In a time of fiscal restraint, why is it that inclusion and reconciliation are so easily dropped? Is it because it costs, and the inclusion of minorities is not worth the money?

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke after the recent United Nations meetings, and it was a speech for the history books, one of the best that Canada has done in decades. Measured, strong, clear, and a depth that is needed in a time when confusion seeds through social media. One could hear a bit of Bob Rae in the words that Carney spoke, the clarity and the values.  

The prime minister staked the territory that Canada will occupy in the world: standing up for human rights as a fundamental value that we will live, not simply speak of them without action.  

Okay, then, let’s do human rights and inclusion here at home. Put reconciliation and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) back on the front burner, prove that Canada has its credibility built internally. That’s how credibility is built: first we do it with those around us. It’s quite difficult to take a public and international stand against genocide when one hasn’t cleaned up the mess of one’s own backyard. That’s what reconciliation is, cleaning up after the mess of the past. This is the required work of credibility for Canada. There are no shortcuts, but there are all sorts of possibilities for delays and that will risk this country’s credibility. And, pointedly, delay risks Indigenous well-being. After we’ve made a bit more progress, we might just have some lessons learned about reconciling that could have currency on the international stage. But we’re not there yet. 

When folks south of the border are retreating dramatically on the value of inclusion and diversity, then we had better live it loud here. Silence and leaning away is not an option for leaders. Leadership schools and advanced courses all share the concept of bringing in diverse perspectives to strengthen the decision-making of a company, it’s not too much of a stretch here to note the fact that diversity of people makes better decisions. This is not the time to shy away from the inclusion of racialized folks or Indigenous neighbours; this is the time leaders are tested to walk the talk.  The truth is that the work we put to the value of human rights includes actions on the DEI front as well as for reconciliation. And here’s the kicker: reconciliation and diversity are not policies, they are values. 

Values are not something that drop off the strategic list when times get tough. Values are the bedrock of the way we choose to be in the world, how we choose to be with each other in this country we call Canada. 

This is a call to action for leaders in every sector—including government—to take the time to learn more about history as that is the incentive to do reconciliation. When the prime minister stands on the world stage and declares that Canada is about values, so do we all. 

When reconciliation is a value as well as a necessity in order to uphold Canada’s place in the world, then it does not get bumped off the priority list in budgetary discussions. It retains its place, just as Indigenous Peoples retain their position as key partners in this country we call Canada. 

To put it plainly: Indigenous Peoples and English and French, we are Team Canada. On the ice and off, we are a team. When we play defence, we protect each other. When we play offence, it is for all of us, and all of our children. 

Rose LeMay is Tlingit from the West Coast and the CEO of the Indigenous Reconciliation Group. She writes twice a month about Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation. In Tlingit worldview, the stories are the knowledge system, sometimes told through myth and sometimes contradicting the myths told by others. But always with at least some truth.

The Hill Times  

 

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