Last year, my Canada Day message was to celebrate all that we love about our country.

As we hear more about the residential schools and the atrocities against the Indigenous peoples and their children, my message this year is different.

I encourage others to join me in reflecting upon our history as a nation. Join me in learning what we should have been learning all along.

Take the free Indigenous Canada course through the University of Alberta or a similar one. Watch videos about the residential school experience. Read about Indigenous history. Attend a First Nations cultural event. Understand what reconciliation really means. Examine our biases and vow to do better.

On this Canada Day, celebrate all we have to be thankful for as a country. At the same time, let us actively build relationships towards solidarity as a country.

Cathy Moore Coburn
Councillor
Township of Georgian Bluffs