CRC Indigenous Leader Calls for Reconciliation

Michelle Nieviadomy, who works at the  Edmonton Native Healing Centre, a Christian Reformed Church ministry in Edmonton, Alberta, has co-written an op-ed piece  for the Winnipeg Free Press calling for reconciliation between Indigenous people and other Canadians.

The article, which will come out soon in the Edmonton Journal and the Victoria Times Colonist, especially addresses the issue of reconciliation and education.

 “To be truly reconciled, one [issue] that deserves our immediate attention is the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children,” she and the others write.

Besides Nieviadomy, a member of the Cree nation, writers of the op-ed are Lu Ann Hill-MacDonald, a Haudenosaunee, and The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, the National Indigenous Anglican bishop.

They are members of  the "Reconciliation in Indigenous Education Campaign," a coalition of faith leaders and Indigenous people working for reconciliation in the education system.

In  their op-ed, they look at the need for education systems designed by Indigenous people and the urgency of correcting the gap in funding between Indigenous schools and off-reserve schools. They call for action, especially from churches.

“When it comes to this country, injustice is less obvious because we believe Canada to be a kind and gentle place — and for the most part it is. Canada's good reputation, however, is coming under increasing scrutiny, as the world witnesses continued discrimination in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children,” they write.

Mike Hogeterp,  director of the CRC’s Centre for Public Dialogue, is helping to organize the coalition seeking educational reform that, he says in an interview, seeks reconciliation.

“But,” he adds, “reconciliation is so much more than a statement of apology. It's an ongoing act of becoming neighbours, building trust, and correcting injustice.

“And given the deep scars that Indian residential schools have left in Canada, reconciliation is surely related to justice in Indigenous Education. We are honoured to work with these Indigenous leaders for reconciliation in and through education."