Decolonizing the Union
In May 2019, the sun shone over the Vancouver Convention Centre on the unceded lands and waters of xwməkwəýəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səĺilẃəta (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Inside a hotel ballroom, BCNU’s Convention 2019 delegates proposed a much-needed resolution to redress the dark history of anti-indigenous racism and colonialism in Canada.
Indigenous Leadership Circle (ILC) members brought forward Resolution 2 – Truth and Reconciliation, calling for BCNU to establish a committee that would collaborate with the ILC to implement the 94 Calls to Action laid out in the Final Report of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The 94 Calls to Action lay out a blueprint for dismantling systemic, Indigenous-specific racism and addressing the effects of settler colonialism in Canada. According to Indigenous Watchdog, an organization that monitors progress on the 94 Calls to Action, only 14 of the 94 calls have been completed as of Oct. 2024.
Resolution 2 passed with robust support from the membership, creating the framework for BCNU’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee (BCNU T&R).
“By late 2022, we realized that BCNU will never be done working through these Calls to Action,” says Candi DeSousa, ILC council liaison and regional council member for Okanagan Similkameen.
DeSousa is a proud Indigenous woman from the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the city of Prince George. Recognizing the enormity of the challenge ahead, they successfully advocated with council to make the BCNU T&R a permanent committee.
The BCNU T&R includes DeSousa, two ILC members, Chelsey Cardinal and Christopher (Topher) Hansen, and a BCNU provincial executive representative, currently union president Adriane Gear.
“I am honoured to have a role in advancing Truth and Reconciliation at BCNU,” says President Adriane Gear. “Together, we can make reconciliation central to all the union’s work.”
Putting Truth and Reconciliation into Action
Through 2024, BCNU T&R has worked on several initiatives to advance Truth and Reconciliation within the union.
On Sept. 23, the union hosted an evening program for members at BCNU’s head office honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. At the event, members engaged in interactive conversations about their personal commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
Participants learned how the principles of Truth and Reconciliation have been written into the language of the current NBA Provincial Collective Agreement. Since 2023, the contract has had language in Article 2 acknowledging “the pervasive and ongoing harms of colonialism faced by Indigenous peoples” and committing “to confronting and healing systemic racism in our provision of health-care services and recogniz[ing] the importance of learning from Indigenous peoples and communities in developing a culturally safe and welcoming health care system for all.”
During the Sept. 23 event, Elders June Shackley and Dr. Roberta Price led a special ceremony marking the installation of a memorial stone honouring the victims of Canada's residential schools in an outdoor garden at the union’s Burnaby office.
Participants heard about the craftsmanship of the memorial stone and the significance of the artwork it depicts. Created by Red River Metis artist Warren Lowe, the stone is a moving remembrance of the many children who never returned home from residential schools. It is made from sculpted and polished black Tuscan basalt and carries an image commissioned from another Metis artist, Earl McKay. It is a stirring depiction of a child lost, the tears of loved ones, sage and sweetgrass, and the moon, representing a new day.
“This stone allows for deep healing and awareness, to remind us of all of the work that has been done and still needs to be done around righting the historical wrongs against Indigenous peoples,” says Lowe. “It signals that we can all be part of the healing - or the reason that the healing doesn’t happen.”
“You must physically, mentally, and emotionally engage in the act of reconciliation.”
- ILC council liaison Candi DeSousa
This year, the BCNU T&R has also worked to establish a protocol enabling members to smudge at the union office. Smudging is a spiritual tradition practiced in many Indigenous communities across Canada involving burning medicinal or sacred plants.
According to DeSousa, having the ability to smudge at the BCNU office is a significant step towards integrating Indigenous practice into the union.
“Smudging is part of how we open ourselves to our committee work,” says DeSousa. “When we smudge, we ask for guidance, and it’s very grounding.”
The BCNU T&R committee anticipates that the smudging protocol will be fully implemented before the end of 2024.
The committee has also drafted protocol for respectfully and appropriately engaging with Indigenous Elders. Event organizers regularly seek Indigenous Elders to help build cultural safety, provide a traditional greeting, and share Indigenous traditions and knowledge with participants at BCNU events.
While having Indigenous Elders at events is an important step towards building respectful relationships and enacting Truth and Reconciliation, each Indigenous nation has its own protocol and preferences for engaging with Elders. This protocol is more than just manners - it is an acknowledgement of Indigenous sovereignty and a way of showing respect for the deeply held cultural and ethical values central to Indigenous cultures.
“If you’d like an Elder to attend a BCNU event, you may not know how to reach out and engage them,” explains DeSousa. “That’s what we are addressing – everything from greeting Elders, to sharing lunch.” The protocol also includes providing honorariums and accommodation for Indigenous Elders at events, along with communication and etiquette, to ensure that the union shows proper respect.
Looking ahead
The BCNU T&R plans to increase educational opportunities for the union’s provincial and regional leadership in the new year on applying the Truth and Reconciliation language from the NBA contract.
While Article 2 refers specifically to Truth and Reconciliation, the language was crafted to flow through the entire agreement. “For example, if you’re pursuing a grievance around respectful workplace issues, you must consider Truth and Reconciliation concepts,” says DeSousa. “Learning and education will help to solidify the intention of the language. We need to teach our stewards, labour relations staff, and members that the language applies throughout the agreement.”
Beyond the collective agreement, the BCNU T&R committee want members to think about how they can apply the principles of Truth and Reconciliation in their lives and at their workplaces. For DeSousa, the work of Truth and Reconciliation requires all BCNU members to take part in dismantling anti-Indigenous racism and decolonizing their own union.
“If it’s truly meaningful for you, you can’t just sit back after reading or taking courses about Truth and Reconciliation. You must engage in constructive action. You must physically, mentally, and emotionally engage in the act of reconciliation,” says DeSousa. “For example, there are marches on different days of the year, and there’s lots of outreach we can focus on, individually or organizationally, to engage people. The more you engage, the more you learn.”
UPDATE (Winter 2024)