'Reconciliation is a lifelong experience': Gov. Gen. Mary Simon reflects on Truth and Reconciliation

On the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says that while she acknowledges the time it takes to fulfill calls to action, she also understands the frustrations that progress is too slow, and she feels 'we should speed things up.'

On the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says that while she acknowledges the time it takes to fulfill calls to action, she also understands the frustrations that progress is too slow, and she feels “we should speed things up.”

According to a December, 2022 report from the Yellowhead Institute — an Indigenous-led research and education centre at the Toronto Metropolitan University — only 13 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action have been implemented since they were issued nearly eight years ago.

Simon — Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General — told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday she’s read the calls to action several times, and they involve “very complex issues” that require many actors and partners to implement, so she understands progress can be slow.

“I've been in this work for almost 50 years,” Simon said. “And when I look back 20 years, I can see a lot of changes taking place.”

She added she’s not personally involved in the implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations, so she can’t say with any specificity how much is left to do on each one.

“But Indigenous people say it's too slow,” she said. “And I can understand that, because the living conditions that people are living in across the country are pretty severe, and of course they're going to be anxious and perhaps frustrated that things aren't moving very quickly.

“I'm not trying to say that things should have changed by now,” she added. “Because having gone through the political evolution of this country, I can see how slow things can be, but I can also understand from an Indigenous perspective, that we want things to change more quickly.”