Truth and Reconciliation: Past Promises, Present Realities

On September 30, we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the Indigenous children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

The County of Dufferin is honoured to have Dr. Taiaiake Alfred deliver a keynote speech on the subject of Truth and Reconciliation, with a particular focus on past commitments, present realities and pathways forward towards true reconciliation between Canada and First Nations. Dr. Alfred will provide attendees with a First Nations perspective on roots and dynamics of the Indigenous-state relationship and initiate constructive dialogue on ways County staff and community members can contribute to the resurgence of First Nations peoples and embody Canada’s legal commitment to the principles of reconciliation.

Dufferin County is dedicated to undertaking meaningful action that moves us towards greater accountability and achieving Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and their nations. Much of what we have learned about Indigenous history has failed to focus on the persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses that continue to be perpetuated against these communities. Through the provision of public educational opportunities, our goal is to bring together members of the Dufferin County community to foster inspiration and change through important thought-provoking conversations.

Meet the Speaker:

Dr. Taiaiake Alfred is a Kahnawà:ke Mohawk philosopher, writer, and political strategist with overthree decades of experience in First Nations governance, politics and cultural restorationand environmental impact assessment. Taiaiake served as an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps, and after a 25-year academic career during which he founded Indigenous programs at Concordia University and the University of Victoria and originated Indigenous Resurgence as an intellectual paradigm, he left academia to devote himself to working directly with his own and other First Nations people at the community level to breathe life into ancestral visions of nationhood. He is an Indspire/National Aboriginal Achievement Award laureate in the field of education, holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and is the author of four books: Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors and Peace, Power, Righteousness, from Oxford University Press, Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom, and most recently, It’s All about the Land: Collected Talks and Interviews on Indigenous Resurgence, from the University of Toronto Press. He presently leads the Kahnawà:ke Governance Project, a community initiative to restore traditional government, and is the Senior Advisor on Indigenous Initiatives at McGill University.

Website: Taiaiake – INDIGENOUS RESURGENT

LinkedIn: Gerald Taiaiake Alfred | LinkedIn

Instagram: @Taiaiake

X/Twitter: @TaiaiakeAlfred