CASW Statement in Advance of National Indigenous Peoples Day:
Time to Celebrate, Time to Act
June 20, 2022 – Tomorrow, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) will mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, an important time to celebrate the diverse histories, achievements, and cultures of Indigenous people across the land now known to many as Canada. June 21 is also a day to reflect on how much remains to be done on the journey of reconciliation.
“This day is indeed a celebration – of Indigenous peoples’ rich, distinct cultures and contributions – but, for many, it is also a day of anger and sadness in reflecting on how Canada continues to harm and fail Indigenous people and communities,” said CASW President, Joan Davis-Whelan. “And for a predominantly white, settler organization such as ours, it is also a time to reflect on our Association’s and our profession’s unique history and current location – and re-affirm our continued commitment to reconciliation.”
Since last year, there has been some cause for cautious optimism, including the passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and an historic agreement in principle regarding harms to First Nations children, families, and communities which will provide $20 billion in compensation to victims and survivors, as well as a further $20 billion for long term reforms to First Nations child welfare services.
But other critical pieces – such as the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ (MMIWG) Inquiry’s Calls for Justice are overwhelmingly mired in inaction and silence.
“It has now been a year since the federal government released their National Action Plan to address violence against Indigenous women and girls, which was supposed to provide a pathway for measurable, tangible action to end this ongoing genocide and violence and implement the Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice,” said Davis-Whelan. “But yet, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) Canada’s MMIWG2S National Action Plan: Annual Scorecard released last week, little action has been taken overall.”
CASW echoes NWAC’s call for the government to act now to save lives. For its own part, CASW calls for the immediate implementation of the TRC’s Calls to Action and the MMIWG Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, and continues to work on the pathway established in its Statement of Apology and Commitment to Reconciliation, including its ongoing review of the national Code of Ethics and an internal operational review, both of which are intended to continue the work of decolonizing the profession and the Association.
“There is no excuse for inaction and silence,” concluded Davis-Whelan. “The federal government has its work cut out, and a clear path laid. Let this National Indigenous Peoples Day be both a celebration and a catalyst for swift action.”
To help find a National Indigenous Peoples Day event near you, the Government of Canada has developed this interactive map.
APTN is hosting special programming for the day: find out more here.
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For more information:
Fred Phelps, MSW, RSW, CAE
CASW Executive Director
fred.phelps@casw-acts.ca
The Canadian Association of Social Workers is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin people; land now known to many as Ottawa.