Reconciling The Sins Of Our Fathers. iampeacemaker, July 9, 2023September 6, 2023 Repentence, or admitting the nature of your sin and making a firm decision to never repeat it again, is something that all must do to find their way into heaven. The sins of the Vatican thoughout Canadian history is a topic worthy of focus. Again I state that most devout Catholics sincere in being positive influences coexisting in society, lots of good has been done by members of the Catholic Church, but history proved a lot of evil has been done in the name of Roman Catholicism too. With today being celebrated across Canada as Nunavut Day, I’d like to start by spreading the news of a well-educated and hard-working Inuit rights activist. ‘I Will Live for Both of Us’ – A History of Colonialism, Uranium Mining, and Inuit Resistance. – Joan Scottie (Author), Warren Bernauer (Author), Jack Hicks (Author) Published in November 2022 by UofM Press, ‘I Will Live For Both of Us‘, provides a well-researched autobiography of Joan Scottie’s experiences fighting against the institutionalization of uranium mining on Inuit lands, the earlier victories won by Northwest Territories (NWT) Inuit Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and how those victories were insidiously compromised in communities like Baker Lake by the creation of the new territory, Nunavut. To avoid making the same mistakes of the past, it is critical that people prepare themselves with a more complete understanding of History, not just what they are taught by school textbooks, which often teach a one-sided edited account of history as provided by the educator. History textbooks taught by previously Roman Catholic-run, government-funded residential schools did not include an objective history of the Inuit people (yet interestingly likely taught a “fall of Rome” in Europe), taught only what they wanted the Inuit people to believe. Colonialists forcibly relocated nomadic Caribou hunters off of their traditional hunting grounds and subsequentially enforced laws that they reside in permanent towns like Baker Lake or Iqaluit while “Crown” lands were reclaimed by the government for mining, which heavily damages the fragile tundra ecosystems. Inuit / Government Reconciliation Efforts It is my observation that the Indigenous and Inuit people of Canada have a lot of anger towards the Government of Canada and have been pressuring Justin Trudeau to resign from his position as Prime Minister of Canada, placing much of the blame on him for the injustices of the people in Nunavut. It is also my observation that Justin Trudeau has been publically acknowledging the injustices that the Indigenous and Inuit people have been suffering and that he personally displays a deep respect for native traditions, teachings, and treaty rights. He regularly discusses these beliefs on public television. Justin Trudeau was voted in as Prime Minister on the platform of reconciliation with a lot of mess to clean up that was due to the insensitivity of our previous Conservative federal government. Making changes in parliament and in bureaucracy requires ongoing time and effort. Leaders who fight for goodness, justice, and human rights historically tend to face a lot of negative pressure from their money-grubbing opponents. Allow me to raise, for example, the assassinations of US Presidents Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy, and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. These were presidents who placed people and values over money as they changed world history. I believe our current Prime Minister faces this same negative pressure while making efforts to reconcile the Canadian government with the native peoples who he acknowledges were here first and deserve the utmost respect and celebration of Indigenous values. Pressure for Peace and Reconciliation The successful use of the Law of Attraction for reconciliation requires a positive and faithful state of mind. For example, being anti-Trudeau is not a productive use of resources. Fighting raises tension and closes doors that require being open should we have a successful reconciliation. Being anti-anything is not effective. We must not fight against war but instead direct our efforts FOR PEACE. This is the pedestal upon which the Canadian Peace-Keeping military organization was raised, winning Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. We all mourn the loss of the many thousands of children who fell victim to and the families torn apart by the residential school system. This resulted in many survivors not knowing where they came from, and languages, traditions, and family support were lost forever. Severe post-traumatic stress disorder plagues the survivors, while many of the children forcibly taken were never to return. Canada has expressed sincere repentance for our part in the sins of the residential school systems. We are doing the best we can at being sorry and attempting to reconcile. That said, I believe better efforts need to be made by the Vatican to reconcile, and for further progress, the Government of Canada needs further distancing from institutionalized Catholicism in its law and textbooks. Canada as a global leader in the morality of human rights and freedoms, needs to pressure the Vatican to try harder at reconciliation. More complete separation of church and state is key to a peaceful resolution on our home soils. Faith, Hope, and Love For Canada, and For Canadian Efforts Throughout the World. Peace and Reconciliation require effort on both sides of the table. Apologies by our government are being given but if efforts at forgiveness are not stepped forward by the native people then the process is doomed to be ineffective. Sincere apologies met with unforgiveness result in unintentional resentments which are counter-productive to efforts of peace-making and open communication. Continued fighting closes doors that may have been opened in gestures of partnership and friendship. I believe Canada is the most successful country on earth today at celebrating diversity with rights and freedoms of choice, religion, equality, and lifestyle. The peace within our communities play on common chords of kindness, patience, and forgiveness. We intentionally coexist peacefully with attempts at loving our neighbors while respectfully giving one another space to practice differing belief systems. Keep your aims lofty and fight kindly while making new efforts at peace and reconciliation. Wishing perfect peace to our people and land from sea to sea to sea. Elaine Nicol If you wouldn’t follow yourself, why would anyone else follow you? Be The Example You Need. “Peace Maker” is my Indigenous Spirit name, my other Spirit name is Elainia, which means, “Land of Light”. I am a Canadian, a friend of God, an empathic woman with a timeless soul, driven to create more peaceful lives for those I meet through patience and understanding. It feels really good to say, “I AM Peace Making”. I encourage you to claim that. Positive affirmations are good for the soul. Then together we have the faith to move mountains! Share on FacebookTweetFollow us Peace Making CanadaCanadian Indigenous peacenunavutreconciliation
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