Sask. newcomers explore importance of learning Indigenous history, truth and reconciliation

According to the 2021 census, 12.5 per cent of Saskatchewan's population is made up of immigrants. The province is expecting many more newcomers in the coming years.

Some of these immigrants are now learning about this land's First Peoples, and about truth and reconciliation.

Fiyan Lam, who came to Regina from Hong Kong last fall, is trained in social work and researched job requirements in Canada prior to her trip.

"I said, 'Oh that's quite interesting! In Canada their social work studies always includes the topic of Indigenous people, and in some job advertisements they're also mentioning that. So I think this is quite an important part,'" Lam said. 

She said she never learned about Canadian history, let alone the country's Indigenous peoples, in China. She signed up for some online courses and learned about colonialism and Indigenous culture, but still wasn't taught about the residential school system or the Sixties Scoop before she arrived in Canada.

Lam said those pieces of history surprised her, because she thought of Canada as "modern," "kind" and "civilized."

"Why [did] the Canada government in the past want to do that? And I [was] really feeling sad that they forced the kids and the parents to separate," said Lam. 

"When they are separated, the culture, the history, the language … everything [was] just disturbed."

Lam said she recognized similarities between treatment of Indigenous people and how some people in China have been treated by the government, particularly when it comes to language. 

"China, like India, is very big. Different cities have their own mother language [in India], but Hindi is the main language. So I will describe [that] Mandarin is like Hindi," said Lam, whose own mother language in Cantonese. 

"But nowadays the kids can only speak Mandarin. They don't know how to speak their real mother language and they are just being disconnected from their grandmother and grandfather. Sometimes I feel quite sad."

Lam said finding similarities between China and Canada's complicated histories has helped her to better understand Indigenous peoples here, and why truth and reconciliation are so important. It's also helped her understand herself better.

"After I came to Canada, I realized that self identity is really important. Like, I want my children to also know Chinese. I hope that they they know where they're from."

Lam said she wants to continue to learn more about Indigenous peoples to better understand her new community. She also wants to see the Canadian government work hard to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action.