July
2, 2015
Baha’is
of Canada Honour the Work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Toronto, Ontario, 2
July 2015
(CBNS) — The National Spiritual Assembly, the Baha’i Community of
Canada’s national governing council, hosted a special dinner, film and
talking circle to honour the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, on Thursday 28 May just prior to the Closing Events of the
Commission which took place in Ottawa, May 31 to June 3.
“We are here to honour the work of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission which is seeking justice on behalf of all of us,” said
Deloria Bighorn, Chair of the National Assembly and MC of the evening’s
program. “Seeking justice and truth for a residential school survivor
is also seeking justice and truth for all our children and
grandchildren.”
“Unity among the Aboriginal peoples, unity with the rest of Canadian
society and unity with all the peoples of the world is vital if justice
and social well-being are to be assured.”
With that in mind, and recognizing that “when those heinous crimes were
committed by those involved in the residential school process, all
Canadians were damaged”, Ms. Bighorn welcomed more than a dozen
residential school survivors and one of the three national
Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Ms. Marie
Wilson, along with many others, including several guests from
Aboriginal organizations, and members of the Baha’i community.
The dinner was hosted in the beautiful Wabano Aboriginal Health Centre
on Montreal Street in Ottawa, and was attended by three members of the
Baha’i National Spiritual Assembly, including Ms. Karen McKye, of
Toronto and Ms. Bighorn, from Vancouver Island. The evening began with
a drum ceremony by a residential school survivor and member of the
Baha’i community, Ms. Victoria Boucher, along with a Baha’i prayer said
by Ms. Louise Profeit-Leblanc, of the Nach N’yak Dun First Nation of
the Tutchone Nations, and former member of the Baha’i National Assembly.
Following a dinner prepared by the Wabano Centre’s staff, a film
produced especially for the evening’s presentation, “The Path Home –
Reflections on Truth and Reconcilation”, was premiered. Introduced by
the producers, Jordan Bighorn and Esther Maloney, the film presented
reflections of several who had suffered in their childhood from the
tragic results of the residential school program, along with
reflections from some of their children and grandchildren, today active
in Baha’i youth programs. The film “The Path Home – Reflections on
Truth and Reconciliation” can be downloaded here.
One of the special guests was Allison Healy, of the Blackfoot First
Nation and member of the Baha’i Regional Council of Alberta. Ms. Healy
was one of those featured in the film. In her live comments, she spoke
movingly of the importance of spirituality and prayer in the process of
healing and reconciliation.
In September 2013, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of
Canada made a formal submission to the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission at the national event held in Vancouver and held a public
panel on the work of the Commission. See http://www.bahainews.ca/en/node/865.
and http://www.bahainews.ca/en/node/863.
The Submission itself is available here.
With the encouragement of the National Assembly, Canadian Baha’is
attended Commission hearings and other events at the three national
events in Winnipeg, June 2010, Halifax October 2011, and Montreal,
April 2013, and at regional events in Victoria in April 2012 and
Toronto, May 2012. More sizeable numbers of Baha’is volunteered and
participated in the three other, large national events of the
Commission in Saskatoon, June 2012, Vancouver, September 2013, and
Edmonton, March 2014. The closing events in Ottawa offered more
opportunities for participation, including the Walk for Reconciliation
held on May 31st where thousands of Canadians walked in an effort to
transform the relationship between Aboriginal Peoples and other
Canadians.
The film can be viewed here.
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