Speaker to share reconciliation insights

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This article was published 16/05/2022 (1419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Urban Aboriginal People’s Council will be hosting a special session on Friday that unpacks reconciliation at the institutional and personal level.

Tim O’Loan, a former adviser to Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, will be sharing his personal journey of working with the commission. O’Loan is Sahtu Dene from the Northwest Territories and a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, and has made many presentations on reconciliation and Indigenous issues to a range of institutions and stakeholders.

“I use the analogy, here’s the mountain — we’ve done the heavy lifting up until today, but we need to pass this on to others. It’s an uphill battle, but here’s a map and take it on,” O’Loan said.

O’Loan will be providing presentations to the City of Brandon, Brandon University, BUAPC and other institutions while visiting Brandon.

It has been almost seven years since the calls to action in relation to reconciliation were released by the TRC. There are some challenges to some of the aspects of the calls to action, he said, but in general, it has been encouraging to see what is taking place at different institutional levels in Canada.

Canadians cannot know about Indigenous issues if they have never been exposed to them, he said, and a key component of reconciliation is being open-minded and ready to process contemporary Indigenous issues and the colonial legacy of Canada.

He has been encouraged by efforts like the advancements in Indigenous education, the current “Government of Reconciliation,” and the general momentum moving forward on reconciliation in the country.

O’Loan’s presentation will touch on reconciliation at both the institutional and personal levels. O’Loan hopes those who attend his talk gain a new understanding of the lived experience of residential school survivors and their families.

“I’m reluctant to call people racist, but the reality was the military I served in was a very racist institution at that time,” O’Loan said. “Part of my lived experiences and journey is I wanted to know more, I wanted to understand the philosophies, not only Indigenous philosophies but non-Indigenous philosophies. What was it from Indigenous peoples that we were offside from a western liberal perspective?”

O’Loan works to reflect his lived experiences with an authentic voice, he said, while trying to understand the journey between Canada, the Crown, Canadians and Indigenous peoples.

He described it as bringing “the elephant [of reconciliation] into the room” and unpacking it. One of the things he really likes is to unpack the process of reconciliation without pointing fingers.

“If we want people to jump on board with this thing called reconciliation, they’re not going to do it if they are shamed,” O’Loan said.

Canadians as a whole need to acknowledge that racism exists in the country and that it needs to come to an end. In his experience, about one-third of Canadians recognize racism exists and are taking action, one-third are closed-minded and deny its existence, and one-third are open to learning and being better.

He wants to permit people to inspire change in a good way.

He added will also talk about mental health because it directly ties into the legacy of residential schools. As a veteran, he is grateful for the support provided by Veterans Affairs in helping him with his post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, because on the Indigenous side there are limited supports and resources.

Talking about mental health serves as a way to normalize the conversation, he said, and is a part of his healing journey.

“All of the struggles, the mental health, is a product of residential schools and other policies,” O’Loan said.

It is a delicate balance to strike, he said, but it can help people gain a better understanding of reconciliation while inspiring them to create change in their communities.

He has been “blown away” at the steps Brandon has taken to promote reconciliation. O’Loan said he has never seen anything like the Brandon Urban Aboriginal People’s Council (BUAPC) and the way multiple systems work together in the process of reconciliation.

The Wheat City has set up a template other cities and municipalities can learn from in terms of leadership and reconciliation, O’Loan said. He knows of no other city with an organization similar to BUAPC and is impressed to see how everyone on the team appears to be on the same page.

It is rare to witness, he said, because in many cases, people can become trapped in silos while working on processes like reconciliation.

“I do think what they are doing is a bit of a best practice … I hope that Brandon toots its little horn because it should,” O’Loan said. “It’s very encouraging that multiple players are coming together and sharing their synergy, for lack of a better term.”

O’Loan’s presentation on reconciliation will be taking place Friday at 7 p.m. at 205 College Ave. Stew and bannock will be available before the presentation at 6 p.m.

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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