Re: "Whose histories are we ignoring?" The Gazette, Dec. 1.
I would like to commend staff writer Rachel Narvey on her article, which I found very timely and quite appropriate as we in St. Albert, as well as many others across Canada, search for the best ways to move forward.
I believe the perspective Ann Ramsden, executive director of the Arts and Heritage Foundation, provides is something we all must consider very carefully before we start ignoring, tearing down, and maligning our past.
It is very evident our forefathers had values that are not the same as the values we cherish today and probably 150 years into the future values will be different again. I would suggest those values were not wrong, but rather a characteristic of a civilized culture of that period in time.
With respect to the reported misgivings of residential schools, I don’t believe the actions of those who prescribed and commissioned the schools, such as John A. MacDonald and Bishop Vital Grandin, were done with malicious intent. The whole purpose was to integrate the Indigenous people into what would have been a European culture. We know now that the residential school program failed most of the Indigenous community. There are many horrifying stories attached to this program, but there are also many success stories, which are very evident by listening to the wisdom and observing the accomplishments of Indigenous leaders and followers, many who were residents or children of residents of the program.
Reconciliation should be a shared responsibility; yes, there are reported atrocities which were shameful and disrespectful and they must be acknowledged and recorded and the idea of uprooting and trying to change a culture is something which all Canadians must understand is unacceptable and should never be repeated and so the way forward should be to remember, but also to forgive. There will be no healing unless the Indigenous community is willing accept what was done is historic and to also acknowledge that today’s generations are not the perpetrators.
We should not tear down our history, but build upon it, not by forgetting but by recognizing and acknowledging historic events and sacrifice. We should continue to build monuments to honour all our heroes, including those who have been instrumental in changing our values. Our school curriculums should be changed to acknowledge not only the good but also the misgivings of those who made history and to teach the truth about our history.
Ken McMorris, St. Albert
