The week of Nov 3rd was Treaty Reconciliation Week, the Satellite Club welcomed Suzanne Grouette speak on Truth and Reconciliation and Rotary.
This week being Treaty Reconciliation Week, it was appropriate to have Suzanne Grouette speak on Truth and Reconciliation and Rotary. Suzanne’s ancestry features both Metis and Odawa heritage. Suzanne began by sharing two quotes, one from Paul Harris, founder of Rotary and another from Senator Murray Sinclair, stating that everyone is entitled to respect and to be treated respectfully. Suzanne presented a brief history of the First Nations from the time they arrived in North American some 70,000 years ago from Siberia. The first reserve was established in 1637; the first treaty between England and the First Nations was signed in Manitoba in 1871; the Indian Act of 1876 established the Residential School System; the last Residential School was closed in 1996. In 2008, the Canadian government set up a commission chaired by Murray Sinclair, to listen to the stories told by those who had attended the Residential Schools. 6,500 witnesses shared their stories. The Commission’s Report released in 2015 listed 94 calls to action in areas such as child welfare, education, culture, health and justice. The CBC reported that 10 of these have been implemented. The UN has set up the UNDRIP – the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Suzanne further reported on a variety of Rotary programs such as the “Stay in School” initiative, Calls to Action events, Aboriginal Service Committees, Rotary Peace Builders and Rotary Action Groups for Peace. She then went on to encourage members to become allies by speaking about issues, sharing articles, inviting young people who have been successful in gaining an education and employment to share their experiences, creating opportunities and acknowledging the traditional land that we share. Members should go to the following websites for further information: Goodminds.com and honouringindigenouspeople.com