NATIONAL INDIGENOUS DAY
On June 21st is an incredibly important day to celebrate Indigenous culture, language and history. It is also a day to acknowledged the injustice the Indigenous people have faced and continue to face in Canada. This past month we have seen people come together to speak out against the systemic oppression and injustice’s that Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, face in our communities, both locally and nationally.
In the past two months, half a dozen Indigenous people have died in interaction with police, and there are also non-fatal but violent encounters with law enforcement. The video of Chief Allan Adam’s violent arrest by RCMP officers outraged many, and without the video and pictures that documented what happened, the incident would have been brushed off. The Indigenous community has been crying out about the injustices they have faced in this country, and unfortunately many Canadian did not hear or stand with them. There is an indifference that seems to occur that permeates into public institutions, government agencies, and business in the public and private sector.
Indigenous youth in our community are done a great disservice. There is clearly something wrong when the suicide rates of Inuit youth are 6-11 times higher than the Canadian average. The suicide rates do differ from community to community with some communities experiencing “epidemics” of suicide, while others have few or no suicides for several years. The rates of depression and substance use is also significantly higher than the national average, which again highlights that there is a great disparity in how these communities are receiving support. Many of these communities are over policed and have a lack of funding for social and community supports. The supports that are available are often not culturally appropriate and can cause further harm by perpetuating colonization type trauma.
We need to do better to support the Indigenous people in Canada and this celebration of their culture and history needs to be more than just one day.
