A time for joy and reflection

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This article was published 21/06/2024 (497 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a celebration of the diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada.

In Brandon, celebrations will be taking place at the Riverbank Discovery Centre beginning with a pipe ceremony at 10 a.m. The opening ceremony takes place at noon, and the first powwow demonstration is at 12:45 p.m.

Celebrations in Brandon have happened every year since 1999, aside from the years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlena Theis, chair of the Indigenous Peoples Day planning committee, says the celebration has grown every year since its inception.

“It started out in the parking lot of Brandon Friendship Centre, and then from there moved to Stanley Park, and then it got bigger. From there we moved to over to New Era School. And then again, bigger every year, it’s gotten bigger and bigger, which brings us to here,” she told The Brandon Sun on Thursday.

The Riverbank offers the committee the opportunity to run more activities and celebrations given the extra field space and the stage, which will be put to good use this year — a talent show will be held between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Celebrations today are jubilant, but also serve as a reminder of a past less than. National Indigenous Peoples Day is a time for Canadians to reflect on our collective history and a time to evaluate reconciliatory efforts.

In 2022, Manitoba auditor general Tyson Shtykalo released a report that said not enough was being done by the provincial government to implement the Path to Reconciliation Act. The act was adopted in 2016 after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its full report detailing 94 calls to action, 34 of which were directed at territorial and provincial governments.

“We found the government has not developed a strategy for reconciliation. Without a strategy, efforts towards reconciliation are hampered, ultimately lacking focus and vision,” Shtykalo wrote in the report.

That was the last evaluation done on the province’s efforts.

In October 2023, Wab Kinew was elected and became Canada’s first Indigenous premier.

Since then, he has appointed himself as the minister responsible for reconciliation. Many in the province saw this as an encouraging and hopeful sign that change is coming.

“The election of Wab Kinew as premier stands as a powerful affirmation of increased inclusivity and First Nations’ participation and representation within Manitoba’s political landscape,” the Association of Manitoba Chiefs wrote following Kinew’s win.

In the short time he has been premier, Kinew has stayed true to his commitment to reconciliation. Budget 2024 promised a number of new investments to further the government’s efforts, including $4 million towards the Indigenous Economic Development Fund, $1 million in funding for winter roads to remote and northern communities, and an increase in bursaries for Indigenous students pursuing higher education. An assistant deputy minister role was created for Indigenous excellence with the promise to establish a new Indigenous language initiative.

Yesterday, Kinew held a news conference announcing details of the “compassionate mission” to search the Winnipeg-area landfill where the remains of two victims of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki are believed to be. The search for Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris will begin in the fall, and is funded with $40 million committed by the provincial and federal governments.

“It’s an important public initiative. We hope it is successful. We cannot guarantee success, but we can guarantee that we’re going to try,” he told gathered reporters.

Locally, plans for the former Brandon Residential School site are developing. Last summer, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation requested that members of the public come forward with any information they might have regarding the former residential school.

Plans for the site are dependent on the information that the committee collects, and commemoration plans for residential school survivors and those who never made it home will be decided by Sioux Valley elders.

Since 1996, National Indigenous Peoples Day has served as an opportunity for Canadians of all backgrounds to take a moment to celebrate the resilience, spirit and cultures of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.

Today, Theis is focused on togetherness.

“It’s important for the community to get together and to learn about who we are, how our culture’s celebrated. And just to bring out the joy in everything that we do,” she said.

» cmcconkey@brandonsun.com