麻豆视频

Yorkton and the surrounding communities sit on Treaty 4 land, but the relationship between the people on the land has not always been healthy and there are now wounds that need to be healed. The Office of the Treaty Commissioner, Yorkton Tribal Council, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yorkton and Area arranged the first Reconciliation Forum in the region to discuss the damage done and what needs to happen to repair old and new wounds in the community.

Mary Culbertson, Treaty Commissioner for Saskatchewan, said that she was happy to see a wide cross-section of the community attend the forum and she hopes that鈥檚 a good sign for the work that needs to be done.

鈥淲hen people come here, it should be as community members, but also trying to make effective change within their organizations and their homes. It鈥檚 a paradigm shift that should cause a ripple effect down the road.鈥�

The day, which Culbertson describes as a first step in a larger project of reconciliation, was structured as a conversation. Groups talked about their views of reconciliation and what leadership needs to happen to heal the rift between First Nations and non-First Nations people in the province.

鈥淭his is where conversations start. It鈥檚 not always an easy journey.鈥�

There were two residential school survivors at the meeting and Culbertson said their input was vital.

鈥淭his conversation can鈥檛 happen without them, but it also can鈥檛 happen without non-First Nations people and First Nations people, sitting at the table together, and that includes newcomers and settlers.鈥�

While there have been many conversations about reconciliation in larger urban centres, Culbertson admits that they need to have more focus on the rural communities. She believes this is a province-wide issue that needs to be addressed.

鈥淭here is always going to be work to do, until some day hopefully a generation can be proud that they don鈥檛 have to work on these things. When I talk about 鈥榯hese things,鈥� it鈥檚 about sharing a truth. It鈥檚 about truth and reconciliation,聽shared histories and most importantly educating about the treaty relationship that began over 100 years ago. We wouldn鈥檛 be here without that.鈥�

There are also real things that need to happen to combat racism in the area. Culbertson believes Yorkton has a lot of work to do.

鈥淏ehaviours, attitudes, words really affect people during the day. When a First Nations person goes into a store, or a brown person or a newcomer, not watching them, that they鈥檙e the ones who are going to steal... I grew up around here, I raised my kids around here, and one of the most horrible things I have to remember is my child being given a brown piece of paper and the rest of the class being given a white piece of paper and told to draw themselves.鈥�

Culbertson believes that for reconciliation to be effective it has to work beyond the meetings. She is optimistic that in spite of the problems of the past, reconciliation can be achieved.

鈥淚t can鈥檛 be 鈥業 went there, I feel good, and maybe I鈥檒l talk about it in a year again.鈥� It has to be every day. I鈥檓 hoping this is a continuum, and there is continuity, and when I鈥檓 done this job in a couple of years I can come home and I can be a lawyer here in this town and I can be proud of what we started.鈥�

The hope is that this is going to be the first of many conversations, and a wider range of people are brought into the group to discuss reconciliation and make connections at the meetings. She was happy to see a wide range of people at this first meeting, from a housewife to the mayor of Yorkton, and that鈥檚 what she hopes to see in the future.聽

鈥淭here are going to be tough times and there are going to be tough conversations, but those tough conversations are going to be what change things. I鈥檓 hoping this is just the start, and everyone comes back together, and we have a continuous relationship and continuous gatherings like this.鈥澛�