CORMAC McCANN: When we say “Canadian,” it can’t erase the fact that this place has always been, and still is, home to many distinct Indigenous nations

The article, Kamloops councillor, MLA hoping to have more input as BC mulls plan to weaken DRIPA, was shared on the Politics and More in BC and Across Canada Facebook page.  This topic, as will often happen, turned into a discussion about who we are as individuals: Settlers, Immigrants, Canadians, and First Nations. Cormac McCann had thoughts on the topic I believe are worth sharing, and they follow:

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I hear what you’re saying, but I think there’s an important piece of history and present reality that can’t be left out of this conversation.

Canada is a relatively new country, but the land itself—and the nations who have lived on it for thousands of years—are not. 

For many of us whose families came from Europe, Asia, Africa, or elsewhere, we are settlers on Indigenous land, whether our families arrived generations ago or more recently. I was born here to settler parents and grandparents, and that shapes how I understand my place in this country. At the same time, many people—like my cousin, who is a Métis man—carry both Indigenous and settler histories. 

That complexity is part of what Canada actually is.

When we say “Canadian,” it can’t erase the fact that this place has always been, and still is, home to many distinct Indigenous nations. In that sense, Canada isn’t just a single unified identity—it’s a federation layered over many nations, languages, and legal traditions that predate it.

If we’re serious about building a better future, we have to be honest about the past and present. That means recognizing that colonialism here wasn’t just an abstract idea—it involved land theft, displacement, and policies that amounted to cultural and physical genocide against Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. Those impacts are not just historical; they continue today.

So moving forward isn’t about guilt—it’s about responsibility and relationship. Decolonization isn’t just a slogan; it means real changes:
 • respecting Indigenous sovereignty and governance
 • supporting Land Back in meaningful, practical ways
 • upholding treaty obligations
 • and ensuring Indigenous rights are fully recognized and implemented

It also means shifting how we think—from ownership and control to stewardship and shared responsibility.

There’s no place anymore for the old colonial mindset that treated Indigenous peoples as obstacles or afterthoughts. If Canada is going to be something worth believing in, it has to be built on respect, truth, and partnership.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about division—it’s about learning how to walk together in a good way. 

That requires listening, humility, and a willingness to change how we operate, not just as individuals, but as a country.

 

Cormac McCann ... is a writer, commentator, political organizer, and visual and graphic storyteller whose work sits at the intersection of politics, culture, and community. An ecosocialist, he advocates for a society grounded in collective well-being, democratic participation, and ecological responsibility, with a deep commitment to freedom, self-determination, and robustly representative governance. 

He comes from a settler family of Welsh, Scottish, and Irish descent and approaches his work with an ongoing responsibility to the lands he lives on and the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded them since time immemorial. He seeks to walk in a good way—building relationships rooted in respect, accountability, and a genuine desire for cooperation and understanding across differences. 

His writing and organizing center the belief that all workers, families, and communities deserve the rights, resources, and space to shape their lives with dignity. Whether through political analysis, editorial work, or visual communication, he strives to make complex ideas accessible and to support movements working toward justice, equity, and collective liberation.