Reconciliation Means Building Bridges

Today, on our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we remember the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and communities, those who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools, and the generations who continue to live with their consequences.

But reconciliation asks more of us than remembering. It asks what we are prepared to build differently. In The Missing Bridge, I write about the widening gap between education and meaningful work, and about the young people who too often struggle to see where they might belong in the world of work.

For Indigenous young people, however, we must acknowledge a much deeper history. For generations, bridges connecting children to family, language, culture, community and opportunity were deliberately damaged by Canadian policies and institutions. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action remind us that closing education and employment gaps is part of reconciliation.

That means removing barriers. Expanding opportunities. Listening to Indigenous communities. Creating meaningful encounters with the full range of career possibilities. And supporting Indigenous youth and adults as they build pathways toward meaningful work and fulfilling lives, on their own terms and grounded in their cultures, communities and aspirations.

If, as I believe, career development is the essence of nation building, reconciliation must be part of that nation building. Canada cannot afford to leave anyone's talent, imagination or potential on the sidelines. But this is about much more than economics. It is about dignity, agency, belonging and hope. We need to build bridges, not for Indigenous peoples, but with them.

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, may we remember the bridges that were broken, and recommit ourselves to building a country in which every young person can see possibilities for their future and have a fair opportunity to pursue them.

AI Acknowledgement: I conceived and wrote this post, with creative and editorial assistance from my partner, ChatGPT.