Many good questions were asked during the All-Candidates Forum. Due to time constraints not all were able to be addressed. Candidates were provided a list of all the questions posed, answered or not. I will do my best to answer as many of these questions as possible.

One question asked during the forum deserves more time, energy, and thought from every single one of the candidates running for office. Truth and Reconciliation is deserving of real thought, concrete action, and a great deal more energy than has been afforded to it so far.

Have you read the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions 94 calls to Action? If yes, how do you think Morden can work towards implementing these actions?

I have read the 94 calls to action. It was disappointing to me how few of the candidates had read these recommendations. It saddened me to realize that some did not even seem to be aware of them. We need to recognize hardships of all marginalized peoples in our community.¹

Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity to to recognize and address the sins of the past. Every single candidate at the forum has benefitted from the painful history of our First Nations and Indigenous communities. As a result, we must act on the 94 calls to action. We need to push all levels of government to do their part to start the healing process.

Calls to Action

At the very least, we all should read the 94 Calls to Action.

Many of the calls to action are under Federal, or Provincial/Territorial jurisdiction; but understanding the need for all of these to be fully acted on is essential for city councillors to begin the process of reconciliation and acting in ways which support the spirit and intention of these calls to action.

We need a city council that is dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our community can feel safe, secure, and cared for. We need to acknowledge that we all have benefitted from a system that has routinely created situations where groups of people were denied the ability to feel this way. They were denied their culture, their language, rights, and history.

We need to acknowledge our privilege and work toward reconciliation. It is not an overnight activity. It is an everyday responsibility.

1. It is important to build a culture of inclusion for all members of our community. This is regardless of their background, culture, ethnicity, nationality, or any other characteristic. It is discouraging to hear many of the candidates start discussing T&R but then sidestepping the question. Instead they discussed immigration and other marginalized groups. This is disappointing because the question of T&R is one that demands to be answered. [↩]