, its ranking dropped from the top 10 to as low as 78. That means Canada only offers “the good life” for some people. Only offers legal protections for some people. And only values the human rights of some people.” - Pam Palmater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeBFBxcjVjc

The colonial erasure of Indigenous cultures includes a refusal to tell the history of Indigenous sports and recreation, and the immense contributions of Indigenous athletes. Along with acknowledging the history, we must advocate to eliminate the barriers to sport that Indigenous youth face.

We cannot achieve reconciliation without addressing the racism and inequities that continue to dominate the sport and recreation landscape

“Our languages allow us to share and communicate culture, world views, knowledge systems, values, traditions, customs, history, spirituality, and social and political identity to future generations. Our languages are living; they come from the land and they’re integral to our sense of self and a key aspect of self-determination. Despite their importance, all Indigenous languages in Canada are in danger of disappearing.

After years of advocacy by First Nations, the Government of Canada now has a legislated commitment to respecting Indigenous languages. The purpose of the Indigenous Languages Act is to enable the exercise of Indigenous language rights by creating legal assurance for adequate, sustainable, and long-term funding and support for Indigenous-led initiatives to reclaim, revitalize, maintain, and strengthen Indigenous languages” - Assembly of First Nations

The Canadian Criminal Justice System was intentionally designed to secure and sustain settler colonial rule over Indigenous peoples.

Not only are Indigenous bodies over-policed and over-incarcerated, they are also denied access to their cultures and well-being upon being held in state custody.

Today, we highlight sections 30, 35, 39 and 42 to ask that the Canadian Government bring an end to the over representation of Indigenous peoples in the correctional system, and to bring an end to cruel and unjust treatment of Indigenous peoples in state custody.

These outcomes can only be reached through the implementation of Indigenous systems of law and justice. State led violence against Indigenous peoples must end, it’s time to put the

"There cannot be reconciliation without truth. There cannot be reconciliation without justice.

We need a special prosecuter and an independent investigation into crimes against humanity and genocide

Minister (of Justice and Attorney General of Canada) Lametti, don't you dare tell me you can't do this. You have the authority. You just refuse to use it. And that needs to end today."

Nunavut MP wants special prosecutor on residential schools, crimes against children Nunavut's member of Parliament is calling on the federal government to appoint a special prosecutor to delve into crimes committed against Indigenous people.

TW-Residential S**; Missing Children and Burial Information

Recent headlines indicated the province of Ontario is investing $10 million into identifying & commemorating Residential School sites, while the federal government will also committ $27.1 million as a starting amount to initiate the process of uncovering unmarked graves at former RS sites. These searches will be community led as identified by both provincial and federal government officials.

Sol Mamakwa, NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong, expressed that $10 million is "insignificant" considering the work that lies ahead….especially considering this funding was released with the intention of also funding trauma-informed, culturally appropriate mental health supports.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-residential-schools-ford-announcement-burial-sites-1.6065934

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-burial-search-residential-school-funding-increase-1.6079351


Calls to Action

72. We call upon the federal government to allocate sufficient resources to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to allow it to develop and maintain the National Residential School Student Death Register established by the TRC.

73. We call upon the federal government to work with churches, Aboriginal communities & former residential school survivors to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries, including maps showing the location of deceased children.

71. We call upon all chief coroners and provincial vital statistics agencies that have not provided to the TRC of Canada their records on the deaths of Aboriginal children in the care of residential school authorities to make these documents available to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

59. We call upon church parties to the Settlement Agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary.

Almost six years since the release of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action in December of 2015:

It’s hard to measure progress on the implementation of Calls to Action as progress looks different for each level of government.

A Yellowhead Institute report defined “complete” as “all steps were taken to fully address the content of the Call and by the specific parties to whom the Call to Action refers.”

*Completed* is a loose term as completion might imply gestures or statements about commitment, yet lacking systemic action/change. “Calls to Action are ongoing each year, and can be considered complete in one year, yet incomplete in the next.”

Call to Action 84 (restore and increase funding to the CBC/Radio-Canada, to enable Canada’s national public broadcaster to support reconciliation) was marked as complete in 2019, but then incomplete in 2020 due to three factors: the consolidation of three CBC North broadcasts into one, a federal budget decrease by 2.6% and the lack of visible Indigenous leadership at the public broadcaster.

The following are some examples of Calls to Action that have been implemented or at least acted on:

13: Federal acknowledgement of Indigenous Language Rights

41: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s and Girls Inquiry

88: Long-term support from all levels of government for North American Indigenous Games

84.* Federal government to restore and increase funding to the CBC/Radio-Canada so it can support reconciliation and better reflect Aboriginal cultures

https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2019/12/17/calls-to-action-accountability-a-status-update-on-reconciliation/

https://nationalpost.com/news/much-work-remains-on-the-truth-and-reconciliation-commissions-94-calls-to-action

Links in instagram bio:

Full report and/or summary of National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2s+). [P. 88 of Executive Summary provides Calls for Justice for ALL Canadians.]

Federal Government’s Action Plan to the calls for justice in MMIWG National inquiry. Released June 3, 2021.

94 Calls In Action updated their website address.

94CallsInAction is a collective made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies aiming to raise awareness around the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: 94 Calls to Action.

The collective is launching a fundraiser to donate to local Indigenous-led grassroots organizations.

GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/b3d44046