Canadian author Tanya Talaga speaks to crowd at Medicine Hat College on February 5, 2020 (photo courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Chantal Wagner

"Still fighting for basic human rights"

Moving towards reconciliation – author Tanya Talaga visits Medicine Hat College

Feb 5, 2020 | 5:17 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A crowd of 450 students and staff at Medicine Hat College gathered this afternoon to hear from national bestselling author Tanya Talaga on moving towards reconciliation.

Talaga says people relate to story, and the stories of other people, “The Seven Fallen Feathers for example about the stories of seven children who lost their lives while trying to get a high school education and the circumstances that lead to their deaths. If people see our children and our history and realize there are real people behind these stories and they are not, not different.”

Talaga signs books for students and staff (photo courtesy Ross Lavigne)

When it comes to reconciliation in Canada, she says we are still trying to move forward.

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“I actually don’t like that word, because reconciliation means the coming together of two equals and we are still fighting for basic human rights for our people in this country. So you won’t find a lot of Indigenous leaders talking about reconciliation but it is something more that the government talks about quite a bit and says this is something that we need to do. But until we get basic human rights there’s going to be no reconciliation.”

Talaga says to be more inclusive in our communities we can learn about residential schools, who went there when they closed, and what legacy was left behind is part of the conversation.

The college says Talaga’s talk benefits all students to learn more about the shared history in Canada.

“Many of the faculty are embedding this into their curriculum and having some really important conversations with their students,” said Jason Openo Director of Learning at Medicine Hat College (MHC).

MHC Indigenous Support Specialist David Restoule says “Everyone can make their difference by just trying to relate to someone who’s First Nations or Indigenous on a personal basis, so get to know them as a person.

According to Talaga, “There was a very big history in this country, Canada isn’t just 150 years old. And the more we learn about it the better we familiarize with each other, we’re going to move forward as a country.”