Community News

COUNCIL CANDIDATES ASKED FOR INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION BEYOND 'TOKENIZATION'

THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION LAYS OUT 94 CALLS TO ACTION, INCLUDING SOME MUNICIPALITIES CAN ADDRESS

TAYLOR CLYSDALE tclysdale@mykawartha.com

All centres of government in Canada sit on stolen land, including Parliament Hill, Queen's Park and Peterborough City Hall.

And it's important for potential future city councillors to acknowledge that as they head into the Oct. 24 municipal election, says Indigenous advocate Lynn Gehl.

"Everyone should know what land they are standing on," says the author, artist and public speaker.

The chief of Curve Lake First Nation says he has a great relationship with Peterborough and its council, and says it's important to continue working together.

"I see Peterborough as one of our neighbours and we can talk to one another," says Chief Keith Knott.

A new city council will be elected in October and in November will be sworn in, but much work will need to be done to further reconciliation locally.

Council candidates need to "think critically about Indigenous knowledge" says Gehl, adding it is a "whole knowledge philosophy" on its own.

Simply having Indigenous drummers or dancers at events isn't honouring that knowlege or history, she says.

"It's tokenism, it's patronizing, it's insulting," she notes.

A first step any candidate can take is to learn more about the land they

stand on, and how their perception of history can be different from reality.

"A lot of people don't know how to think about Indigenous knowledge philosophy and how it differs from school," says Gehl.

Part of that knowledge

means acknowledging Canada's seats of power, and where they are placed, and how "Parliament Hill is on unceded Indigenous lands."

While candidates need to address whose land they stand on, there's far more to it than that.

"The land acknowledgement is really important, but it doesn't stop there," adds Gehl.

Communication is key, says Chief Knott, and it's important that continue as

Curve Lake has had "a wonderful relationship with the city for many years."

While there aren't any specific issues Knott says he wants candidates to address, as it will be up to the new council to address problems as they come up, he notes it's important that "we can speak to one another at any given time."

"It's building that relationship and continuing to work together," he added.

When asked what municipal candidates can do, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada responded by saying there are 94 Calls to Action, some of which can be done at a municipal level.

One section of the Calls to Action addresses education, and covers how governments can improve it by reducing the gap between the funding of Children on and off reserves.

Other suggestions include providing funding to "end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education" and to develop "culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families."

The Calls to Action go into further detail, saying governments need to acknowledge the state of Aboriginal health in Canada as a result of the residential schools and other policies, and to address it.

It also asks municipalities, as well as higher levels of government to "fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation."

Some solutions Gehl proposes include portioning off a share of municipal taxes to go to First Nations governments, so they can build their own schools, housing services as well as child and family services.

"Why isn't a percentage not going to the First Nations communities?" she asks.

In an effort to decolonize, a percentage of wealth from estates in Peterborough should also go to First Nations, she adds.

While there is more to it than money, "we are in an economic paradigm," she says, adding many Indigenous people struggle to afford food, rent or clothes.

To council candidates, Gehl has they should think about how the municipality can work on reconciliation.

"They should seriously be thinking about corporate taxes, and land taxes and sharing that with the First Nations people," she added.

Chief Knott does have one piece of advice though, too.

"Do what you can do for your community and enjoy what you're doing, and help your community has much as possible," he said.

MUNICIPAL ELECTION

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2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

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