Several things stood out from Monday’s March for the Children in Chemainus, hosted by the Penelakut Tribe.
The enormous turnout itself was quite impressive. We seldom see such a large crowd in town at once for any cause, celebration or event.
The reason behind the gathering is well-known to everyone by now. Numerous speakers provided further insight into the feelings being experienced by so many Indigenous people.
Local, provincial and federal political representatives all attended and each took their turn addressing the audience. Sometimes comments made at a gathering such as this get lost in the shuffle, but one simple statement by North Cowichan Coun. Rosalie Sawrie spoke volumes.
“We have a lot to do together,” she said.
And that’s the key, togetherness. Nothing can be accomplished unless we all get on the same page and work together, no matter what the cause might be.
Sawrie mentioned not only the residential school situation, but also climate change, the opioid crisis, wildfires and a housing shortage compounded by homelessness.
There’s so much going on right now that’s in need of hard work to rectify. The togetherness shown by people from all walks of life who attended the march is a good start on the local front, at least.
“This really is an amazing moment to see so many of us gathered together for something so important,” Sawrie said.
The same effort on everyone’s part is going to be required on all these other issues. The bottom line is we must do better to solve the serious situations that are facing our world today.
It shouldn’t take much motivation. We all want a better life today, but to make the necessary changes to leave this planet in better shape for future generations.
The march and subsequent ceremony at Waterwheel Park left an impression on people to pull up their socks and aid in the process of healing, recovery and taking the necessary positive steps forward.
The path ahead is lined with hope. Without hope, we have nothing.
Common ground is the way to go. We’ve already seen how powerful a movement from people can be.