RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - UNDERSTANDING RECONCILIATION
PAGE 49
BC HOUSING BOARD
4.3.3.1 Defining Reconciliation Board members generally agreed that reconciliation is a process of learning and improving one’s understanding of Indigenous peoples and history, and that this involves acknowledging the discrimination and past harms committed by the Canadian government and mainstream society against Indigenous peoples. We also heard that reconciliation is about addressing the inequalities that have resulted from this history. One member suggested that there is still a lack of understanding amongst many non-Indigenous Canadians about Canada’s colonial history and that BC Housing should provide more education to its staff and Board members on topics such as the residential school system. They shared that having a workshop might be beneficial in deepening their understandings:
Why This Is Important TRC’s Calls to Action require that corporate businesses and organizations like BC Housing educate their management and staff on Indigenous history, including rights and title, Indigenous law, Crown relations with Indigenous peoples, human rights, and anti-racism (TRC). Although BC Housing currently offers staff the opportunity to take the Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples course, it is optional. It is also the only course that BC Housing offers, despite other options being available to supplement it (see Appendix B). Reconciliation is an ongoing process of learning and requires that staff and Board stay up to date and continue to learn. Many Ministries in the province have made Cultural Safety Training mandatory. BC Housing should follow suit.
“I think having some kind of workshop or having someone come in and share their story could be really beneficial to providing a deeper layer of understanding to the Board members so we can do this work right. We need to understand, connect, and feel what this is really about—not just thinking cognitively. – BC Housing Board Member Moreover, the Board also suggested that reconciliation is about building and repairing relationships with Indigenous peoples and that
relationships should be built on the principles of mutual trust and respect. While Board members recognized that reconciliation requires ongoing communication, collaboration, and partnerships, none of them provided any tangible examples that would demonstrate what
Why This Is Important Reconciliation without action is meaningless. It is important that BC Housing consider ways to translate theory into action by identifying concrete ways to apply principles from documents such as UNDRIP and TRC’s Calls to Action, and best practices in decolonization.
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online