“This country was built on a genocide and I don’t celebrate Canada Day”. Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (in the pic), member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing Nunavut, announced it today on social networks.
In an article published by The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/01/this-canada-day-lets-remember-this-country-was-built-on-genocide), Mumilaaq explains the reasons of her position. “People across the country are waking up to the reality that Canada is a country built on the violent dispossession of Indigenous peoples. The horrifying reports of unmarked graves of children at residential ‘schools’ in Kamloops, British Columbia, Brandon, Manitoba, and most recently Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan have shocked many Canadians and others around the world. However, these were not discoveries, but confirmations of what we knew all along: Canada was built on genocide”.
Mumilaaq had already spoken, some days ago, about this case, asking for “justice” and “truth” for the Indigenous children forced to give up their culture, their language and their traditions in schools (the last one was closed in the Nineties) sponsored by the Canadian governement, where thousand of them met death in circumstances that need to be clarified. “We need an independent investigation with the resources to confront the scale of the task”, she said.
And in the article on The Guardian, Mumilaaq appeals to all Canadians: “Talk to your friends and neighbours about the need for real Indigenous justice in Canada. When Indigenous groups organize protests and marches, show up and support them. And make sure your elected representatives know that they will never be re-elected if they are silent in the face of injustice”.
“Sooner or later, when we have an election in this country, refuse to vote for political leaders who talk the talk without walking the walk. If enough people do that, maybe Indigenous peoples can have the right to self-determination, and we will have something to celebrate in this country”.
