Approaching reconciliation on Canada Day

Canada Day events are taking place all across the country to commemorate Canada's 150 years of Confederation, but not all the events are a celebration of the past.

Chief Robert Joseph, a residential school survivor, has dedicated his life to healing and reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous communities.

Joseph is a hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation and co-founder of Reconciliation Canada and is advocating for using Canada Day as a way to bring all Canadians closer together on a path towards reconciliation.

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"I think it's important for Canadians tomorrow as they celebrate to be mindful of the colonial history that we do have and to be mindful of the situation that Indigenous people find themselves in as a result," Joseph told CBC's guest host of On The Coast Gloria Macarenko on Friday.

He is involved with Canada 150+, a movement based in Vancouver that aims to acknowledge Aboriginal peoples and their land, pre-dating colonization, in the national day celebrations.

"Because this is a time of reconciliation, this is a good time to create the space where we can hear those voices while we are celebrating and to listen really carefully to the stories that Indigenous people want to share with the rest of Canada," he said.

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Left out of the narrative

Dialogue is key to understanding and moving forward on the path to reconciliation, he said, and he hopes it is on the forefront of everyone's minds at the events.

"It is because we were left out of the narrative that we find ourselves in such a difficult situation now," he said.

Canada 150+ is trying to bring Aboriginal peoples back into the narrative with events for Canada Day and throughout the year, Joseph said.

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"We are hoping to do that again where Canadians can walk side by side and share stories with each other and hold each other up so that truly the next time we get together to celebrate, we are all going to be celebrating," he said.

To hear the full interview with Chief Robert Joseph, click on the audio link below:

With files from On The Coast.