Montreal will spend $340,000 this year to strengthen the bonds between Indigenous people and Montrealers.
Mayor Denis Coderre said Friday everyone should be part of a reconciliation process with First Nations.
“Reconciliation doesn't mean we that we have to redo the past, it means that we have to recognize it and look ahead for the future, for our children and for the benefit of our planet,” he said.
The city’s Indigenous population has soared and Coderre said people should know about Montreal’s heritage.
He said that though the city is making a big splash with its 375th anniversary, we all should also recognize the history of Indigenous people who have been here for thousands of years.
Coderre told Indigenous leaders at city hall that the two histories can live and thrive side by side.
The city intends to change its coat of arms and flag, which now recognize the French, English, Irish and Scottish people but not Indigenous people, after consultation with Indigenous leaders.
Money will also be spent to educate city employees about Indigenous culture and $50,000 of the new funding will go to Aboriginal television station APTN.
Coderre and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Chief Christine Zachary-Deom agree reconciliation is a complex but worthwhile process.
“Reconciliation - one of the hardest points about that is understanding yourself, having respect, being educated, educating the people that you live around, it’s so important,” added Zachary-Deom.
Zachary-Deom said other Canadian cities should use Montreal as an example to forge closer ties between all people.
