Transcript
Transcript: Parks Canada's Metis Reconciliation Projects: Sharing the Metis Story
The mission of the Métis Reconciliation Projects is to provide opportunities for Métis to connect to lands that they've traditionally used for Métis to connect with their culture, Métis to connect with Canadians, and for the Métis to connect with Parks Canada.
The scope of the initiative has been to accomplish a variety of things; some very practical projects like learning to build the traditional York boats; and in particular, some very important work that allows the Métis to contribute to the management of a park that represents an area that they have a history in.
We're changing the way we think about preserving and protecting. We just think about these things differently than we did say fifty or seventy years ago.
In 1974 when I first started doing this work we were telling history from a white male European perspective. And now we're telling a lot more stories from different perspectives.
We don't have a particularly proud history in terms of how parks were established early on. We removed people from their traditional lands and in doing so, many of those stories and voices were then absent in how the parks were managed.
It's a difficult job they have because when they interpret history and you're a federal government agency you have to do it in a way that offends the least amount of people. To juggle all those different points of views together in a way that's respectful and inclusive is not an easy job and I think they've done a very good job and they've listened to the partners when we've had objections to how Métis history is portrayed.
It's important for Parks Canada to engage with the Métis on these different projects across the system because we're telling a story so if we're telling one side of the story, we're not doing it justice.
Collaboration between Parks Canada and the Métis is essential because otherwise they would be talking about us instead of working with us.
To work with the Métis Nation, to work with elders from many communities, it's just a wonderful way to bring a better look to the tapestry of today.
You have to sit back and you have to listen and truly listen. Not sort of listening with an answer half formed in the back of your mind. You really have to sit and listen and learn from them and I think that is so incredibly key to a successful collaboration.
I had a Métis elder during one of my consultation sessions and she just commented to me, this is a good thing that Parks Canada is doing, these oral interviews with the Métis people. We want to not only tell our story, but say it in our own words so that authentic voice is heard. And you know for me that was a turning point. I thought, this really does mean a lot to the Métis community.
We really have improved the engagement of aboriginal people in bringing their voices back to the forefront. This is a lot of what these projects are helping to do.
This is part of, really a larger process that Parks Canada, that all heritage organizations need to be involved in is establishing connections with communities and earning their trust.
The project has a start and finish, but the relationship has no start and finish. We've embarked on a relationship with Métis people and it has led us to understand how important it is to nurture and maintain these relationships so that the Métis story, the Métis voice can continue to be heard.
The biggest lesson is that people want to be involved. That they have a lot of great ideas, are proud of what we're commemorating and protecting here. They actively want to be engaged in telling their stories to the rest of Canada and the world.
I think it's vital that the Métis voice be celebrated in Canada through Parks Canada because unlike other Canadians who have a heritage and a homeland elsewhere in the world, Métis history and culture is here. It's rooted here, it was formed here and so if it isn't maintained and nurtured it'll be lost.
I think the key measure of whether these projects have had a desired outcome is whether they continue on into the future, where the relationship continues, the story continues to be told, it gets told by the Métis themselves and Canadians really understand the evolving history of the Métis and how they've contributed to developing Canada.
At the end of the day, we're fellow travellers. And we're all working towards a common goal of preserving, of protecting this, this knowledge, these stories and sharing them with as many people as we possibly can.
I believe we've done some really great work. I believe there's a lot more work that could be done, but I think it's a wonderful start.
I'm absolutely proud of these projects. I think we're really advancing the opportunity for Canadians to really understand their country.
