The 6 year anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “Calls to Action” is right around the corner. To commemorate, the Social Justice and Peace program of King’s University is hosting a participatory reading.
‘Commemorate’ might be the wrong word. ‘Demonstrate the lack of progress’ may be better suited.
Carla Dew is a student at King’s enrolled in the SJPS program. She came up with the idea while studying.
“I decided that would be a great way [for people to learn] of what the Calls to Action are and how poorly Canada is doing.”
December 15 marks six years since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, join us that day for a participatory reading of the calls to action #reconciliation #everychildmatters @KingsAtWestern
Register: https://t.co/thIvtvkIO8— SJPSKings (@SJPSKings) December 2, 2021
In 2015, the TRC listed 94 actions for the Canadian government. The goal being to “redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation.”
According to the BC Treaty Commission, as of this summer:
- 14 have been completed
- 23 are in progress
- 37 are proposed
- 20 have yet to be started
Dew doesn’t agree– nor do other academics.
The Yellowhead Institute is an Indigenous-led research centre based out of Toronto. According to a report by the Institute, that isn’t even close to true. According to them:
. . . Just 8 Calls to Action have been implemented.
They also point out that the Calls to Action are not boxes to be checked and ignored. They require constant monitoring. For instance, last year the Institute reported that 9 Calls had been answered. This year, they went down one.
“The 94 TRC Calls to Action: A Participatory Reading” will have 94 readers each reading one of the Calls. Dew says they have about 30 readers signed up, about the same amount attending, but expect those numbers to triple. The readers range from activists to politicians.
“Now we have people from all over the country that will be attending– which is fantastic. We have members of parliament and presidents and vice presidents of post-secondary institutions.”
While she says education is an important aspect of the event, it isn’t the only thing she hopes comes out of it.
“We’re tired of the crocodile tears and empty promises over the past six years . . . so we just are calling for action. It is time for meaningful and materialized commitments of holding Canada and our educational and governmental institutions accountable for their failures.”
“There will be a time after we read the calls of putting out ‘what are you going to do? What are you going to do now that you can’t use ignorance as an excuse?’”
The event runs online on December 15th from 7:00 to 8:30 EST.
