The party atmosphere around this weekend’s Canada Day celebration seems to me to be somewhat dampened, and not just by the endless rain we have been receiving of late. We certainly have much to celebrate and I can think of no country I would rather live in than Canada. It is a place where not only is everyone able to speak their native language, practice their religion, or express their sexuality, but they are encouraged to do so. In short it is a place where each one of us is encouraged to be who we are. After all, who am I apart from one who is constituted of my own history and culture. But take that history and culture away, and I am no one.
As we celebrate 150+ years together, let us remember that there were a people here long before us, a people whom we let down and a culture that remains largely broken. And so, it is our responsibility to make things right and to allow room for God’s grace to make our indigenous brothers and sisters whole again. For until they are made whole, none of us can be whole, and our nation as great as we want it to be, will remain broken.
