#IndigenousReads

This is an annual campaign, most recently run in December 2020, that “encourages reconciliation by increasing Canadians’ understanding of Indigenous issues, cultures, and history” (2020) through reading. The campaign invites Canadians to read Indigenous authored literature and join in the conversation to share what they have read using on social media using #IndigeousReads. It was implemented by the Government of Canada in their work towards reconciliation

Reconciliation Begins with Me Workshop

This 1-day workshop for federal public servants is a part of the Indigenous Learning Series awareness training and professional development workshops. Reconciliation Begins with Me has been created in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 57.

Map of Ontario Treaties and Reserves

An interactive map and list of treaties and reserves as recognized by the Ontario Provincial government. You can click and zoom in on parts of Ontario to see what treaty covers a section of land. Users can scroll further down on the page for a summary of the treaty they have clicked on.

Indigenous Heritage Action Plan (Library and Archives Canada)

The Library and Archives Canada Indigenous Heritage Action plan was developed in 2019 in collaboration with an appointed Indigenous Advisory Council. The plan serves as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ‘Calls to Action’, and outlines 28 concrete steps that will be taken in the next five years; specifically, regarding the

Towards a New Relationship Toolkit: Indigenous Working Group of the British Columbia Association of Social Workers

This toolkit was created as a response to the 2015 TRC. The goal is to assist social workers in decolonizing their practices through a self-reflective process and by offering supportive ideas for decolonizing at the individual, workplace and community levels.

Parks Canada – Indigenous Relations

The creation of National Parks in Canada meant the sequestering of lands and removal of Indigenous peoples from their traditional territories as well as ways of life in order to create nature reserves and tourist areas managed by the colonial state. Parks Canada has been working in tandem with Indigenous communities in order to foster more inclusivity in public parks discourse and decision making.

Nogojiwanong Project

The Nogijiwanong Project was developed between local Indigenous communities and the city of Peterborough, Ontario, in recognition of the 200^th anniversary of Rice Lake Treaty No. 20, one of the treaties that governs this area. Nogijiwanong, is the Anishinaabeg word for “place at the foot of the rapids,” which describes a gathering space at the bottom of the Otonabee River. This area was renamed Peterborough by settlers.

Treaty Recognition Week (Ontario)

The Ontario government is working towards reconciliation by recognizing the colonial practices of treaty making which worked to “exploit, assimilate and eradicate” (Ontario.ca) Indigenous peoples. In a step towards reconciliation, the Ontario government has recognized the first week of November of each year as Treaty Week.

Canada Border Services Agency and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Collaboration

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) have co-developed a strategy to improve the border crossing experience of those who daily utilize or travel through the Akwesasne-Cornwall border crossing port of entry. The initiative has been in development for the past several months with plans for short, medium, and long-term improvements.

City of Lethbridge: Pathway to Canada – Target 1 and Lethbridge Reconciliation Plan

Pathway to Canada Target 1 is an initiative that was created in response to the 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada. The Target 1 goal, as stated on both websites, is to conserve “[b]y 2020, at least 17 percent of terrestrial areas and inland water, and 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, are conserved through networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.”

Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Calls to Action

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada was established in 2008 to examine the legacy of Canada’s residential school system. This report, released in December, 2015, includes ninety-four recommendations and/or calls to action towards

Lands Claims Coalition

The Land Claims Agreements Coalition works to ensure that comprehensive land claims and associated self-government agreements are respected, honoured and fully implemented in order to achieve their objectives. Formed in 2003, LCAC membership includes all post-effective date modern treaty holders in Canada.

University of British Columbia: Indigenous Foundations

The UBC Indigenous Foundations website holds a collection of “resources on key topics relating to the histories, politics, and cultures of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. This website was developed to support students in their studies, and to provide instructors, researchers and the broader public with a place to begin exploring topics that relate to Aboriginal peoples, cultures, and histories. Indigenous Foundations was developed by the First Nations Studies Program at the University of British Columbia, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.”

Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)

The  TRC began its work in 2009, with a five year mandate from the Federal Government to gather testimony from Indian residential school survivors, to host national and community events, to establish a national research centre, and to undertake public education regarding the Indian Residential School experience.

Common Ground: Grand Council of Treaty #3 and City of Kenora

Common Ground is a community-based initiative undertaken by the Grand Council of Treaty #3, the Kenora City Council, and three neighbouring First Nations (Wauzhusk Onigum, Ochiichagwe ‘Babigo’Ining and Obashkaandagaang Bay).  Initiated in 2006, it is a land management partnership for Rat Portage, a key link in a trans-continental canoe route, and Tunnel Island, lands of historical and spiritual importance to the Anishinaabe Nation.  

Joint Stewardship Board: Haudenosaunee-Red Hill Agreements

The Joint Stewardship Board oversees the Haudenosaunee-Red Hill Agreements which define a partnership between the Haudenosaunee and the City of Hamilton, Ontario. The Red Hill Valley is an area that is of historical and cultural significance to the Haudenosaunee.  Ancestral remains dating over 10,000 years old have been located in this area. Since 2003, the Joint Stewardship Board has initiated a number of partnership projects including medicine plant recovery, environmental and ecological monitoring, deer inventory and community engagement.

Exhibition: Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools

Launched at the National Archives of Canada in 2001, “Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools” is an exhibition that has toured all over Canada. As stated on the website, “the exhibition consists of 118 framed archival photographs, text panels, maps, original classroom textbooks and historical government papers selected from nine public and church archives, and depicts the history and legacy of Canada’s Residential School System. Where are the Children? spans over 130 years and contains photographs and documents from the 1880s to present day.”

B.C. Treaty Commission

The B.C. Treaty Commission is “the independent body responsible for facilitating treaty negotiations among the governments of Canada, British Columbia and First Nations in B.C. The Treaty Commission and the treaty process were established in 1992 by agreement among Canada, B.C. and the First Nations Summit. They are guided by those agreements and the 1991 Report of the B.C. Claims Task Force, which is the blueprint for the made-in-B.C. treaty process.”

Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba (TRCM)

The TRCM is the result of a partnership between the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and Canada “with a mandate to strengthen, rebuild and enhance the Treaty relationship with mutual respect between First Nations and Manitobans.” In 2003, the federal Cabinet approved the establishment of a treaty commission in Manitoba, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the AMC and the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

University of Manitoba: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

As per its mandate, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has established a permanent National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, to ensure the work and legacy of the commission carries on after its five-year mandate is complete. In June 2013, it was announced that the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Human Rights Research would become the home of the centre.

Saskatchewan: Teaching Treaties in the Classroom

Saskatchewan’s Teaching Treaties in the Classroom curriculum and resources were developed by Saskatchewan’s Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC), in partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan, the Government of Canada, and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. The OTC commissioned the development of the first teacher resource guides for grades 7-12 in 2001.

Manitoba: Treaty Education Initiative (TEI)

The TEI involves the development, piloting, and implementation of treaty related curriculum, educational resources, and teacher training in Manitoba schools. It is an initiative of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba (TRCM), in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba chiefs, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Manitoba Education, and the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. It is part of the TRCM’s public education mandate, and is a component of their broader “We are all treaty people” initiative.

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is a cable television network made by, and for Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. It is often seen to be the first of its kind not only in Canada, but throughout the world as well.  APTN has a wide number of television shows, ranging from the news to children’s television shows.