By Stephen Paquette
Originally posted on the Burlington Together Facebook group page; reposted with permission of Stephen Paquette.
A thought to consider.
As July 1 is approaching, we are bombarded with statements of “Celebrate Canada Day!”
I would ask you to take a moment and consider what Canada Day represents to the Indigenous people. It is a day in 1867 where a country was created on the lands of Indigenous peoples, there was no consultation nor was there any consent given. It created the Indian Act, which made Indigenous people wards of the crown, It created reservations, the Indian pass, Residential schools and the adoption scoop. Celebrate that?
I acknowledge July 1 as Canada Day, just as I acknowledge Remembrance Day, neither one of those days is a day to celebrate, it’s a day to acknowledge our past and learn from it.
Stephen Paquette wrote a longer article last year with his perspective on Canada Day: please read the longer article here, at the St. Catharine’s Standard.
