$20K earmarked for Truth and Reconciliation Week

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2022 (1509 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Reinforcing its dedication to truth and reconciliation, Brandon City Council approved $35,000 in support of the 2022 Truth and Reconciliation Week and cultural training for city staff during budget deliberations.

The provision of $20,000 to Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council (BUAPC) puts the organization on solid footing to bring a meaningful week of activities centred on truth and reconciliation for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, said BUAPC chair Leah LaPlante.

“I think it’s just wonderful news. I think we’ve all seen a shift in truth and reconciliation not only in our own city but across the country,” LaPlante said. “There’s a lot of commitment to staying on goal in regards to learning more about each other and letting the Indigenous stories come out as told by the Indigenous people.”

The funding marks a major commitment from the city and shows a dedication to support truth, reconciliation and BUAPC, she added.

Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Rosser) introduced the motion to support Truth and Reconciliation Week with $20,000 in funds, and Coun. Bruce Luebke (South Centre) introduced the motion to earmark $15,000 for cultural training for city staff. Both motions were passed unanimously during budget debates.

People have shown a thirst to learn the true history of Canada, LaPlante said, a marked shift from the traditional western perspectives taught in schools. There is now a chance to talk about, understand and celebrate Indigenous histories and knowledge for the first time in generations.

Canada is entering a new era, she added, and she can see the major changes taking place in terms of understanding colonial history.

“Finding all those graves of the children in the residential schools has, I think, brought the country together in a way we’ve never been in regards to, OK, maybe it is time to put aside what we thought we knew and to start to work with Indigenous people to learn the real history so that we can all move forward,” LaPlante said.

The inaugural Brandon Truth and Reconciliation Week in 2021 was an awesome experience, she said, because you could see how everyone in attendance came together to honour the spirit of the event. It was beautiful to see people during different activities coming together to practise individual reconciliation.

“There was nothing forced, it was happening naturally the way it does when people are starting to understand that there isn’t that much difference.”

LaPlante said it was powerful to now see the city put money aside for the 2022 Truth and Reconciliation Week, because it serves as a confirmation of what she saw take place during the 2021 celebrations.

The City of Brandon has shown a strong commitment to BUAPC since it first formed in 2010. The city has given BUAPC a strong voice by allowing the council to make recommendations to the city, a practice that was unusual a decade ago, LaPlante said.

The support provided by mayor and council for more than a decade speaks to a commitment to the conversations and transformation spurred by BUAPC going, LaPlante said, because to date, the results have been extremely positive.

“I think when people see that their civic leaders are totally going along with and assisting and aiding other leaders in the community, I think it gives those people a good feeling that this has to be right,” LaPlante said. “They are not only talking the talk, they are walking the walk.”

She noted these actions are not only about the financial support provided by mayor and council, but have included others in the community coming on board for BUAPC-driven initiatives. Their participation helps people buy in when they come to feasts or declare events like Truth and Reconciliation Week.

The Brandon community and the city’s support for BUAPC can serve as an example for other communities in the province, LaPlante said. The community showcases a process for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to talk and build bridges of friendship.

The cultural training funding earmarked in the 2022 budget is also pivotal, she said, because it can help people truly understand what truth and reconciliation means in their daily lives.

She hopes the training will be treated as a conversation as opposed to a lecture without participation.

“Nobody wants to be talked to. In this day and age, we want to include everybody, and that’s how you start forming friendships and possibilities for learning in a good way,” LaPlante said.

Reconciliation can be a moving target because it encompasses many perspectives, objectives and experiences, LaPlante said, and it remains important because it is largely based on lived experiences.

The best way to get training across is to have people come and talk and ensure there is space for Indigenous voices and guest speakers.

“You can be in on a conversation to relearn or to want to learn or to find out that some of the stuff that you learned in the school book in the ’60s and ’70s is not necessarily true. It’s a big eye-opener, and it’s an opportunity for those people [who] want to learn the truth,” LaPlante said.

“Without truth, there is no reconciliation.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp