233 replies to this topic

[On the Level]

- Settler ( colonization ) is a structure not an event. It is not something you did or did not do. Think of it like a house. You can move in, renovate, die in place, pass it down to your descendants but the structure remains. It does not matter if you built it, or you arrived yesterday. If you are living in it ( Canada ) you are still benefitting from how those settlers built it.

 

There are obviously outstanding issues that need to be addressed, but we can't isolate the discussion regarding "settlers" and how those that come a few hundred years ago left and impact.  If the focus is limited to only settlers and natives, then all of the other factors that have shaped Canada are ignored.  Even countries that were not colonised have evolved to use a fairly consistent set of structures that cannot all be attributed to colonization.  

 

Did I purchase a house in Canada using the system that has evolved since colonization, yes.  Did I somehow gain some sort of benefit from colonization, I would say no.  I had a very difficult childhood and I certainly didn't get any help with education or any sort of inheritance or help with a home purchase. If anything, I had to navigate the 80s and 90s where hiring restrictions against white males were commonplace.

 

Reconciliation should have been working towards finalizing agreements and getting rid of flawed systems like the ones you have pointed out above.   It is also reflective of the reality we face today from a world view, and not boiled down to a simplified settler perspective. 

[Moderation]

Thanks for your perspective.

The Reconciliation process is slowly being addressed. For me the term settler had no particular meaning. It was obvious that that was not the case for many others. I tried to get a better understanding by looking at the term from different points of view. It was helpful for me and I hope others.

 

The quote I referenced and you quoted has reflected my experience. As an immigrant to Quebec I was immediately given status by both segments of society. not for what I had done but because I was identified as a member of the conquering ( 1760 ) minority group that still held the economic power. The French Canadian population was seen and treated as second class citizens by my peers. I had a French Canadian girl friend. I asked her to help me learn French. Her response was that I did not need to learn French but she must learn English.

 

Some of the benefits of being non aboriginal or in a privileged position are not always obvious. Those benefits in no way diminish the challenges and efforts individuals made to achieve success.

 

I also navigated the period when preference was given to women. I was comfortable with that on the principal that if both candidates were close or even then the woman should get the position. to better represent society.

 

Our experiences affect how we see thing. Our experiences have been different so we often see things differently.

[Mike K.]

I was publicly shamed in Quebec for speaking English and not knowing French, and being an ‘anglophone.’ At a federal complex, no less.

Not a good look for Quebec, I’m afraid.

[Moderation]

I would expect my experiences in Quebec were before the time you had that unacceptable behavior.

 

When I later moved to Ontario most people could not understand the later violent events in Quebec, the rise of  separatism and the emphasis on  French language. Based on the long standing attitudes by most Quebec Anglophones towards the Francophone community and what I experienced living in Montreal, I was not surprised. There was a generations long built up frustration.

 

There are always some people who show inappropriate behaviour. It should not be condoned and is unacceptable no matter what excuse may be used.

 

All people should not be judged by the actions of a few. I think the pendulum swung too far in the changes that occurred in Quebec  I am sorry that you and I know of others that have had negative personal experiences in Quebec because of the language they speak or do not speak. It is not acceptable.

 

The optimistic view is that things can change and hopefully to the positive for all involved.

Edited by Moderation, 04 February 2022 - 07:04 PM.

[Benezet]

…Did I purchase a house in Canada using the system that has evolved since colonization, yes.,.

You might be interested in listening to this documentary that looks into the history of a land title, starting with a condo purchase in the present day and going directly back to a pivotal moment on July 24, 1534. It’s quite fascinating.

https://www.cbc.ca/r...ights-1.6007196

[Victoria Watcher]

1534? I don’t think they had even figured out months properly back then.

I also might be off by 800 years, give or take.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 February 2022 - 07:18 PM.

[On the Level]

The Reconciliation process is slowly being addressed. 

 

Some of the benefits of being non aboriginal or in a privileged position are not always obvious. Those benefits in no way diminish the challenges and efforts individuals made to achieve success.

 

You make it sound like something new.  40 years ago we began creating native run / native only education facilities.  I drove past it being built on my way to work trying to save enough to go to college myself.  We turned beloved provincial parks back over to native bands.  I am not saying that those efforts rectify what happened in previous lifetimes, but I feel there is a deliberate effort to hide what has been done to date and instead imply the opposite. 

 

 

I also navigated the period when preference was given to women. I was comfortable with that on the principal that if both candidates were close or even then the woman should get the position. to better represent society.

 

Our experiences affect how we see thing. Our experiences have been different so we often see things differently.

 

Women?  The preference was never limited to women but you assumed so.

 

I feel that your life experience leaves you little to understand a significant portion of the population.  When you say "I was comfortable" giving jobs to others because of their sex or colour of their skin, then it tells me you have sacrificed little and this topic in your mind is academic or ideological.  

 

Their were no jobs in the 80s.  Literally.  We were in a recession that hit the younger demographic and left the older one alone.  People today can snub a $30 an hour dishwasher job when I would have been grateful at $12.  At the same time what few jobs remained were carved off based on reverse discrimination.

 

I am still a bit bitter as I had no part to play in a dead generations actions, but, unlike our current younger generation,  I sure paid for it.  

 

How much more "privileged" punishment must I undertake in the name of reconciliation?

[Mike K.]

And many years on you became the one with the house, cars and some money behind you. But the youth will say you had it easy, and they have it harder than anyone.

We’d all be better off learning about each other’s stories and roads to where we are today. At the very least the youth need to know it -is- possible to succeed, but it’s never easy.

[Spy Black]

"Reconciliation" seems to have multiple definitions ... I support the truth, but I'm also quite clear that I'm not remotely responsible for what has transpired in the past.

 

What happened (for example) at residential schools must be truthfully told to all Canadians ... but I (and all others of my age) are not remotely responsible for what happened, nor am I obliged to shoulder any guilt as to what happened.

My obligation is to truthfully understand what happened at residential schools, as it is all Canadians obligation to truthfully understand what happened at residential schools ... but not as an avenue to accepting responsibility, or feeling guilty simply because I was born and raised as a Canadian.

 

Reconciliation is about honesty, it's not (IMO) about large sums of money or the "return" of what has become private or public property.

 

I've noted before that there are certainly far more progressive and productive possibilities than those provided for in the abysmally named "Indian Act", but one of the prime perpetuators of that same Indian Act are the First Nations themselves ... and therein lies the complexity of "reconciliation" ... in that everybody has a fundamentally different definition of what reconciliation actually looks like, and the focus remains largely centred on money and land ... as opposed to truth and understanding.

[Moderation]

You make it sound like something new.  40 years ago we began creating native run / native only education facilities.  I drove past it being built on my way to work trying to save enough to go to college myself.  We turned beloved provincial parks back over to native bands.  I am not saying that those efforts rectify what happened in previous lifetimes, but I feel there is a deliberate effort to hide what has been done to date and instead imply the opposite. 

 

 

Women?  The preference was never limited to women but you assumed so.

 

I feel that your life experience leaves you little to understand a significant portion of the population.  When you say "I was comfortable" giving jobs to others because of their sex or colour of their skin, then it tells me you have sacrificed little and this topic in your mind is academic or ideological.  

 

Their were no jobs in the 80s.  Literally.  We were in a recession that hit the younger demographic and left the older one alone.  People today can snub a $30 an hour dishwasher job when I would have been grateful at $12.  At the same time what few jobs remained were carved off based on reverse discrimination.

 

I am still a bit bitter as I had no part to play in a dead generations actions, but, unlike our current younger generation,  I sure paid for it.  

 

How much more "privileged" punishment must I undertake in the name of reconciliation?

You have no idea of the challenges  or sacrifices I may have faced but you make great assumptions. I worked a full time job, plus worked and additional 24 hours (Two 12hour shifts) every weekend as a cab driver and I was attending night school for 6 hours in the evenings during the week.. My father was the first person in my family to complete high school. I repeated three grades in school. I have worked as a pot washer, dishwasher, general construction labor ( I had no trade certificate), commercial boiler cleaner., warehouse auto parts picker..........

 

I agree that much has been done over the years to provide support for  for FN  peoples and it is good to point that out The starting point of this discussion was the current use of the word settler. 

 

I specifically mentioned women as that was my particular experience. Yes, for the same reasons I gave before I am comfortable with members of minority groups being given the advantage in close call hiring or promotion decisions.

 

I think that we both worked hard to achieve what we have today and perhaps far harder than some young people today want to.. A major difference is how we view our experiences. I am not bitter and did not see it then or now as personal punishment. That was just the way things were. I did everything I could under the circumstances to get ahead.. At the same time I took an active part in trying to change those things in the system that I saw as wrong.

[On the Level]

 

“Langford residents have been requesting a family orientated Canada Day event for a long time now, and I’m glad the city could deliver on that request,” Langford Mayor Stew Young said in a statement.  

 

The city is also working with local Indigenous relations consultant Charla Huber on including a presentation from First Nations groups.

 

https://www.vicnews....ng-to-langford/

[spanky123]

In addition to purchasing malls across the Province, looks like China's Weihong Liu has bought Canada Day in Victoria as well.

 

Canada Day 2022 presented by Central Walk

VICTORIA, BC — The City of Victoria is excited to announce Central Walk as the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Canada Day festivities on July 1 at Ship Point on the Inner Harbour. Mark your calendars, the one-month countdown is on!

“Central Walk is extremely proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of Victoria’s Canada Day. The July 1 celebrations are an important occasion, and we are delighted to support the City’s efforts in presenting a diverse and inclusive Canada Day,” said Wei Hong Liu, Chairwoman, Central Walk. “We view Vancouver Island as our new home, and by making this contribution, we wish to demonstrate our commitment to the community. We look forward to celebrating Canada Day with visiting guests and residents from throughout the Greater Victoria region.”

Victoria Canada Day festivities will begin with a traditional canoe protocol with Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation leaders escorting Mayor Helps and members of the Canada Day committee across the harbour to the Ship Point site. Upon arrival, there will be an Official Welcoming Ceremony on the main stage, followed by a performance by the Lekwungen Dancers. 

“This is the first time since the pandemic that residents and visitors will come together for Canada Day in our capital city,” said Mayor Lisa Helps. “We are working hard to create an event that honours the Lekwungen people and their lands and culture and to offer a fun, family-friendly, and inclusive event that reflects the diversity of our community and our country. We look forward to seeing everyone downtown that day.”

This year’s Canada Day celebrations will feature an array of diverse, locally-focused performances along with interactive activities, experiential exhibits, multicultural food options, and spectacular fireworks display to bring the day's festivities to a close.

A full list of performers and activities will be released in June. There are lots of opportunities for artisan vendors, performers, non-profit organizations, volunteers, local exhibitors, and other sponsors to be involved. For more information, go to canadadayvictoria.ca.

About Central Walk  
Central Walk is Western Canada’s premier retail operator, realizing the potential of shopping centres as inclusive and sustainable public hubs for families and all people. With over three decades of experience in the acquisition, development, and operation of commercial real estate projects, Central Walk’s portfolio includes Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria, as well as Woodgrove Shopping Centre, Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, and Tsawwassen Mills. 

About Victoria Canada Day 2022

Victoria Canada Day 2022 will be held at Ship Point on the Inner Harbour on Friday, July 1st. It will begin with a Lekwungen canoe protocol event before the stage opens and will feature entertainment for the entire family with live music and performances on the main stage, interactive activities, flavours of the world, and a fireworks spectacular to conclude the day.

[Victoria Watcher]

“This is the first time since the pandemic that residents and visitors will come together for Canada Day in our capital city,” said Mayor Lisa Helps.




Not so sure about that.

[On the Level]

Well that's some good news but I can't help but wonder how much hatred this invokes inside the soul of Isitt and Helps at the thought of someone celebrating Canada.   

[spanky123]

^ I don't know about that, I think the joke is on us. Canada Day brought to you by a Chinese owned company!

[On the Level]

^ Well the amount of destruction the policies of Dave Eby is imposing on Vancouver's China Town, perhaps we can use the help.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ Well the amount of destruction the policies of Dave Eby is imposing on Vancouver's China Town, perhaps we can use the help.

More concerns were placed before Eby during the question period, including Vancouver’s Chinatown losing its tourism appeal due to vandalism and safety concerns, Vancouver businesses grappling with break and enters, broken windows, shoplifting and assaults, Williams Lake Search and Rescue losing a quarter-million-dollar specialized vehicle and businesses like McDonald’s closing in downtown Kamloops.


https://www.kamloops...fenders-5239727

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 June 2022 - 01:35 AM.

[spanky123]

We are now less than two weeks away from Canada Day yet the City has not been able to publish a schedule of events. It has been "coming soon" for two months.

 

https://www.canadada...ca/schedule-map

[spanky123]

Schedule has now been posted at the link I provided above.

 

Jessie Roper is the 'headline' act.

[Victoria Watcher]

Schedule has now been posted at the link I provided above.

 

Jessie Roper is the 'headline' act.

 

Well, people do like that guy.

 

And I suspect we expected nobody more famous.

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 June 2022 - 10:18 AM.