Strive to finish the work, says Fontaine

The University of New Brunswick has awarded former Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Phil Fontaine an honorary degree. Fontaine was one of five individuals who were presented with honorary degrees at a ceremony held at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning on Sept. 23.
The event was called A Celebration of Canadian Spirit and it was held in conjunction with UNB’s 225th anniversary festivities.

Officials from UNB, which is the nation’s oldest English-language university, decided to honor five Canadians who have played instrumental roles in building the country.
Besides Fontaine, the others honoured were Olympian Clara Hughes, Canadian pioneer in poverty reduction Carolyn Acker, business leader Purdy Crawford and global strategist and corporate visionary Alan MacGibbon.

The event was co-hosted by a pair of distinguished UNB alumni, iconic singer Anne Murray and Frank McKenna, New Brunswick’s former premier.

“In honoring me with this degree you honour others as well,” Fontaine told the assembled audience, adding First Nations children, women and men who will never have their names in history books deserve recognition.

New Brunswick’s Lieutenant-Governor Graydon Nicholas also attended the ceremony. And he spoke highly of Fontaine.

“Phil, you are truly an inspiration to all First Nations people and to all Canadians,” he said.

All of the recipients of the honorary degrees spoke at the ceremony on a topic of their choice. Fontaine’s speech was titled “Reconciliation: What It Could Mean For Canada.”

Fontaine told Windspeaker it was a topic he selected as he is keen to keep reconciliation in the spotlight.

While he was the national chief, one of Fontaine’s biggest accomplishments was the successful resolution of claims which arose from the damage done to First Nations people by the residential school system. This agreement led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Fontaine was also present in June 2008 in the House of Commons when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued his historic apology on behalf of the national government for the country’s role in the operation of residential schools.

Fontaine received a subsequent statement of regret from Pope Benedict on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church. Fontaine believes, however, there is a long way to go for reconciliation to actually take place in Canada.

“This will not happen overnight,” he said. “It is a multi-generational process.”

And it is a process that requires many things to happen.
“As long as Aboriginal people feel like aliens in their own country, reconciliation will not occur,” Fontaine added.
During his speech Fontaine outlined some things that must happen for reconciliation to take place.

For example, making Native studies compulsory in school. And having Canadians enjoy going to a powwow as much as they like attending a hockey game.

It’s also imperative, Fontaine said, for Canadians to start talking about the three founding people of this country; the Indigenous, French and British.

During his speech, Fontaine also quoted the final paragraph of the second inauguration speech given by former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. It reads as follows.

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

These words can easily also be spoken about reconciliation today.

Other Canadian schools that have previously presented Fontaine with honorary degrees are Royal Military College, Brock University, University of Windsor, Lakehead University, University of Winnipeg and the University of Western Ontario.