Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

MLA Adam Olsen asks, ‘What will we do now that we have heard his wisdom?’


On National Indigenous Peoples Day, I has honoured to be part of the opening of a new exhibit at the Sidney Museum featuring the life of the legendary Tsleil-Waututh leader Chief Dan George. The exhibition runs until September 30th.

Chief George is one of those iconic figures in Canadian history perhaps best known for his work in Hollywood movies like Little Big Man and The Outlaw Josey Wales. However, he was a multi-talented, community leader, author and activist.

Chief Dan George portraying 'Chief
Old Lodge Skins' in Little Big Man
Looking back from our vantage point nearly 40 years after his passing, his wise words are prophetic.

Sharing wise words

There are special people who seem to be able to grab hold of you by the way they articulate their enlightened perspective. They need just a few simple words. They come from all walks of life and all fields of work. Whether they are the ancient proverbs of Lao Tzu, or the gridiron gospel of Vince Lombardi, their echoing foresight reverberates long after their passing.

Chief Dan George is one of those people.

In preparing for speaking at the opening of the exhibit, I did a web search for his famous quotes and each one spoke to its own aspect of my work as a community leader and legislator.

I feel as if our SI¸ÁM, our honoured elder, was speaking directly to me. He was speaking to each one of us.

"The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon,
the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle.
But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart
aches with longing, he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have
I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom?
Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild's fondness?"

~~ Chief Dan George ~~


What will we do now that we have heard his wisdom?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more