September 30th: Don’t Forget the Truth

As September 30^th nears, I have taken some time to reflect on what this day has come to represent for employees in workplaces across Canada.

While not all workplaces give employees the day off, most are involved in promoting awareness and understanding about the Indian Residential School Legacy and the impacts on First Nations, Metis and Inuit families and the contemporary issues faced by survivors and their descendants today.

Before embarking on your September 30^th unlearning, please take a moment to understand allyship and the risk of performative actions. Performative allyship is characterized by surface-level support, including gestures that do not result in meaningful change or community involvement. It often prioritizes the ally’s public image over the actual needs of marginalized groups and lacks accountability for contributing to systemic issues. Performative allies typically engage only with trending topics, providing support that fades once the spotlight on those issues diminishes and this has certainly grown to be the case when acknowledging the harms of the Indian Residential and Day Schools.

As a mixed identity woman with Anishinaabekwe, French and Kashubian roots, I wanted to reflect on my experiences with tokenism and the impacts of being tokenized.

Tokenism in Canadian workplaces, particularly regarding Indigenous staff, manifests as a superficial measure to demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion, often without meaningful engagement or change. In cases of tokenism, Indigenous individuals are hired primarily to meet quotas or to fulfill regulatory requirements, rather than genuinely valuing their perspectives and contributions. This approach undermines the fundamental goals of reconciliation by treating Indigenous employees as mere symbols rather than active participants in decision-making processes. Consequently, tokenism perpetuates a cycle of exclusion and mistrust, which can further alienate Indigenous communities from the very institutions that seek to engage with them.

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people can experience tokenization in various forms within workplace settings. For example, Indigenous staff members may find themselves expected to represent their entire culture or community in meetings or panels, a role that can be burdensome, morally problematic and overshadow their individual expertise.

Indigenous students regularly experience this in classrooms. My daughter was regularly looked to in classrooms as an Indigenous cultural expert. I remember one instance when she was asked to interpret Inuit culture for her elementary school peers and had to explain that she carries Cree and Anishinaabe connections and cannot read Inuktitut, nor could she interpret Inukshuks. An eight-year-old student at the time, she had to further explain that language loss is direct result of systemic and on-going cultural genocide when she was subsequently asked to “teach them Anishinaabe or Cree then.”

By imposing such expectations, Indigenous identities are reduced to single narratives, neglecting the rich diversity and complexity that exist within these communities.

Tokenism can involve the appropriation of Indigenous culture without adequate understanding or respect. Employers may seek to showcase Indigenous culture through events or marketing campaigns, while failing to involve Indigenous staff in the planning or execution stages. This can lead to a commodification of culture, where Indigenous practices are used as mere aesthetic elements to enhance one’s image, interchangeably and without meaningful intentions.

To move beyond tokenistic practices can have profound impacts on both Indigenous employees and the broader workplace culture.

When an organization hires an Indigenous employee solely to fulfill a diversity mandate or to meet a regulatory requirement, it can lead to a misalignment between the individual’s qualifications and the expectations of the role. If the employee is retained past their probation period despite not meeting the necessary requirements—merely because they are Indigenous and the position is designated—this can result in a range of detrimental effects. The individual may struggle to perform adequately in their role, leading to frustration and diminished self-esteem.

When staff are set up to fail, this is workplace violence. This is workplace harassment and hinders professional development but also reflects poorly on their capabilities and reinforces stereotypes about Indigenous employees lacking capacity.

Coworkers may begin to undermine the retained Indigenous employee in various ways. This can manifest as subtle forms of exclusion. Colleagues may undermine the authority of Indigenous staff in team settings, or in private meetings, by questioning their contributions, or dismissing their ideas.

I have several stories of incidents with one particular supervisor and certain tactics of his stand out. Upon hiring additional First Nations staff in several differing capacities, I was asked to report on their actions and progress, despite my role as a co-worker and not in any supervisory capacity.  Even though this supervisor did not value my contributions, he sought to make me his all-encompassing Indigenous rubber stamp of approval and my job security and success within the organization was heavily referenced.

I was asked to support an application to the Order of Ontario for a non-Indigenous woman who presented herself as an Indigenous grandmother. Despite having zero Indigenous identity she was well paid by the organization as an Indigenous Elder. She wore ribbon skirts, sang and hand-drummed with braided her hair and regularly led what was presented as Healing Circles with her feather fan, offered as cultural professional development for staff. I was asked to verify publicly that non-Indigenous staff who were in the process of race shifting were in fact Indigenous community members.

This type of toxic dynamic can lead to significant psychological distress for the Indigenous employees, causing them to disengage from their responsibilities and, potentially, from the organization altogether.

Thankfully, those days are behind me, and I am grateful that I had the fortitude to learn from these experiences with tokenism. The fake Indigenous grandmother did receive the Order of Ontario and continues to profit from her co-opted identity, justified by her experiences as a child welfare survivor. The non-Indigenous staff moved on to lead an Indigenous Department at a University, falsely representing herself and building a professional reputation as an Anishinaabe academic.

For thoughtful steps towards honouring the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, consider starting with Dr. Lynn Gehl’s Ally Bill of Responsibilities.

The reality is that some people are going to treat September 30^th as a day for performative allyship. Consider how you approach unlearning and learning the true history of Canada.

I am very proud to have played a role in creating the Ravens: Messengers of Change learning resource in partnership with the Legacy of Hope Foundation. Those who know me, know that I have a special affinity for blackbirds and the medicines they offer. This resource is available to download for FREE in French and English.

Suitable for all age groups and abilities, this activity booklet encourages participants to embark on a gentle exploration of Indigenous issues and realities and perhaps, an intentional and thoughtful learning about the truth and why it is an essential and necessary aspect of reconciliation.