#ERRE #CdnPoli #PerformOnReform #Resistance150 #Canada150 a rebuttal from an Indigenous woman on settlers splitting hairs on Cdn democracy...

#ERRE #CdnPoli #PerformOnReform #Resistance150 #Canada150 a rebuttal from an Indigenous woman on settlers splitting hairs on Cdn democracy...

Take a long look at this list of people in the caption. How many Indigenous people do you see? That's my point. Canada is an imposed country with imposed democracy. The Indigenous people did not consent to this. They were imprisoned for not conforming under the many imposed laws that came with Canada. They aren't included in the concept of democratic reforms.

Many people are saying Justin Trudeau lied. Did he? If he wants a renewed relationship with Indigenous, implement UN Declaration of Rights of the Indigenous Peoples' (UNDRIP) and allow for more self governance the Indian Act does not allow, by not imposing yet another change that purposely excluded Indigenous, progress? Sadly, it is. Look at this well thought out research analysis.. http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/christophermajka/2017/02/electoral-reform-reversal-shows-justin-trudeau-takes-canadia <--- Do you see the Indigenous inclusion? I didn't either.

I do wish we could, as a country, work on democratic reform. I grew up in Alberta, hearing about Senate reform for as long as I can remember. Seeing Justin Trudeau, in third party status, do more for Senate reform by making the Liberal Senate independents, was more than Harper, who campaigned on it for 10 years, then was in office for 10 more. I've seen old footage of a young Justin Trudeau in University during the time Quebec wanted to vote to separate, passionately try to explain to the Francophone community, a united Canada is in everyone's best interest.

I didn't take the promise of electoral reform lightly. In fact, I had hope a new system with promises of change to Indigenous could be an amazing opportunity to strike down aspects of the Indian Act, knowing at no point would we open the constitution to make overhauling change to democracy or the Indian Act. I worked with the Liberals in Montreal talking about changing the democratic progress. I formed alliances with FairVote Canada. Here in Calgary, to all citizens with all party backgrounds, I submitted ideas, gave a presentation of Indigenous inclusion in Canada's democratic system with UNDRIP articles as points of reference.. Again, for all the settlers who talk a big talk about reconciliation with Indigenous, listening to my points here or there, their speeches on democratic reform and documents STILL do not reflect that at all with Indigenous inclusion in their lectures. Only one man locally advocated for Indigenous at Fairvote.. he had a heart attack. I tried to convert my presentation into a blog but it's not the same. http://redneckgirlthatcould.blogspot.ca/2016/06/electoral-reform-in-canada-forum-april.html

Of course this is all not including the new change we just witnessed in the US. While I don't want to complicate the issue of democratic reform, Indigenous peoples' at Standing Rock are on the wrong side of loaded barrels. I can't separate the fact the colonialism allows violence against Indigenous peoples' of Turtle Island. The colonial boundary separated many Indigenous Nations.. from settlers that ignore Indigenous Nation boundaries.

So as I watch today's day of action with Cdn's angry at the so-called broken promise after so much outreach, out reach I have never seen in my lifetime which I was grateful to be just a regular citizen to participate in, I wonder how they can talk about reconciliation without acknowledgement of the land they are on? I wonder how can they talk about broken promises when there was so much outreach? I wonder how they can talk about a strong democracy while the Indian Act is embedded in the constitution? Point blank, how many Indigenous speakers are at these marches, talking about Cdn democracy? While I was approached to speak, there were many expectations on my ability to be there. I was expected at last minute to travel downtown Calgary, to come to a crowd of people that have seen the information I have shared for years, literally. I wonder how they can talk about Canada without including Indigenous.. I don't think people understand how lucky Indigenous in Canada were to dodge this bullet of "democratic change" that would have just furthered Indigenous from the table by settlers, who have no idea the issues Indigenous face and yet would have claimed this a win for Canada. Before we have democratic change, we need settlers to educate themselves on the land they are on, the issues Indigenous face, UNDRIP, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action, RCAP, previous studies that all say the same thing, allow Indigenous self governance and see democratic reform as part of reconciliation with Indigenous with equality as a key principle. (That's the intent the Treaties were signed with.) Do the settlers that actually realize that by continuing to ignore Indigenous they are reinforcing the colonialism?