At the beginning of the City of Victoria’s inaugural council meeting on Dec. 4, I began with a declaration that acknowledged the lands in the City of Victoria as the traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations.
It was my honour to do so. And I was following the tradition of territorial acknowledgment that comes out of a protocol relationship with the Songhees and Esquimalt nations established by former mayor Alan Lowe.
Maybe it was that I didn’t swear allegiance to the Queen during the ceremony — and cited the relationship with the First Nations as part of my rationale — that inspired the Adrian Raeside cartoon printed last week. Regardless of the inspiration, the cartoon was offensive to many and mocked the territorial acknowledgment.
Here is what the cartoon said:
“Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
“I would also like to acknowledge the trees that were cut down to clear the land to build this City Hall.
“And I would also like to acknowledge the wildlife that were displaced due to the construction of this building.
“OK, I think we got everything covered.”
“You forgot the bugs trampled by construction workers.”
Upon publication, social media exploded with outrage from First Nations people and their allies calling the cartoon racist and asking for an apology. I was among them. But now, it’s the apology that’s the problem.
Raeside states in his apology: “For the record, I have absolutely no objection to the acknowledgment of the traditional lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. The cartoon is about the empty mouthing of a mantra that appeases the non-indigenous conscience without any meaningful effort to make things better. It is a perfunctory statement not backed by action.”
Before making an unfortunate act worse with an even more unfortunate apology, it would have been good to do a bit of research. Former mayors Alan Lowe and Dean Fortin and their councils have taken actions to work toward reconciliation. My council and I will continue to make “meaningful efforts to make things better,” including honouring the treaty process currently underway and supporting First Nations economic development, which I highlighted in my inaugural address.
Here are just a few of the initiatives the City of Victoria has been working on with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Official community plan
The City of Victoria formally involved the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations in the process of developing Victoria’s official community plan; First Nations participation shaped the OCP, which outlines Victoria’s growth and development for the next 30 years.
Harbour dialogue
The City of Victoria collaborated with the Songhees Nation to prepare amendments to the Harbour Vitality Principles once the Lower Wharf Street lands were announced publicly as a component of the Songhees Treaty process. The city wanted to ensure that the recently adopted Harbour Vitality Principles provide strong alignment with the principles and objectives of the Songhees Nation.
Burial ground in Beacon Hill Park
With the guidance and support of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, the city has designated an existing ancient burial ground in Beacon Hill Park as a special place to rebury First Nations human remains that may be uncovered during construction of sewage treatment infrastructure and other public-works projects.
Archeological protocol
The city developed an archeological protocol for operations and public communications for the City of Victoria and contracted crews in the event human remains and/or artifacts are uncovered during excavation in Victoria. This protocol was informed by local First Nations input and archeological advisers and has been requested by several other municipalities and regional districts.
These are small steps and the city can and should do more.
But these steps begin to build relationships. And with relationships comes trust and with trust comes the possibility of deeper partnership and meaningful change.
Lisa Helps is the mayor of Victoria.
