The following quotes, taken verbatim from our site, are examples of not only a prevailing ignorance in this country, but the sense of emboldened hate that accentuates it: “contribute to society??” one person writes, “that's a new one!!”. Another added, “I am offended to find I am expected time and time again to hand over millions of tax-payer dollars to these ungrateful, greedy whiners who squander every dime they get with nothing to show for it”. The inference of course – as ugly and misguided as it is – is not new. It plays on the ever-present stereotype that Indigenous peoples are sitting around collecting handouts from governments, making little or no effort to contribute to the collective good. These were not the only comments or disparaging remarks we found, but they serve to best illustrate the type of passive racism that is prevalent in our society.

When I read comments such as the one found on our page, I am left to wonder where it comes from, if it has been challenged, and what can be done to help this person, and others like them, to become better educated on the truth of our history. I struggle to understand how my Indigenous friends and colleagues cope with such relentless vitriol. Some choose to stay quiet more often than not, mostly for self-preservation, necessary to avoid living in a constant state of anger, sadness, and fear. Others engage frequently and directly, bravely risking the possibility of triggering deep and painful emotions rooted in decades or more of trauma. We sometimes fail to see that by always asking Indigenous people themselves to speak out, to be the experts on these matters, and engage with those who view them with such malice, that we are abdicating our responsibility as non-Indigenous Canadians, to do our part as allies on the long road to truth and reconciliation.

We spent some time considering what the best course of action was to address this comment. After all, people make racist comments online all the time. If it were allowed to sit however, undeterred and as such, validated, we are allowing the status quo to reign supreme, and the status quo has been failing us for far too long.

The work Indigenous Strategy Alliance is setting out to achieve is meant, in part, to help individuals such as the one who made this comment, develop a deeper understanding of our history.

We can start by addressing these comments from a factual and historical perspective. There is the classic line that goes something like this: “my grandparents came here from Europe with no help from governments and they struggled to make a living without asking for anything”. This is an anecdote which the aforementioned Facebook comments build off of. I can see why at first, an uneducated person, bolstered by pride in their family history or sense of what “work ethic” means, would lead them to say this. I have to stop at this point, ask myself, and hopefully them, a few important questions. Did they know that their European grandparents had the right to vote, and thus effect change in their daily circumstance? Were they aware that their relatives had the freedom and right to hire lawyers to argue injustices on their behalf? Was it understood that their children were able to attend schools in their communities, where their values were upheld, not demonized, their children cared for, not abused, and their history honoured, not erased?Were their families permitted to sell the land and equipment they were legally entitled to own in order to earn a profit that contributed to future economic and social capital, or were they banned from such practices? Most importantly perhaps, we might ask - did their grandparents shake the hands of a government officials, who on behalf of the Queen, promised prosperity, protection, and partnership, only to have that agreement rendered meaningless through broken promises and lies?We can address it by looking at the present day, and offer examples that demonstrate a vast and vibrant set of Indigenous cultures that contribute to a rich fabric of diversity across Canadian society. A society where an Indigenous Chief Justice of the Supreme Court helps shape our laws, and countless Indigenous doctors, professors, lawyers, business people, tradespeople, politicians, elders and a Governor General, to name a few, are helping to build our country through progressive and tolerant actions.As a student and teacher of history, I sometimes wonder why Indigenous people were so welcoming to European settlers when they arrived on their land all those years ago. They served as guides and cartographers to help these strangers find new trade routes. They engaged in dialogue and treaties instead of violence and war. They chose to honour their values as people living to take care of the earth and each other, including newcomers.

I hope that as we continue to have difficult conversations, like standing up to those who freely spew hate with grotesque confidence and unfettered bravado, that we choose to embody the spirit of partnership demonstrated by the original peoples of this land so long ago, for it was through that spirit, that this country Canada was able to bloom -  a contribution that is anything but new. Ben Carr is Vice-President of Indigenous Strategy Alliance in Winnipeg.