People have often asked me over the past 18 years what I like most about being a city councillor. The answer is always the same: having the ability to transform some of my ideas into action.
As the chair of our annual Human Rights Walkway induction ceremony, which had been shelved for several years due to the pandemic, I had been thinking of approaching Na'kuset. Her role as executive director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and advocate of Indigenous rights had long impressed me.
Last spring I proposed her candidacy to members of council. Soon after, our Director of Public Affairs and Communications Darryl Levine began the process of making this happen. We approached Na'kuset and decided to bring the ceremony back to its roots and do it on a weekday so that students could attend and gain a true authentic learning experience. I could not have been more proud of how the proceedings went.
Inaugurated in September 2000 and located at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park, the Côte Saint-Luc Human Rights Walkway is dedicated to those men and women who, by their steadfast commitment to humankind, have held high the torch of human rights and let it light the world. For more information on previous inductees, visit cotesaintluc.org/services/sports-recreation/human–rights–walkway.
On September 27, fittingly on the eve of The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (also known as Orange Shirt Day), more than 100 people joined us on a beautiful fall day. This included students from Solomon Schechter Academy, Bialik High School and the Wagar Adult Education Centre. Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, Deputy Mayor Dida Berku, Councillor Steven Erdelyi and D'Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Elisabeth Prass were on hand as were former councillors Glenn J. Nashen and David Tordjman. Elder Sakakohe Debbie Delisle offered opening words.
Na’kuset is Cree from Lac la Ronge, Saskatchewan. Born in 1970, she was one of the estimated 20,000 or more First Nations, Métis and Inuit infants and children taken from their families by child welfare authorities and placed for adoption in mostly non-Indigenous households from approximately 1951 to 1984. As a small child, she was taken from her home and adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal. The story of how she reclaimed her Indigenous identity, with help from her Bubby is something she shared with the audience at our ceremony while showing great emotion,
Over the years Na’kuset has launched many programs, including the Miyoskamin second stage housing project, Saralikitaaq (a social pediatric centre open to Indigenous children and their families across Montreal), the Iskweu Project (immediate assistance to missing Indigenous women or girls), the Cabot Square Project (counselling, referrals, and liaison with other social services), and Resilience Montreal (food and shelter, mental health and medical support services).
A salute to the 2000 city council and then Mayor Robert Libman for initiating this project. I can't wait to start working on our 2024 inductee.
You can watch a recording of the entire ceremony here.
Click on the media links below:
Côte Saint-Luc intronise Na’kuset sur sa Promenade des droits de la personn
Na’kuset est une Crie du Lac la Ronge, en Saskatchewan. Née en 1970, elle a fait partie du groupe de quelque 20 000 nourrissons et enfants des Premières Nations, Métis et Inuits enlevés à leur famille par les autorités de protection de l’enfance et placés pour adoption dans des familles principalement non autochtones entre 1951 et 1984 environ.
Aujourd’hui, Na’kuset est directrice générale du Foyer pour femmes autochtones de Montréal. Elle a lancé de nombreux programmes, notamment le projet Maison d’hébergement de seconde étape Miyoskamin, Saralikitaaq (un centre de pédiatrie sociale accueillant les enfants autochtones et leurs familles de partout à Montréal), le projet Iskweu (offrant une assistance immédiate aux familles et aux proches de femmes et de filles autochtones disparues), le projet Cabot Square (conseils, références et liaison avec d’autres services sociaux), et Résilience Montréal (nourriture et hébergement, et services de soutien en santé mentale et soutien médical).
Inaugurée en septembre 2000 au parc Pierre Elliott Trudeau, la Promenade des droits de la personne est dédiée aux femmes et aux hommes qui, par leur engagement inébranlable au service d’humanité, ont tenu bien haut la flamme des droits de la personne, afin que sa lumière se répande sur le monde. Pour en savoir plus sur ceux intronisés sur la Promenade des droits de la personne : https://cotesaintluc.org/fr/services/sports-et-loisirs/promenade-des-droits-de-la-personne.
« Les droits de la personne sont de la plus haute importance capitale pour notre conseil municipal et nos résidents, a déclaré le maire Mitchell Brownstein. "À Côte Saint-Luc, c’est sur la Promenade des droits de la personne que nous rendons hommage à ceux qui défendent les droits de la personne, ici et partout à travers le monde entier. Nous sommes fiers d’y ajouter le nom de Na’kuset et espérons qu’elle servira d’inspiration à tous ceux qui visiteront le parc. »
J'ai souligne que la date et l’heure de l’intronisation ont été planifiées pour encourager la participation des écoles locales et de faire participer les classes de la 5e année du primaire en montant. J'ai ajoute que la date choisie coïncide avec la veille de la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation, encore connue sous le nom de Jour du chandail orange, qui reconnaît l’héritage du système canadien des pensionnats Autochtones.
