A NEW AGE IS AT HAND
First Nations and Métis communities across B.C. and Canada are celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day today with unprecedented optimism, as a new wave of leaders comes to the fore. Above, a child joins dancers during an event in the city.
Melanie Mark is not by nature a patient person, but justice is seldom a speedy process.
As the MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and minister of advanced education, she represents the interests of her constituents and all British Columbians. But her Nisga’a and Gitxsan heritage fuel her passion.
Mark has fought for every inch of progress in her life, after a harrowing childhood ravaged by her parents’ problems with alcohol and drugs and a string of sexual assaults that were never prosecuted.
“I have a huge amount of reach within my role and I take every opportunity that I can to shine a light on the possibility to lift people up,” she said. “I want change and in all the jobs that I have done in my life I’ve led with passion, but being an MLA I know I’m where I need to be.”
Today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, First Nations and Metis communities across B.C. and Canada will celebrate with unprecedented optimism.
Mark is part of a new wave of leaders — including Sen. Yvonne Boyer and federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould — working at the highest levels, not just in Indigenous circles, but in Canada’s broader political arena.
The acceptance and support they have received is nothing short of a revelation.
“When I was elected in 2016, the words of encouragement were sent my way from people who thought they would never in their lifetime see an Indigenous woman serve in cabinet, saying how beautiful it was to see the drum being brought into the legislature, the house of the people,” said Mark. “It’s the longhouse of British Columbia.”
Cheam Chief Ernie Crey — a veteran of five decades in politics and government — quietly celebrated when Mark was appointed to cabinet.
“I’ll tell you, 50 years ago we didn’t imagine such a thing,” he said. “We have had pioneers, senators even, but they were very much the exception.”
Crey believes a new age is at hand in which Indigenous people are not permanently marginalized or painted in opposition to the interests of their fellow Canadians.
“It represents a significant change in our society that an Indigenous person can run for office and enjoy broad support in the community,” he said.
Former Musqueam councillor Wade Grant plans to test his luck in the Vancouver council elections this fall if he can secure a nomination from the Non-Partisan Association party. His family has a legacy of political leadership in the Indigenous community and the federal government going back generations.
“My dad has served for over 30 years and I want to follow his footsteps,” said Grant, who also acted as an adviser to former premier Christy Clark. “I know that my father and grandfather could have hardly imagined that I would be able to seek a council seat.”
Marks was elated by the recent renaming of two public plazas in the city of Vancouver with local Indigenous-language names.
On Monday, the plaza at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre was named šxw ƛ ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn, meaning a place one is invited to celebrate. The plaza on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery is šxw ƛ ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square, meaning a place for ceremonies. (Because it uses sounds not found in the English language, the City of Vancouver — instead of providing a phonetic pronunciation — has produced videos found on YouTube so that you can hear people say the names.) And last week, the University of British Columbia opened the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre to house archival photos, maps and personal accounts of survivors collected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“I know there is a real sense of pride in the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations when their ancestors are honoured as they were at UBC and in the city of Vancouver,” said Mark.
WHERE TO CELEBRATE
Vancouver’s celebration gets underway at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre (1607 East Hastings St.) with a pancake breakfast and friendship walk culminating at Trout Lake in John Hendry Park. Performances begin at 12:15 p.m. and run through the afternoon.
Surrey’s National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration and Wellness event, today from 3 to 8 p.m., combines performance, cultural sharing and food at Holland Park, presented by the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo First Nations, Nova Metis Heritage Association and Metis Nation B.C. A welcoming ceremony at 4 p.m. is followed by a free community barbecue.
Running today until Saturday, the Victoria Indigenous Cultural Festival is a three-day celebration hosted by the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. This free event — on the grounds of the Royal B.C. Museum — includes music and dance, an artisans market, totem pole tours, drum-making and traditional ceremonies.