Truth and Reconciliation is not a single outcome, but a generations-long journey

Indigenous Peoples have experienced a long history of injustice and mistrust because of colonial legislation and policies in Canada. The Canadian state’s relationships with Indigenous Peoples have never been based on recognition of Indigenous Nations as sovereign, equal partners. Legislative and policy agendas enacted by the federal government and other levels of government have systematically excluded First Nations, Inuit, and Métis from meaningful participation in governance decisions, and an equitable share of economic opportunities and benefits associated with their territories and resources. Coloniality is so embedded in contemporary state legal and governance systems and relationships to land that government attempts at renewing relationships and addressing treaty and legal commitments have often been unsuccessful. Is Truth and Reconciliation even possible? Yes, but it must start from righting relationships and a radically different way of working together that embraces multi-generational planning and decision-making. Tanya Chung-Tiam-Fook, PhD, is co-leader of 7GenCities. Photograph courtesy of Tanya Chung-Tiam-Fook First, Truth and Reconciliation is not a milestone that we can achieve at some particular time in the future, but an intergenerational journey of healing, repairing, and rebuilding relationships with Indigenous Peoples and the environment that we must take together, with committed action from all people. Truth-telling is foundational and involves reckoning with the ongoing legacies and impacts of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples, and formal recognition of Indigenous lands and inherent rights. In this way, Truth and Reconciliation should be transformative and not aim to restore a harmonious past that has never existed. That’s the philosophy underpinning 7GenCities, a non-profit collective working with the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre and other Indigenous partners to embed Truth and Reconciliation in new social and civic infrastructures in cities across the country. The collective is inspired by the Seventh Generation Principle of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and related Indigenous wisdoms on making decisions and provisioning for current and future generations. The principle provides a living set of laws of peace and responsibilities that foster reciprocal relationships with people and the natural world for a sustainable world seven generations into the future. The work of 7GenCities draws on our book, Sacred Civics: Building Seven Generation Cities, and invites Indigenous and non-Indigenous thinkers, practitioners, and Knowledge Keepers to imagine and manifest what’s possible in civic contexts when we unlock and nurture the collective agency and capabilities of all peoples—and change underlying systems to enable transition, adaptation, and scaling of what works. At 7GenCities, we foster new social and civic infrastructure that embed Truth and Reconciliation principles. How do we do this? By: Committing to practices and systems that are radically inclusive and decolonizing, including Indigenous co-leadership; Recognizing Indigenous sovereignty and restoration of Indigenous lands and rights on reserve and in cities; Recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and honouring the natural systems that give us life; being a good relative; Thinking and acting for future generations; Recognizing the breadth of Indigenous leadership and contributions across social sectors and spheres; Implementing codified principles and actions and city-level action plans through frameworks provided under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and Creating bridges across diverse communities, cultures and knowledges; and working to eliminate ongoing harm and oppression of racialized and marginalized communities. A concrete example of 7GenCities in action is the Wije’winen Centre in Halifax, N.S. It is a beacon of reconciliation-embedded social infrastructure and kinship-based, decolonized land relationships. With their Every One Every Day (EOED) Kjipuktuk platform, they are focused on residents sharing and learning from each other, across cultures. Promising early results show that the EOED initiative can provide critical social infrastructure for embedding reconciliation in people’s everyday civic interactions. At 7GenCities, we’re prototyping a Learning Community of six city teams across the country that will share reciprocal learning and build an ecosystem of Indigenous, municipal, and civic leaders around their respective social infrastructure initiatives and reconciliation action journeys. We are working with cities across the country to advance their Truth and Reconciliation journeys. Now, let’s get inspired by and spread this foundational approach in ways that are guided by truth-telling, reciprocity, mutual care, and seven generations of thinking. Tanya Chung-Tiam-Fook, PhD, is co-leader of 7GenCities with Jayne Engle at Dark Matter Labs, and an adviser, educator, and researcher across environmental, Indigenous and community engagement, and health topics. The Hill Times

Truth and Reconciliation is not a single outcome, but a generations-long journey

It’s possible, but Truth and Reconciliation should be transformative and not aim to restore a harmonious past that has never existed.

Canada’s aging crisis and a call for reform in eldercare

Sudan’s warring sides and the long-simmering ethnic conflict

Balanced approach needed on right-to-repair bill, protecting IP rights and public safety

Reflections from a new citizen

Public Safety Canada’s dealing with natural and communication infrastructure disasters

As COP29 wraps up, will Canada finally stop funding fossils this fall?

Flipping the paradigm

Is it better to talk about unity and not practise it, or not talk about it at all?

Our country of many solitudes

The Queen is gone and I’m glad her reign is over

New Indigenous Economic Strategy builds on TRC report

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Advertise

subscribe

get help

Get free news updates

Submit a guest opinion article

Truth and Reconciliation is not a single outcome, but a generations-long journey

It’s possible, but Truth and Reconciliation should be transformative and not aim to restore a harmonious past that has never existed.

Get The Policy Briefings Newsletter