Truth & Reconciliation Day: A New Holiday For Canada or Just Another Day Off?

 

Today marks an new holiday for Canada called Truth & Reconciliation Day. As Canadians we are to use the day to listen to the stories of our First Nation's and reflect on our colloquial wrongdoings. 

If you are an immigrant to Canada, as my family was, you too must accept the blame as you are "on territorial land" that is not yours. I say this because this was just said at the ceremony I am watching on CBC from Ottawa this morning in hopes to learn something new. So far, I enjoyed some beautiful throat singing but everything else as been information that I was already aware of. 

The most interesting part was watching JustinE Trudeau speaking yesterday as he did not want to be present for today. His reasoning? I want to listen and learn. He gave a very dramatic calling to listen amid his tears and  paused gasps to keep his emotions in check. Heck, he was a drama teacher so it was Oscar worthy. I will give him that. He ended his speech by saying "their stories and pain are our stories".

I also learned this morning that we will now be paying via tax dollars $15B in compensation for all FN children that were taken from their family. I understand this and am not disagreeing with but I its another amount of money that we continue to pay for and it makes me question a few things.

Once you turn 18, with status, you are given a treat annity payment. To date, the government has given over $200B and our healthcare system has given free services for them that has now grown to a bill to the tax payer $40B. All status FN can attend any post secondary institution for FREE. Trudeau now wants to give FN communites an extra $18B for covid relief and our FN was given vaccinations first before the rest of Canada. The Catholic Church, while they mismanaged the monies has given over $20M in compensation and in labour from paperwork to building actual buildings for the FN community.

Here's my question to everyone. There is NO disagreement to how the FN people have been treated but how much more money should be given? I know NO amount is ever right but at some point there has to be a cap. Yes? No?

Should peoples who immigrated to Canada be told, from our Nation's Capital, they are basically thieves who are living stolen land? Is this fair or right?

Given the billions upon billions these communities have been given, why are there folks up north in reserves with no clean drinking water in 2021? Who should pay for that? Who's fault is this?

For the americans......Your country has discussed the idea of reparations. Given the amount Canada has given, can you see your country doing the same? Would you agree to such amounts?