ETFO’s Social Justice Speaker for the 2015 Annual Meeting is Wabanakwut (Wab) Kinew.
President Hammond introduced Kinew by saying “[Wab Kinew] has a lot to teach us about how we can be a part of the process of Canada’s reconciliation with the survivors of the residential school system.”
Mr. Kinew is a Canadian hip hop musician, journalist, broadcaster and university administrator, best known as a host of programming on CBC Television. Kinew was a very popular guest host of CBC Radio’s “Q” in December 2014. In 2014, he appeared as a panelist on CBC Radio’s Canada Reads, defending Joseph Boyden’s novel The Orenda. The novel won the competition.
In a riveting and engaging speech, Mr. Kinew talked about education being key to fulfilling all peoples’ individual potential in Canada.
Kinew also reviewed the legacy of residential schools in Canada and the “failed policies” inflicted by Canadian governments, past and present, on FNMI peoples. He noted we are in a transition period of greater awareness amongst Canadians about the hidden history of this country in relation to First Nation peoples. More and more Canadians are starting to ask ‘What can I do to help?’ Mr. Kinew’s answer: confront the truth and commit to working together toward reconciliation.
