INNOVATION September-October 2016

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1. www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf I n June 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report outlining 94 calls to action to advance reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada. 1 The calls to action highlight the legacy of impacts arising from residential schools and provide guidance on what governments, educational institutions, corporations, the media, and others can do to strengthen relationships with Aboriginal peoples. As a community consultant, I work with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and have been interested in the discourse around reconciliation. I have noticed that there appears to be a general lack of understanding about reconciliation within the business community and some professional circles, including those of engineering and geoscience. Comments like “reconciliation doesn’t apply to us” or Reconciliation Whose Responsibility is It? Trina Wamboldt

“reconciliation is an Aboriginal issue” are fairly common. These types of comments

are concerning for two reasons. Firstly, reconciliation is about restoring relationships—it is not a solo affair. Secondly, this rhetoric implies that reconciliation is “someone else’s” responsibility. Although it’s true most Canadians had nothing to do with residential schools or Canada’s former Indigenous policies, we are all impacted by poverty, unemployment, homelessness, chronic disease, suicide, and incarceration rates, which are known to be higher among Canada’s Indigenous population than among the non-Indigenous population.

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