Will Reconciliation Survive the Trade War?

There’s been a surge of Canadian nationalism over the last month, and understandably so. I’ve been feeling it too, I think it’d be hard not to. You really couldn’t grow a better villain in a lab than Donald Trump to actually rally Canadians in this way.

And with that has come a good amount of talk of both Canadian history and the need for modern-day nation-building. That’s a good impulse.

This is not the first time that the United States has presented itself as an existential threat to our country and there’s so much we can learn from the past.

And I don’t think anyone would argue against the need for more infrastructure, for us to build a more resilient economy that can withstand the trade war that we’re now in the middle of.

But there’s a funny thing that seems to happens whenever Canadian nationalism surges. Indigenous people get left behind.

Ten years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by the honourable Murray Sinclair, released its findings. And that reckoning helped usher in a real shift in the attitudes of many Canadians towards Indigenous peoples and their rights.

But things appear to be changing.

Companies that just a year ago were eager to tell anyone about their commitment to reconciliation are quietly shutting down anti-discrimination programs. Governments across the country are promising to fast-track resource projects, heavily implying that they won’t let pesky things like Indigenous land rights get in the way.

And it’s First Nations that will be impacted the most by conflict between the US and Canada. The Jay Treaty, which was signed in 1794, gives First Nations the right to live and work on both sides of the border, without visas.

And so those are some of the many reasons why I wanted to talk to Niigaan Sinclair. Niigaan is, amongst many other things, the city columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press, and in my opinion one of the best in the country. He’s also the author of Winipek: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre, which makes the case that many of the solutions to violence and injustice against Indigenous peoples can be found in Winnipeg.

Our conversation covers a lot of ground. From the ongoing trade war, to the death of DEI and Canadian’s changing relationship with reconciliation to the rise of Wab Kinew. You’re not going to want to miss it.

Featured in this episode: Niigaan Sinclair (Winnipeg Free Press)

To learn more

Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre by Niigaan Sinclair

“History shows trade war would hurt Indigenous people the most” by Niigaan Sinclair in The Winnipeg Free Press

“Native Americans under threat in Trump’s U.S.” Niigaan Sinclair in The Winnipeg Free Press

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Music: I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque