Truth and Reconciliation

With gratitude and humility, I acknowledge that I live, work, play and learn on the ancestral lands and waters of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, the Songhees and Xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt) Nations.

Nature was calling today so I went to sit with the Earth. Beside the ocean, I felt an intense & profound duality of this place.

In front of me: the most beautiful ocean, sparkling in the sun. Yet, inside me: grief, horror and rage for the more than 150,000 Indigenous children who experienced residential schools, and for those who never returned home…

From 1828 to 1996, generations of children were separated from their families, languages, cultures and identities. At 13, the last residential school in Saskatchewan closed. Which means this history is not ancient. It is within most of our living memory.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action more than a decade ago. Only 15 have been completed. And yet, Indigenous peoples continue to lead, advocate, protect their lands, languages, cultures and communities with extraordinary strength and resilience. We must listen to that leadership. We must honour that resilience with action.

Today I hold the children in my heart. The children who endured unimaginable pain while trying to remember who they were within a system designed to erase them.

May we honour the survivors.May we remember those who never came home.May the languages, stories, songs and cultures that colonialism tried to silence continue to rise and flourish.

And may we have the courage to listen, learn, remember and walk differently.

Reconciliation is not a single day, it is an ongoing responsibility. And with that responsibility, accountability must be prioritized to restore trust, repair harm, and create meaningful change. Canada, we can do better. We must do better.

Art Info:

Inspired by nature, animals and the people in her life, self-taught Metis-Cree artist Karen Erickson from Prince George, BC, paints stories through her stunning art. Karen created 'Every Child Matters' out of reverence to those grieving from the recent traumatic events at former Residential Schools across Canada.