Blog 1

Part 1

How does Truth and Reconciliation in Canada relate to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG)?

The main focus of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation is to ultimately close the divide between Aboriginals and Non-Aboriginals in Canada. The goal of reconciliation between Canada’s Aboriginals and Non-Aboriginals is striving to build a positive rapport consisting of understanding, communication, and support. The Truth and Reconciliation closely adheres to the UN SDGs, particularly those related to: good health and well-being, quality of education, reduced inequalities; peace, justice, and strong institutions (United Nations, 2015). The interconnectedness of all four major UN SDGs are the fundamental basis for attaining Truth and Reconciliation.

The UN SDG of good health and well-being does not only encompass the physical aspect, it also includes the socio-emotional factors of an individual, especially the sense of identity and belonging. During the time of residential schools, Aboriginal People were stripped of their cultural values, language, and spiritual practice through the process of assimilation. Ultimately, Canada’s Government of the 1870s-1990s committed a mass cultural genocide of the Aboriginals People (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). Aboriginal People were forced to abide by the standards of “European civilization and Christian religion [which were considered] superior to Aboriginal culture” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 4). They were assimilated into the idealized European culture through the eradication of their social, cultural, and religious practices. A major event of past Canadian’s government’s attempt to assimilate the Aboriginal People is outlined in the Statement on Indian Policy, which is more widely known as the White Paper. The White Paper wanted Aboriginal People to “work and live with ‘whites’… [so that they can] begin to think as ‘whites’” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015, p. 6).

Currently, there are many resources accessible to Aboriginal People to aid in their socio-emotional health. For example, the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line offers 24/7 professional support to residential school survivors (Government of Canada, 2018). Reconciliation must support Aboriginal Peoples as they “heal from the destructive legacies of colonization that have wreaked such havoc in their lives” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 8).

If surpassing that first step of attaining individual overall well-being, there remains several adverse effects from residential schools. A negative stigma in regard to education still lingers among the current generations of Aboriginal People. Attending an educational institution was associated with assimilation by the Churches. School was deemed as a place of suppression of spiritual practice and Aboriginal cultural identity. As a result, “parents often kept their children out of schools because they saw those schools … [as] dangerous and harsh institutions that sought to raise their children in alien ways” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015). The UN SDG strives to provide universal education that is “inclusive and equitable” (United Nations, 2017). Part of the education system is working towards eliminating the fear associated with schools, and is advocating that schools are supportive environments that foster social and academic growth.

In order to reach the highly-sought after reconciliation between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal People, “there has to be awareness of the past acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behavior”. Through education, all Canadians can learn about the deep historical roots of Aboriginal Peoples because “history plays an important role in reconciliation; to build for the future, Canadians must look to, and learn from, the past” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 8).

Unifying Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal People is related to the UN SDG of reduced inequalities. Despite Canada being a highly developed country, there exists a wide disparity between the two populations of people. During the time of European colonization, Aboriginal people were forced to live on “remote and marginally economic reserves”. The income inequality between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal populations of Canada is staggering; the median annual income is $20,060 and $27,662, respectively (Statistics Canada, 2010). In efforts to reduce this vast inequality, the Canadian Human Rights Commission implemented the Aboriginal Employment Preference Policy in 2003. This policy places high priority of hiring Aboriginal People to yield an equitable job market as well as resources such as bursaries to post-secondary education, which makes them more desirable for employment (Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2015).

Once the first three aspects are achieved, the next UN SDG that relates to Truth and Reconciliation is the goal of peace, justice, and strong institutions. Truth and Reconciliation’s ongoing aspiration is to establish and maintain a mutually respectful connection between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal People. Reconciliation revolves around the goal of “coming to terms with events of the past in a manner that overcomes conflict and establishes a respectful and healthy relationship among people, going forward” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 6). By establishing a positive rapport and a common understanding between the Aboriginal community and Canadians help dispel “racist attitudes” towards Aboriginal People (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 8).

Revitalizing Aboriginal culture, language, and spiritual practices through the UN SDGs is a significant step towards atoning for the adverse conditions residential school survivors had to endure. The objectives outlined in the UN SDGs and the Truth and Reconciliation Act can only be achieved through the collaboration between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal communities as well as all levels of governments. Reconciliation is not about “closing a sad chapter of Canada’s past, but about opening new healing pathways” (Truth and Reconciliation, 2015, p. 12). This applies to all Canadians, not just the Aboriginal community, as we are all Treaty people.

(Me at the Insurgence/Resurgence art exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which was their largest exhibit showcasing Indigenous artwork)

To learn more about the Insurgence/Resurgence exhibit, visit: http://wag.ca/art/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/display,exhibition/206/insurgence-resurgence.

(Exterior of Winnipeg Art Gallery along with Insurgence/Resurgence sign)

(Insurgence/Resurgence information wall at the Winnipeg Art Gallery)

(Indigenous attire ie. jingle dresses from the Insurgence/Resurgence Exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery)

References

CBC. (2016, May 17). 60% of First Nation children on reserve live in poverty. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/institute-says-60-percent-fn-children-on-reserve-live-in-poverty-1.3585105

Government of Canada: Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program. (2015, May 27). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/first-nations-inuit-health/health-care-services/indian-residential-schools-health-supports/indian-residential-schools-resolution-health-support-program.html

Statistic Canada: Aboriginal Statistics at a Glance (2nd Edition). (2015, November 09). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-645-x/2015001/income-revenu-eng.htm

Truth and Reconciliation of Canada: Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future. (2015, June 23). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Honouring_the_Truth_Reconciling_for_the_Future_July_23_2015.pdf

United Nations: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2018, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

Further Reading:

-       One Year After Truth and Reconciliation Report: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-murray-sinclair-1.3611110

-       Reconciliation Report Card: http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/report-card-year-of-reconciliation-1.3955737

Interactive Activities:

Blanket Exercise: https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/

(experience and learn about the Aboriginal People and their relationship with the land as well as colonizers)

Personally, I have done the blanket exercise before and it was an enlightening, yet saddenning feeling when experiencing a similar experience to what Aboriginal People felt during periods of colonization and residential schools. (photo below)

(Blanket Exercise)

United Way Winnipeg's Living on the Edge Poverty Simulation:  https://unitedwaywinnipeg.ca/lote/

Also, I experience the Living on the Edge simulation and got my own profile at random. I got to be Cindy Chen for the hour as I struggled to make ends meet, while being the sole breadwinner in my large family. It was a stressful hour of my life experiencing what it would be like to be below the poverty line.

(Profile of my character)

United Way's Make the Month Challenge Online Poverty Simulation: http://makethemonth.ca/

(become a virtual character and make difficult life choices that impoverished people have to make on a daily basis with a limited income... can you survive the month?)

Part 2

1. How did the information presented in the talks above affect how you think about nature?

From the information presented in the videos, I learned about the great emphasis on the interconnectedness of all species and how the collapse of one species can have detrimental effects to the overall ecosystem. All species are equally important and play a critical role in their ecosystems. Humans are auditory and visual learners so we are often bias towards when in comes to deciding which species to conserve within an ecosystem. For instance, even though trees cannot be heard or move, they can communicate with each other. Humans have difficulty remembering trees are alive, so are often neglected, especially those that are deemed less physically appealing to the eye as mentioned Suzanne Simard's "How Trees Talk to Each Other" (Simard, 2016). This scenario also applies to Munir Virani's "Why I Love Vultures" talk because humans dislike vultures due to their depiction in media (Virani, 2012). We are misinformed about the roles of both trees and vultures because both are vital to the proper functioning of our ecosystems; trees provide us with oxygen to breath, while vultures help decompose dead carcasses that can spread harmful diseases.

Reference:
Simard, S. (2016, June). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other

Virani, M. (2012, May). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://www.ted.com/talks/munir_virani_why_i_love_vultures

(Forest overlooking river in Fisher River Cree Reserve in Manitoba)

2. What aspects of nature and biodiversity do you feel are most important to protect? How can you take action to protect this aspect?

All aspects of nature and biodiversity are equally important to protect because everything is interdependent on one another. The downfall of one species to prosper will reflect on another and spread quickly to other related species. Each species has a particular role to fulfil in their ecosystem and failure to do so will result in the demise of the entire ecosystem. In order to protect biodiversity of nature as one entity is to provide holistic approaches in conservation that involves people from all levels; ranging from governments to environmental agencies to the local communities that live in or near the ecosystem of interest. Governments can implement and enforce polices that deter exploitation of natural resources. Environmental agencies can research about the ecosystems and present their findings to the public to raise awareness of the topic of interest. Local communities can abide by the government's policies and learn from the agencies' data to ultimately make them a global citizen that is aware of the consequences of their actions.The collaboration of all three levels can help reach the goal of sustainable development and protection of biodiversity.

Part 3

1. Describe when and where you spent your time in nature?

Growing up in Winnipeg’s inner-city, almost everything was walking distance including schools, grocery stores, malls, etc. I move a more suburban area during junior high, so places were only accessible by cars since they are all so far away. On January 20^th, 2018, I took a mid-afternoon stroll with my mom to explore my neighbourhood located in the North-End of the city. Luckily, it was not the typical “Winterpeg” wind chill-ridden weather, but rather more bearable, mild conditions. To my surprise, I discovered that I live near three nature, park-like areas within walking distance from my home.

2. What did you experience in your time in nature? What did you see, hear, smell, feel? What effect did this time in nature have on you?

My mom and I spent over an hour just walking around our neighbourhood (then eventually reaching a Tim Hortons for a coffee break to then be trekking back home). On our adventure in our neighbourhood, we visited each park-like area surrounding our home. While sitting on the park benches, we did an activity that I quite enjoy and find amusing: people watch and observe how they interact with their environment. I heard several dogs and their owners walking around to enjoy the warmer winter temperatures. One of the highlighted observations of the nature walk with my mom was one older gentleman stopped to play Frisbee catching with his dog. Then later he taught his dog a new trick of playing dead when pretending being shot by his cellphone. My mom and I burst out in laughter and smiles because we thought it was so adorable and amazing how dogs can be conditioned (I never owned a pet so this was beyond a cool experience for me)! Hearing my mom’s laughter made me feel warm-hearted because I am constantly in school late due to labs or working. Spending quality mother-daughter bonding time made me feel happy and relaxed (from not having to focus on writing numerous lab reports).

Also, during our walk we took a short break to play in a field of fresh snow and jumped into high layers of snow. I enjoyed jumping into areas of the field where the fallen snow has not been trampled on by others before me. Listening to the loud crunchy sound when stepping into snow is such a satisfying, calming feeling (of course, when the weather is mild or when I'm not running late to my morning classes). We also had a mini photo shoot, while throwing snowing in the air. I had on thick mittens, but the snow seeped through them and I felt my hands getting a bit cold and wet. On our way home, two sports cars raced passed us and I could smell the gas emissions from its rear pipes. The scent triggered a memory about what I learned about climate change in school. Actually, the entire nature walk with my mom made me reflect on human’s carbon footprint and how our activities contribute to climate change. This Saturday stroll was made more pleasurable for my mother and I as well as the gentleman and dog because of the higher than average, warmer weather. This temporary warmer than average winter in Winnipeg may be enjoyable now, but I realized that human activity such as those sports cars that seemingly were racing for fun (deduced by the two young, male drivers honking at each other with their windows open) can lead to adverse effects on the environment in relation to climate change.

(Me jumping throwing snow up in the air in a random field in my neighbourhood)

Part 4

Human Environment Connections

1a. What promotes human connection to nature?

Humans prefer tangible concepts that can be grasped and become embedded in memories. Humans are able to connect to nature through several associations: reliance on natural resources, economic value of ecosystems, and nature-related leisure activities. We rely on a variety of natural resources that have a finite amount such as available land for agricultural uses and limited fresh water supplies accessible. When an ecosystem has monetary value attached to it, humans are more are aware of the effects of their actions and feel more motivated to help conserve ecosystems. In addition, when humans are physically surrounded by nature (ex. within forests or by lake) during certain activities such as hiking and photography, it deepens our connection to nature since we are able to absorb in nature's complex beauty. Also, films or documentaries about nature and scenic photos promotes human connection to nature since it functions as a reminder for humans to not only admire nature, but also be cautious of our behaviours that can ultimately harm the environment.

1b. What promotes disconnection from nature?

The lack of a relationship with nature is due to the increasing distractions such as technology. Technology such as cellphones or computers serve as a main purpose to build social connections, but weaken those connections to technology. Often times, people tend to stray away from nature and gravitate to remaining cooped indoors. Reason being that there is a rising fear of the dangers lingering outside such as bacterial sicknesses or physical injuries. There is a rising number of people that suffer from "nature deficit disorder", resulting in the alienation of humans from nature (Louv, 2006).

Reference: 

Louv, R. (2006).Last child in the woods. North Carolina, USA: Algonquin Books od Chapel Hill.

1c. Is there a danger to a growing disconnect from nature?

Yes, the growing disconnect from nature is dangerous because Earth has only a finite amount of resources available for human consumption. However, if humans are not aware of their environmental behaviour and exploit resources, there will be little resources left for future generations or even threaten supplies of the present. A disconnect to nature causes people to forget to protect and conserve our world's complex ecosystems. We do not want to repeat the "Tragedy of the Commons", which refers to the scenario when a shared resource is depleted due to everyone acting on their self-interest instead of considering the benefits of others or the conditions where the resource is found (ie. not conserving or protecting resource).

Reference:

Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons.Environment and Society,162(3859). doi:10.2307/j.ctt1ht4vw6.33

(Me exploring the Swiss Alps in Murren, Switzerland)

Worldviews

2. Where do your environment ethics lie? Anthropocentric, biocentric, or ecocentric?

My environmental ethics lean towards biocentric among the three choices. Biocentric focuses on the equal importance of all living organisms and their interactions with the environment. No organism has higher value than another because the collapse of one species can cause detrimental effects to other species and ecosystems (like domino-effect). 

(Lake Louise at Banff National Park)

Wild Spaces

3a. Can parks meet its dual mandate of access and protection?

Parks can reach both goals of accessibility to the public and protection of the area. Garnering attention from visitors strengthen a country's economy as well as promoting nature's awareness. The revenue generated from tourism can be allocated to research funding in order to enhance our understanding of certain ecosystems. In addition, areas can be registered to be protected from exploitation that can possibly damage its condition. Also, policies can be enforced that prohibit vandalism or limit the amount of visitor per time period in order to help maintain the state of the natural tourist attraction.

(UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ha Long Bay in Vietnam)

3b. How can this be achieved in Wapusk?

Wapusk National Park is a tourist attraction known for its diverse species populations ranging from polar bear to birds to lemmings (Parks Canada, 2018). Wapusk can attain both eco-tourism revenue and protection of its physical environment as well as the species inhabiting in it by using some of the tourism money to fund research about the species in the region in order to increase and secure species population. As a result, the increased biodiversity and species population will drive up tourism revenue and the cycle continues (ie. tourism revenue funds research and research brings up biodiversity and tourism). In addition, to not disrupt species behaviour due to high volume of tourists, policies can be implemented that limit the amount of tourists during certain times. Also, limiting tourists helps reduce any damage that possibly could be inflicted with their presence (ex. littering).

Reference: Wapusk National Park. (2017, June 29). Retrieved January 27, 2018, from http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/mb/wapusk/info