Sandi L Boucher (Red Thunderbolt, Loon clan, Seine River First Nation) presents a June 19th video/blog post titled "F the Baby Steps," arguing that incremental "baby steps" toward reconciliation in Canada are insufficient. She urges non-Indigenous Canadians and organizations to move beyond comfort and convenience, emphasizing that slow progress prolongs Indigenous suffering and that stronger, faster actions are needed.
Questions this video answers
June 19, 2023
59 years old
More than 600 First Nation communities in Canada
Chapters
Canada, Enough is enough. We gotta talk. Bonjour, Mishko Pagnon Kwenenda Gods Mang no Dam. Hello, everybody. My name is Sandy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon clan, a proud member of Seine River First Nation in Treaty 3 territory in Northern Ontario. And welcome back to the Path. We discuss all things reconciliation here. I do a daily video Monday to Friday to help Indigenous people experience their pride and to help non Indigenous people to understand some things that maybe they've been misinterpreting up until now. So today's blog post. We're going to start off the week strong. Actually, this entire week is kind of strong. Gonna be honest here. June 19th post. Monday's post is called F the Baby Steps. And I know that sounds blunt and true, Red Thunderbolt, lightning bolt style. I am 59 years old and I work with a lot of non Indigenous groups. And I mean, they get kudos for the fact that. That we're working on this. So, I mean, at least they're trying. But at least they're trying is not good enough. Taking baby steps isn't good enough. Trying to keep their non Indigenous staff comfortable isn't good enough. In the words of Pam Pomader, if it's comfortable, it's not reconciliation. If it's convenient, it's not reconciliation. What I need non Indigenous Canadians to understand is you are working with an entirely different culture when you work with the First Nation communities. And there is not just one First Nation culture. There's more than 600 First Nation communities in Canada. And all of them are unique and different relationships. It's the same way. And you know what? That sounds intimidating. Think of 10 of your friends, five of your friends, are they different? Exactly. That's not a bad thing. But what we need from Canada after years and years and years of harm, ongoing harm, by the way, is way more than baby steps. Because it's bad enough that people in my generation got hurt. I don't want to see my grandchildren or my children hurting. Because you need time. Because you want to be comfortable. The time you're taking so that you don't upset everyone, anyone, is the. The exact same amount of time that we still have to suffer. So I want you to understand the decision you're making. What? When you decide to go slow on your reconciliation efforts, you are deciding that you don't need to rush to stop our suffering. You are deciding that our suffering doesn't have to end anytime soon, especially if it's going to make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry. That's not reconciliation. That is cold. And it's not caring. And. And it's just not going to work. Now, as always, this is a video take of today's blog post. The full blog post is below the video. I would love to hear your thoughts. Again. I want to reiterate. I appreciate and respect every ounce of effort, but can we all get crystal clear that we need way more than baby steps? It's time. Until tomorrow. Take care. I love you. Bye. Bye.
