Arriving in the Waterloo Region at the end of September, the Indigenous Community’s “I am Affected” campaign has been finding success for approximately two weeks now.
The campaign started out in Hamilton and was begun by the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic (HCLC) and has now spread across southern Ontario.
It was brought to Kitchener-Waterloo by Luane Roberts — an Indigenous justice coordinator at Waterloo Region Community Legal Services.
According to Roberts, the purpose of the campaign was to bring awareness to Indigenous issues in the region and to encourage support for Indigenous peoples living here.
“There are Indigenous issues that are still occurring today, residential schools and things like the ‘sixties scoop’ are having a ripple effect,” Roberts said.
According to the campaign website: “the poster campaign provides a safe space for Indigenous people to speak their truth, share their stories and to break the silence of the trauma caused by Canadian Indian Residential Schools.”
By logging onto the website, people can post images and share their stories. The posters have since then been put up across town.
Alongside her legal services, Roberts also does a great deal of community outreach within Kitchener-Waterloo and works to connect people to cultural based programs and other organizations.
The campaign has gained support from outside partners, who have begun to work with Roberts to create services in KW and network within the area, so that Indigenous people living in the region can feel supported and helped when needed.
According to Roberts, the campaign has been a success so far. Following the release of the campaign, she has gotten a number of inquiries and support.
Roberts also held a launch event Monday, Sept. 24 in Victoria Park, which she said was a huge success.
“It shows that there are these issues, but that there is a lot of resilience and a lot of people that [are] working towards more positive things.”
The Globe and Mail published an article on Oct. 14, reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that the Canadian government does not have to consult Indigenous communities when considering, drafting or passing laws.
“‘I am Affected’ is part one of a two part poster and social media campaign. The second part is titled “I am Committed’.”
“There’s a website on the posters,” Roberts said, “where you can go to post a photo and a statement to say you are committed to addressing the TRC call to action and to addressing discrimination.”
“[It’s] meant to open the conversation,” she said.
The campaign works to recognize the importance of collaborative work between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the “I am Affected” and “I am Committed” campaigns seem more prevalent than ever.
The Globe and Mail published an article on Oct. 14, reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that the Canadian government does not have to consult Indigenous communities when considering, drafting or passing laws.
Though her work is not directly linked to law-making, Roberts says rulings like this affect every Indigenous community in a systemic way.
“The duty to consult needs to be there and the treaties that have been signed for hundreds of years still need to be followed, they just don’t go away — It is overarching” Roberts said.
“There is a responsibility the government has and every individual living in Canada has to know what the treaty rights are and what the treaties are.”