Teach residential school history in classes, says newly elected Ontario regional chief
A familiar face within the Anisinabek Nation and on Manitoulin Island will soon be ascending to one of the highest offices in the province.
Former Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Glen Hare was elected to the position of Ontario Regional Chief during the 47th Annual All Ontario Chiefs Conference on Thursday.
For Hare, who hails from M'Chigeeng First Nation, it's a big honour.
"I don't take it very lightly, lots of thought has been put into this, I didn't just jump in for the sake of looking for work," he said. "First and foremost any political leader needs his family's support, 100 per cent, and I still had that coming from the Grand Chief of the Anishinabek Nation."
In an interview with CTV News, Hare, who is no stranger to politics, said he's looking forward to the challenge of representing Ontario nationally.
It comes on the heels of the discovery of 215 children buried at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia.
Hare said it's time to switch focus to finding other victims
"It time for the truth," he said. "The government is the one that came and got our kids, our babies, at our homes. My God, they're responsible for bringing them back home. One hundred per cent."
"These are horror stories. They were murdered."
He's seen shocking news clips of children being taken away from families in cattle trucks to residential schools.
"You don't treat us like that," Hare said. "I was just appalled to see that."
Canadian students need to learn the full history of how First Nations people have been treated, he said. Many Canadians have been shocked to learn the ugly history of residential schools, and that has to change. Right now, too many people don't believe Indigenous people when they tell their stories.
"Put the truth in education," Hare said. "Put it in the classrooms ... It has to be put into the history, because they need to know. Teach everybody what happened."
When it comes to truth and reconciliation, Hare said he's heard a lot of talk in the last five decades, but very little action. That has to change.
"No more talk, and no more bringing this up only when they have an election," he said.
In terms of his priorities, Hare said he will work with chiefs to set their agenda and find out what is most important to them.
"And I need government leadership at the table," he said. "Let's do this together. I want to work with everybody."
"I know the government leaders, provincial and federal. I want them to meet my leadership, too, and let's meet at the table and talk about these things. Be part of the solution."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.