Episode 12: Part 1: TRC Seems to be TBD

Content/trigger warning: residential schools, genocide, abuse

Over the last month, several discoveries of unmarked gravesites on the grounds of former residential schools have been made.  Thousands of Indigenous children (and counting) are being found 25 years after the final closure of the last residential school in 1996, confirming what Indigenous people and activists have been saying for many years.  These "schools" were institutions of torture, abuse and the systemic attempted genocide of an entire people.  The intergenerational traumas of many First Nations people are a direct result of these horrid places, and this confirmation of the evil that took place there has caused a fervent national conversation to finally begin.  Those who would otherwise turn a blind eye to the atrocities our nation committed in the name of religion and power can no longer deny this happened (though many are still trying to).  

Perhaps the most important piece of this though, is that colonization and the attempts of residential schools are still occurring NOW.  Indigenous people are disproportionately represented throughout the Canadian criminal justice system and foster care, many First Nations don't have access to clean water, and the list, sadly, goes on and on.  Alicia Montague comes from a family of mixed heritage, both Inuit and Métis, as well as white.  Growing up in Labrador, she faced difficulties navigating rural life as an Indigenous queer person, and eventually became disconnected from the culture her older family members had shared with her.  In this episode, she talks with Caitlin about the realities of her past, and how the news of the residential school findings affected her.  

This was a long, honest conversation, and be warned - it's a difficult listen at times throughout.  Alicia's story is one of many, and these stories need to be told and heeded, so the future can be met with understanding.  The attempted genocide of the caretakers of this land should have never happened, but not talking about it won't make it go away.

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