Arthur Manuel
1951-2017
Indigenous leader, writer and organizer from the Secwepemc Nation. Former Chief of Neskonlith
Indian Band and chair of Shuswap Nation Tribal Council.
Excerpt from From "The Reconciliation Manifesto," 2017.
“Canada, as a society, is still in denial about its historical and current colonialism when it comes to Indigenous peoples, and how
the country is still largely based on the white supremacism of its founding document, the British North America (BNA) Act.
Colonialism is not a “behaviour” that can be superficially changed by a prime minister professing “sunny ways.” It is the foundational
system in Canada.
Canada was created by an Act of British parliament in 1867. It was more a corporate reorganization, a hurried consolidation of debts,
than the birth of a nation. The problem was that they were using the theft of our lands, tucked into what, for them, was this innocuous-sounding Section 91.24 of the BNA Act to cover their debts.”
