Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2023-10-05 10:10:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay\u2014Alberni, NDP)",
        "fr": "M. Gord Johns (Courtenay\u2014Alberni, NPD)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"7941627\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to present a petition today on behalf of constituents in my riding. The petitioners cite that, in 2018, the national anthem was amended with gender-neutral language to ensure equity and inclusion, but Canada's most notable symbols, the Canadian flag and the national anthem, fail to represent indigenous people.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7941628\" data-originallang=\"en\">The first contact between indigenous and non-indigenous people was amicable. Indigenous people showed newcomers how to survive. They agreed to share but not surrender their land, expecting settlers to share resources and only take what they needed. Their relationship to the land differs from those who claim it today, as the nature of this tie is not one of ownership but stewardship. The land is a sacred gift from the creator, which indigenous people vow to protect.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7941629\" data-originallang=\"en\">The petitioners cite many things. I will highlight the following. Indigenous people's relationship to the land is constitutionally recognized. Accordingly, the citizens and residents of the petition call on Canada to refute the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius by amending the national anthem's lyrics from \u201cOur home and native land\u201d to \u201cOur home on native land\u201d. Canada would therefore honour its moral responsibility and fulfill part of its commitment to the 45th call to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, moving toward reparation by recognizing that indigenous people occupied, cultivated and thrived on these lands before Europeans arrived.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"7941627\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, c'est un honneur et un privil\u00e8ge de pr\u00e9senter une p\u00e9tition aujourd'hui au nom d'habitants de ma circonscription. Les p\u00e9titionnaires soulignent qu'en 2018, l'hymne national a \u00e9t\u00e9 modifi\u00e9 de fa\u00e7on \u00e0 inclure des termes neutres pour assurer l'\u00e9quit\u00e9 et l'inclusion, mais que les peuples autochtones ne sont pas repr\u00e9sent\u00e9s dans les symboles les plus forts du Canada, soit le drapeau canadien et l'hymne national.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7941628\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les premiers contacts entre les Autochtones et les non-Autochtones \u00e9taient amicaux. Les Autochtones ont montr\u00e9 aux nouveaux venus comment survivre. Ils ont accept\u00e9 de partager, et non de c\u00e9der, leurs terres, et ils s'attendaient \u00e0 ce que les colons partagent les ressources et ne prennent que ce dont ils avaient besoin. Leur lien avec la terre est diff\u00e9rent de celui des gens qui la revendiquent aujourd'hui, car les peuples autochtones ne se consid\u00e8rent pas comme des propri\u00e9taires, mais comme des gardiens de la terre. La terre est un don sacr\u00e9 du Cr\u00e9ateur, que les Autochtones s'engagent \u00e0 prot\u00e9ger.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7941629\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les p\u00e9titionnaires font de nombreuses affirmations. J'en soulignerai quelques-unes. Le lien des Autochtones avec la terre est reconnu dans la Constitution. Par cons\u00e9quent, les citoyens et les r\u00e9sidants qui ont sign\u00e9 la p\u00e9tition demandent au Canada de r\u00e9futer la doctrine de la d\u00e9couverte et le principe de terra nullius en rempla\u00e7ant les paroles anglaises \u00ab Our home and native land \u00bb par \u00ab Our home on native land \u00bb dans l'hymne national. Le Canada s'acquitterait ainsi de sa responsabilit\u00e9 morale et remplirait une partie de son engagement \u00e0 l'\u00e9gard du 45<sup>e</sup> appel \u00e0 l'action de la Commission de v\u00e9rit\u00e9 et r\u00e9conciliation, ce qui permettrait de commencer \u00e0 r\u00e9parer les torts caus\u00e9s en reconnaissant que les Autochtones ont occup\u00e9 et cultiv\u00e9 ces terres et y ont prosp\u00e9r\u00e9 avant l'arriv\u00e9e des Europ\u00e9ens.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2023/10/5/gord-johns-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/gord-johns/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4237/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "12355647",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Routine Proceedings",
        "fr": "Affaires courantes"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Petitions",
        "fr": "P\u00e9titions"
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Canadian Heritage",
        "fr": "Le patrimoine canadien"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2023/10/5/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2023%2F10%2F5%2F"
    }
}