Today on Listen Up – Shaking up the status quo on Canada’s Aboriginal Predicament..
We’re here in beautiful British Columbia today to listen to Canada’s Aboriginal people.
They
make up nearly 4 percent of our population. But their demographic leads
the country in every social ill we face. Today we’ll show you those
realities, and explore ideas for a future of healing. Our story will
take us across relationships aboriginal people have with Canada. We’ll
listen for a spiritual view from a Christian church with a regretted
past.
Calvin Helin is an aboriginal lawyer and a best selling author. He runs
a coaching program for aboriginal youth at risk in Vancouver’s
downtown eastside in BC. His book Dances with Dependency says
Indian Affairs bureaucracy is eroding self responsibility of his
people. He argues the $16 billion a year in government payments are
making the massive social ills of his people worse instead of better.
British Columbia was one the first governments to give an apology
to Aboriginal people. Graham Bruce was Labour Minister at the time the
apology was offered. Since voted out of political office, Graham has
turned his energies to his aboriginal neighbours. He lives along the
beautiful Cowachin River and knows the tribes here and attends church
with them. Graham uses his former political skills to lobby for new
economic futures for his Cowachin neighbours.
SPECIAL FEATURES
To watch the full interview with Mary Fontaine and Brander McDonald 346extra1
To watch the full interview with Graham Bruce 346extra2
I appreciate the education I get when a story sends me out to listen to
Aboriginal people – that opportunity has taken me all across Canada and
I’ve seen the worst places Aboriginal people live and the best – and in
a setting where we have tea under the stars in N. Labrador – it’s
easier to understand why aboriginal people are demanding huge claims to
land, treaties, and payments – its because they never were a conquered
people- they shared, they negotiated, and the people of Canada
responded with an organized disrespect. Broken treaties, abusive
residential schools, 19 billion dollars a year of tax money is spent on
those realities. We all agree it’s not working.
Here’s why I find a Christian world-view helps me want to look for solutions
First
– because nations are very important to God - Christ said he shed his
blood for the healing of the nations and since we’re here to do
Christ’s work – healing nations is part of our concern
Second –
reconciliation – its fundamental to who God is and goodness knows we
have a lot of reconciling to do – nations within a nation.
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On April 30, 2005 Lorna was privileged to receive an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries from Canada's largest Christian university, Trinity Western University. Lorna was recognized for the witness and leadership that Listen Up TV has provided in public messaging: "a leader in the voice of evangelical life in Canada."
