What’s your understanding of citizenship? How can we relate Treaty Education to citizenship?

I never thought of citizenship as being anything other than belonging to a country. A citizen of Canada pays taxes and has the papers and the licences that show they call Canada home. I have expanded my definition of citizenship to mean they contribute positively to our society (working, volunteering) and we have certain rights. Here in Canada we live relatively free lives and are supposedly a multicultural country, whereas in other countries, you may not be safe walking in your own neighbourhood.

Talking of citizenship reminds me of the movie Dr. Cabbie (2014) where a new doctor in India moves to Canada and is not able to have his medical degree recognized forcing him to become a taxi driver. The doctor was trying to contribute positively to our country, but faced barriers that stopped him from living up to his potential — stopping him from becoming a “real citizen” of Canada. I would definitely recommend this movie and challenge you to ask yourself if Canada really is a land of opportunity, like those from other countries like to believe. Would you consider this doctor to be a citizen of Canada? Did he deserve to have his degree recognized?

In terms of Treaty Education, I believe it is our job as citizens to learn about our past and how it affects our future, which includes talking about residential schools and treaties. As a country, we need to recognize that treaties are still withstanding agreements and that we are all affected by them.