SECRETARY-TREASURER’S MESSAGE
This is our Canada In May, the remains of 215 children were uncovered at the site of a former residential ‘school’ in Kamloops, B.C. In June, another 104 unmarked graves were found in Brandon, Manitoba. At the former site of the Marieval ‘school’ in Saskatchewan, another 751 unmarked graves. As more sites are searched, the graves of more lost souls have been and will continue to be uncovered across this nation. It’s estimated that 150,000 First Nations children were forced into residential ‘schools’ nation-wide over 120 years, the last closing only in 1997. That means during most of our lifetimes, children were being torn from their families and forced to assimilate in a cultural genocide. Those children faced abuse Page 4
Checkout Summer 2021
and neglect. Those that survived lost their language, culture, and connection to their history and loved ones. In June, several people assaulted a 24-year-old gay man near Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands – a spot that is generally thought of as safe space for the LGBTQ2IS community. The assailants used homophobic slurs; they broke the bones of his face in several places and fractured his hip. On June 6, a driver targeted and drove into a Muslim family of five who were out for a walk on a summer evening. That act of terror murdered four people ranging from 15 years old to 74. The only one to survive was a boy of nine who will never see his parents, his sister, or his grandmother again.
This is our Canada. It breaks my heart. These aren’t the only incidents like this. And while I believe most people want true reconciliation, and equality and freedom for every person, our collective heartbreak means nothing unless we take action. We have let hatred of all kinds simmer and fester for too long. We let too many comments slide without calling them out. Our outrage at the horrific stories in the news is only momentary, because it’s not our day-to-day experience. But for many people, those comments, that racism, the hatred and trauma are their everyday experiences. Many of us hold hands with our partners on any street at any time without considering whether it’s a ‘safe space.’ How many
