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Community editorial board: We're at a vortex-point in defining Cornwall

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About a month ago I bought my return ticket on Via Rail from Union Station in Toronto to Cornwall, set to travel for the EcoFarm day on Saturday Feb. 22 at the Ramada Hotel on Brookdale.

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Possibly a month ago, I thought this article would be on the importance of EcoFarm Day in Cornwall for small farmers like us, at Springfield Farm, for the learning, socializing and building of networks with other farmers in eastern Ontario.

Well, the world has changed drastically in a short time from my routine purchase of Via Rail tickets to the eye of the storm about to unfold in eastern Ontario, as Cornwall readies itself to host the Canadian Coronavirus refugees at the Nav Centre.

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Train travel has not yet resumed for the corridor of Toronto to Montreal due to protestors in Ontario and essentially across Canada blocking CN Rail freight trains. Our Prime Minister is getting a wakeup call from First Nations, Métis and Inuit that is rocking a variety of economies and interpretation of the rule of law, climate change and the freedom of speech that is shifting political alliances in the House of Commons.

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Where do we go from here?

About an hour and half northwest of Cornwall is the town of Perth, Ont., and the birthplace of Alexander Morris. Morris was born into a privileged family, educated and became a lawyer, judge, politician (Liberal-Conservative for Lanark South) and public servant. While he is not featured prominently in present Canadian history books, it was his roles as lieutenant governor for both Manitoba and the Northwest Territories which led to his role as government representative in the establishment of the treaties in Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories.

I own a copy of The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba, The North-West-Territories, and Kee-Wa-Tin, where Alexander Morris in his introduction states:

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“It is the design of the present work to tell the story of these treaties, to preserve, as far as practicable, a record of the negotiations on which they were based, …”

I have not read all of the accounts of the various treaties, and often it is a cringe-worthy read with the imperialistic and Victorian language used by Morris. This book records a great number of treaties that formed how our nation was built, as the train tracks worked their way across the vast land until the last spike was struck at Craigellachie, B.C., on Nov. 7, 1885.

How many First Nations, Métis and Inuit hereditary chiefs, elders and band members were consulted throughout the time Morris travelled to document the treaties being signed?

An imperialistic desire was driven by politicians, businessmen, possibly churchmen and other interests, to see our nation as one from coast-to-coast linked by this network of train track. And yet if you are my age or older, there was almost nothing mentioned in school of the Treaties that Canada undertook to achieve this incredible feat of traversing mountains, rivers, bogs and impassable parts of northern Canada.

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Our history was truly one of the Dominion, a colony in the British Commonwealth. That is exactly what was uncovered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), officially concluded in June 2015, which established 94 calls to action.

It is the Call to Action No. 62 which requests, “We call upon the federal, provincial and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to: i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.”

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Five years later, we are at the vortex of treaties, the railway system and our history in dealing with economic interests bringing us into conflict, misunderstanding and potentially harmful dialogue that will be hard to forget and forgive as it resonates as purely colonial. It is evident Call to Action No. 62 is slow to make its way into the education system and to assist both students and parents alike to understand the significance of ceded and unceded territories and treaties and how they have been chipped away, out of the control of the hereditary chiefs and elders, and systems established which lack the autonomy of the intent of nation-to-nation governance, which is clearly outlined on the Canadian Department of Justice’s website stating: The Government of Canada is committed to achieving reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through a renewed, nation-to-nation, government-to-government, and Inuit-Crown relationship based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership as the foundation for transformative change.

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With trains at a standstill, we, as a nation, are being forced to recognize we have not acted upon this call to action— and possibly, none of the 94. The Government of Canada must now take full responsibility and go through each of the calls to action presented by the TRC and put them into motion.

As Sen. Murray Sinclair, commissioner stated, “Education is what got us here, and Education is what will get us out.

It is time; we as citizens read the report put out by the TRC and truly understand our Canadian history. Only by doing this can we look at this heated discussion and the vying interests of oil, gas, environment, in the context that they need to be framed within: respect and partnership with the First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

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In June 2016, I was honoured to have the opportunity to meet Noel Starblanket, whose grandfather had signed the Qu’appelle, or Treaty No. 4, at a conference held by the Jesuits of English Canada and partners, Council Fire and the University of St. Michael’s College. Starblanket, an elder, a residential schools survivor, a past-president of the National Indian Brotherhoods, declared that afternoon, “you now know what happened; you no longer can claim ignorance.”

Let us no longer choose to ignore our history, the treaties and the TRC calls to action. We are better than this.

When we welcome the Coronavirus refugees – fellow Canadians – we have the opportunity to be leaders in sharing the best of Cornwall and the surrounding area of Akwesasne and the United Counties of SDG in the spirit of friendship, respect and partnership.

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While the movements of these guests will be restricted, and there are economic and other sacrifices being made by Nav Centre employees for this period, this community can shed a light on what a Canadian community can do for its fellow citizens.

We have a community of many cultures, many histories and marked by both good times and bad decisions. It is in this acceptance and acknowledgement of our history and partnerships being made and bridged throughout the region that we are stronger.

In regards to the current situation, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict stated: “As a council, we know that positive relationships require mutual respect, communication and consultation where it applies. Governmental bodies have failed to do this with regard to the coastal pipeline and protests, and with regard to the Nav Centre quarantine.

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“The government needs to find ways to respect all people and to hear their concerns, communicate better and ensure that decisions are made with the utmost respect for the people who will be directly affected.”

These are strange times, both environmentally, politically and health related. We need to listen, to respect and to educate ourselves on the history that has brought us here and clear the path for friendship and communion with all to establish a strong community of the future decade.

Let’s build strong farm, family, community friendships, organic and conventional, environmentally focused, urban and rural citizens, and culturally embrace our histories.

That’s when we proudly can say “Welcome to Cornwall, the birthplace of community (and of course Ontario!)”

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