Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre

Winipek: Visions of Canada from an Inigenous Centre contains a group of short essays by Nigaan Sinclair, Indigenous writer and Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, concerning the relationship between First Nations and Canada. He uses Winipek ie Winnipeg because that is where the greatest percentage of Indigenous live in Canada and because it is representative of how Indigenous are treated throughout the country. This includes the horrors of and cross-generational effects of the residential school system linked to high rates of abuse, addiction, and homelessness among Indigenous. He talks of the large numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women and two- spirit people and the refusal of the Winnipeg Police show more Board to authorize the search of a landfill for bodies siting high cost. He discusses the yearly flooding of many Reserves resulting in the displacement of their populations and leaving their homes unsafe.And he writes about the overarching problem caused by the Indian Act and the slow process of the Truth and Reconciliation Act. And he discusses how all of this is exacerbated by the high rates of racism against First Nations in Canada.

But it is not all bad. He also talks about changes that give him hope for the future for First Nations and for Canada as a whole including the revival of Indigenous languages and cultural practices. He shows how Indigenous especially youth have taken a lead in the fight against climate change as Water Protectors although, even here, the Canadian government and police forces always seem to side with the oil and logging companies. He also points to the recent election of Wab Kinew as the Premier of Manitoba, the first Indigenous Premier ever elected in Canada

The issues discussed in Winipek are complex and important but Sinclair discusses them clearly while avoiding the pedantry or legalese too often used to outline Canada's treatment of Indigenous. He also doesn’t pretend to be an objective observer which is, frankly, a good thing. These are and should be treated as ethical issues, too long put aside as in the past and no longer relevant. Too often issues like the ongoing search for unmarked graves of Indigenous children who died at Residential Schools has led to debates in which Residential School denial is treated as valid. This is a very interesting, very informative, very important and very readable book and should be taught in schools not only in Winnipeg and Manitoba but all across Canada and, really, in all settler colonial countries no matter where.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review show less