Former Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations chief unhappy with lack of progress after papal visit
Global News
The former grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations is looking for more collaboration between First Nations, the federal government and the Catholic Church.
This is the second story in a Global News series called Journey Towards Reconciliation. To see previous stories, click here.
George Arcand Jr., the former grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, says more than six months after Pope Francis visited Canada to deliver an apology on his people’s land, contact between First Nations leaders, Ottawa and the church has been almost non-existent.
Ahead of his departure from the role of grand chief, Arcand Jr. sat down to speak to Global News for a television special called Journey Towards Reconciliation.
“I’m really disappointed that Canada and the church are not moving quicker,” he said. “In the First Nation communities, we’ve started to prepare for the battle of dealing with our community members’ challenges.
“We see early that we don’t have the resources or the people to deal with this battle we’re going to have. ”
The First Nation leader said Pope Francis’ visit and the apology for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools reopened old wounds. His focus for the first wave of the “battle” will be on those who heard the apology and who will feel like they can move ahead now.
“We need the tools to deal with that,” Arcand Jr. said. “There’s going to be an additional wave of those people who are going to see their brother or their sister has gone ahead and dealt with some things and they’re living a much better life — mentally and physically.
In order for that to happen, Arcand Jr. said the federal government needs to restructure some of the ways it deals with First Nations mental health issues, especially when it comes to residential school survivors. He also wants the church to be a part of the process.