A collaborative community conversation took place on Thursday at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre focused on connection, reconciliation and community safety. 

The all-day event was put on by the Wakamow Aboriginal Community Association, the Moose Jaw Public Library, Square One Community and Journey to Hope. 

Elder Eugene Arcand kicked off the event. A Cree man from Muskeg Lake First Nation, Arcand is a survivor of the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake and the St. Paul’s Students Residence. 

An advocate for First Nations sports, Arcand is a member of the First Nations Sports Hall of Fame. 

Arcand spoke of his experiences at residential schools and the path toward reconciliation. 

Next was Amanda Gebhard. She is a white settler scholar and assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina. She spoke on the topics and anti-racism and the effects racism has on our society. 

Gebhard brought along Heather Carter to speak about her experiences as a Metis woman from Prince Albert. 

Carter said as a Metis person with light skin, she noticed that she could navigate systems within our society a lot easier than her darker-skinned cousins. 

“We have experienced together, as cousins do, any number of situations where the experience I had and the outcome and consequences for me were very, very different,” she said. 

She spoke about inclusion which includes understanding and making a calculated decision to put yourself in their shoes. Then, using the powers you have, to make change where you can and do it purposefully, so others don’t fall through the cracks. 

The keynote speaker was Michael Redhead Champagne. He brought energy to the room as he talked about his advocacy work as an Indigenous man. Specifically, he said the topic of child welfare is personal to him.  

“It's personal for me because all of my brothers and sisters ended up being impacted by child and family services. I was very blessed. I ended up being adopted by a beautiful North End Winnipeg family called the Champagnes,” he said. 

Redhead Champagne’s message was to move away from racism and hate and towards a “revolution” of love, equity and justice.