City reveals statement to recognize First Nations, but won’t read it much
By COLLIN GALLANT on February 24, 2021.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant City council will be asked next week to approve a local statement that recognizes First Nations, but doesn’t mention specific treaties and would only be used in certain circumstances. A final draft of a “Statement of Acknowledgement, Respect and Recognition” was presented to this week’s public services committee and could be approved at Monday’s council meeting. It would be read at events of “cultural significance” attended by city hall officials, but not as a matter of general protocol at meetings and press conferences as other governments have made standard. “When you put it everywhere, nobody sees it after a while,” said Coun. Julie Friesen, chair of the committee. “This isn’t just about a statement, but about demonstrating that in what we do.” On Monday, the committee was also presented with a list of events and city actions that relate to recommendations made by both the federal government and the United Nations regarding the Truth and Reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples. They include the city’s management of the Saamis Tepee site, the recent designation of Saratoga Park as an area of significance, and a number of events centring on inclusion. The suggested statement would read: “The City of Medicine Hat acknowledges that we live and work on treaty territory. The City pays respect to all Indigenous Peoples and honours their past, present and future. We recognize and respect their cultural heritages and relationship to the land.” It was developed by public members of council’s arts and heritage advisory board, after a review of other municipalities’ statements and discussions with the local Miywasin Friendship Centre and the local Métis community. Council directed staff to draft the statement last spring, at which time several councillors and Mayor Ted Clugston said they would prefer it be used as a sort of mission statement but not as standard precursor to city business. This week officials said the statement makes a sincere effort toward reconciliation and therefore should be used at appropriate events to make it more powerful. “It strikes the right balance,” said Brian Mastel, head of the public services division. Background information also states that mention of specific groups in the statement could be controversial and not promote inclusion. In terms of treaties, the corporate limits of Medicine Hat physically span the boundary of Treaties 4 and 7, which deal with Cree, Sioux, Saulteaux and Ojibwa peoples in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. The area was both a meeting space and disputed territory for numerous groups in both Canada and the United States during the era before European settlement. As well, the Métis populations are well noted in a “Historical Context paper” commissioned by the city in 2013, from which background information for the current statement was taken. Specific treaties were noted during provincial government announcements when the New Democrats were in power before 2018, and by the federal government today, though the province no longer observes the practice. 18-17
