Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 2nd, 2018

[Travis Gladue]

When I was looking into my great-grandfather Maxime Beauregard, it was tough. I was sitting around one day with family and I wondered where he was buried. Nobody knew in our home community. I think most people want to know their identity, where they come from, their roots. He died in 1963. That's a big gap up until 2017 or 2016.

It's the same thing with these artifacts, because the people who made these.... Some of the other band members from my community were starting to find out and come forward to say, “That's my grampa”, “That's my grandmother”, “That's my great-grandfather”. This was tying in a piece of their own history that they didn't even know about themselves. The process is a little bit painful because you find out the history behind it, but we can't change that, and that is a part of who we are. However, it's about moving forward together in reconciliation, walking together. What does that look like?

Having that community understanding that engaged with the history has also provided a lot of insight on where the healing can come in. There were a lot of members, as I said, who didn't know about these things, and having that identity restored has really been able to bring a lot of people together in understanding. As I said, Canadians and indigenous people—Métis, first nation, Inuit—can really start working together, working through those barriers.

I hope that answers your questions.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Absolutely. I'll speak in French here because I want to precisely choose my words. I have so much respect for the translators. They will find the right word.

If I understand correctly, not only have horrible things happened in our history in terms of injustices committed against you, but in addition, over time, voluntarily or not, all traces of those injustices have practically been erased. You are trying to find those traces to determine your place in history. You were talking about your grandfather who practically disappeared. So, yes, you are answering my question.

I commend you for that.

A real issue still exists, that of artifact preservation, and you talked about its costs.

Do you think the possibility of using business participation, local sponsorships, should be considered? For example, I am sure that, in Wabasca, major employers could be interested in that kind of a program.

We talked a great deal about funding during our studies on museums. It was a matter of encouraging companies and citizens to give money to foundations—money that would generate interest and help enhance companies' and museums' budgets.

Would you be interested in your major local companies providing sponsorship services and helping you find your roots?

[Travis Gladue]

That's a great question. That has been brought up, about sponsorship from the private sector and from industry.

I think it would be good to have a sponsorship, but what does that look like? Is this going to be some agreement that we write up with, for example, Al-Pac, and it's only for 18 months or two years? What happens after that?

I think it could be a good idea in theory, but again, we're going into uncharted territory. If we're going to go that route, it has to be a long-term commitment. It can't just be that they'll throw us a couple of bucks for a couple of years, because upkeep and maintenance is a dedication within itself. I think also there's educating the people in the community, as well. That's going to take resources; that's going to take time.

These are the things you have to look at as important components, but I think the private sector can play a role.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

But it has to be a serious commitment, not just a yearly thing.

[Travis Gladue]

That's right, you can't just have lip service.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dabrusin]

I think the word you were looking for, by the way, Mr. Nantel, was endowment—the endowment programs that we were talking about.

We will now go to Ms. Dhillon, please, for your questions.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My first question will be for Mr. Gladue. When do you foresee the BCN museum opening up?

[Travis Gladue]

Can you repeat that please? Sorry, I was distracted.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

That's okay.

When do you foresee the BCN museum opening up?

[Travis Gladue]

Right now the facility is built. I just spoke to the museum society here last week, and the big hurdle that we're running into is lack of funding. We're pretty much ready to go, but we just need these important components that we're talking about today. We don't have money put aside to hire an employee. We don't have a budget put aside to get new cases. My understanding is that we need special lighting and heating for some of the rooms. There are pictures here in the slide show of the facility.

If we had the right checks and balances in place, we could be good to go tomorrow, in theory, but realistically I'd say that we're maybe six to eight months from now to opening.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Okay, and it's taken a decade so far to put everything together.

[Travis Gladue]

Definitely. For the elder, Mike Beaver, who started it, it was kind of a vision, and now seeing other members and a younger generation taking this on.... As an elder you can do only so much in travelling time and commitment. Then you see a lot of other people taking the effort and time to fill in that void.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

When it comes to the repatriation of the artifacts, you mentioned in your testimony that because there was nowhere to house them, you had difficulty repatriating them. Is that the only reason?

[Travis Gladue]

We couldn't house them...?

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Yes, exactly, from what you have said....

[Travis Gladue]

Well, prior to that, I don't think members even knew or were aware that these items were there. As I said, I came across this when I was doing my own personal research on my great-grandfather.

It was like I stumbled upon it. It wasn't as if I had said, “Oh, I'm going to go find out where all this is.” No, I was looking for my great-grandfather. I wanted to know where he was, and then I came across this.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Have the museums explained why, even if they are in possession of them and they do have the proper conditions to display the artifacts, they don't do so?

[Travis Gladue]

In the case of the RAM, the reason is that they didn't have enough room. That was what they told me.

Also, it wasn't within what they had set up in their indigenous display. We do have one item that is currently displayed right now at the new facility. It's actually a moss bag that's there right now.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

That is one out of the 11 you've mentioned.

[Travis Gladue]

That's correct.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

You would be getting all 11 artifacts should your museum be able to have the proper conditions to display them.

Can you tell us how your organization would help the federal government in making a national action plan? Which stakeholders do you think would be good to have involved in this?

[Travis Gladue]

I think collective community engagement would be number one, getting involved with the elders and the families and getting their input and insights.

Also, there would be the gathering of that information and working with the museums to get them to consult and educate the communities on how to care for them. This is something that would have to be collectively worked through for a period of time.

I think that my organization—and I don't even like to say “my” because this is a team effort—just wants to be involved. I think that there are a lot of young people who want to be educated about this. I think that creating those programs or creating those opportunities will allow those doors to open so that one day we can just be self-sustainable and can house and take care of them ourselves, but how do we do that?

There are components here that have to be looked at and can't be left out.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Are there other organizations that are now coming up, such as yours, to help with the repatriation of artifacts?

[Travis Gladue]

I know of one young man, whose name is Jesse Donovan. He is currently working on the repatriation of the Louis Riel artifact. I believe it's at a museum in Manitoba. They have an artifact there, and he has been working with them collectively with the Manitoba Métis Federation.