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Why we aren't celebrating Canada Day - A Note from Your Publisher

By Carmen Kaethler, Macaroni Kid Winnipeg June 30, 2021

EVERY CHILD MATTERS


Tomorrow is July 1st when we celebrate as a nation "Canada Day" and you may have heard  the calls to 'cancel Canada Day' in your social media feeds, the news and from friends in solidarity to acknowledge and honour the lives of the children lives that were lost at residential schools. News releases have been coming out weekly this month with findings of graves at former residential schools across Canada, this is not one isolated incident.

While I love the country I live in and appreciate the freedoms and opportunities awarded to my loved ones and my self, I acknowledge the privilege's my birth has given me and believe we all have a responsibility to stand up with the indigenous communities across Canada that have been telling us for generations that this had happened. We have chosen silence in the past. Denial that it was ever as terrible as the truth that is coming out is showing us.

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr.


So instead of wearing RED & WHITE on July 1st we will be wearing Orange.


What can else can we do? One of the most important things we must do as parents are to educate ourselves and our children of the inequities and injustices that have happened in Canadian history and continue to happen now so that we may start the conversation with our children, and keep the conversation going. 


Learn more with the University of Alberta's Indigenous Canada 12-week online course - You can take the course for free by choosing the audit option.


Additional resources can be found at:


Below you will find a small list of resources to help you get started. 


Donate

If you would donate, please make sure to do your research. Some companies sell orange shirts for Orange Shirt Day for profit, and funds do not go back to the organizations in need. 


Movies, Documentaries and Series

Listen to back episodes of CBC Radio's Unreserved with Falen Johnson (Unreserved is the radio space for Indigenous community, culture, and conversation. Host Falen Johnson takes you straight into Indigenous Canada, from Halifax to Haida Gwaii, from Shamattawa to Ottawa, introducing listeners to the storytellers, culture makers and community shakers from across the country.)  

Head over to CBC Gem (CBC's free streaming service) where they did a round-up back in June for National Indigenous History month of movies, documentaries and series highlighting the history, heritage and diversity of Indigenous people in Canada. Movies like Rhymes for Young Ghouls are very impactful (BUT not appropriate for young viewers! check the rating before sitting down with your kids).


Looking for some suggestions on books to read with your children? Check out our article from last September: What exactly IS Orange Shirt Day? which includes a list of stories you can find at the Winnipeg Library. Many of them have animated versions on Youtube that you can watch with your children as well.


If you would like to share your ideas or suggestions with me on how Macaroni Kid Winnipeg could do more or just ideas in general I encourage you to email me at carmenk@macaronikid.com


Your Publisher,

Carmen Kaethler, Macaroni Kid Winnipeg