How long is our memory?

Two years ago, I wrote in the Star that Canadians should see July 1 as a day to reflect, rather than an occasion to celebrate the country. Instead of lighting fireworks, perhaps we could consider the day from an Indigenous perspective and reckon with the long-standing and ongoing harms of colonialism.

The backlash to this suggestion was harsh. People were resistant to, even angry about, the idea that Canada was a violent place. And further, that by being active in those celebrations we might be complicit in its vio- lence.

Then in May 2021, 215 un- marked graves were found in Tk’emlúps te Secwe pem cterri- tory. Suddenly, discussions of Canada’s violence were everywhere. People were mourning, learning and showing up alongside Indigenous people in ways that shocked me.

Indigenous people put on events across the country, and thousands of non-Indigenous people came out to protest celebrations in a show of solidarity. It seemed that something shifted in many Canadians.

It’s another year later, and I wonder: Canada, how long is your memory? Though we are still finding gravesites and the calls for justice continue, the criticism of Canada for its treatment of Indigenous people seems to have cooled.

How will this translate come July 1? Will Canadians still throw on their orange shirts and find ways to support Indigenous people? Or were last year’s promises of change and learning only fleeting?

In some ways, rallying alongside Indigenous people this Canada Day is even more important than it was in 2021. Now, it is a test of real solidarity. It requires commitment to show up and do the inconvenient or uncomfortable work consistently — beyond trends in the media and in political discourse.

To be clear, we should show solidarity to Indigenous people every day, not just on July 1. However, Indigenous people have loudly said Canada Day celebrations are harmful and inappropriate. If you claim to support Indigenous people and fight for Indigenous struggles, yet can’t listen to us on perhaps the most obvious day, it calls into question how meaningful any other work you’re doing actually is.

I have had some people ask me: can we not do both? That is, celebrate and work toward better. To that I say, certainly. But instead of celebrating a nation that has been found guilty of ongoing genocide, which consistently works to uphold power at the expense of marginalized people, I choose to celebrate the people who survive and work every day to make this place better.

I hope Canadians put my wonders to rest. That they show up to the protests, as they did the year prior. That they are still finding ways to support Indigenous people who are in their own lives and communities — building connections that last beyond statutory holidays. I hope their memories are long.