Opinion: Reconciling painful history involves listening – Edmonton Journal

August 29, 2017

In looking at the recent controversy over removing Frank Oliver’s name from public spaces in Edmonton, and removing John A. Macdonald’s name from schools in Ontario, we are forced to look at what may arguably be the central question behind truth and reconciliation: Who are we and where are we going?

The question of who we are, where we came from, and where we are going was the driving force behind the formation of the Grandin Mural Working Circle, and has largely informed the way that diverse communities came together to address a complex problem in our city.

What we learned is that coming together — and learning to build a new future together, rather than ripping away the signs of a troubled past — was what reconciliation meant to us. And maybe, just maybe, that’s what reconciliation might mean for other Canadians.