Genocide: The blood watering a nation

What’s in the fabric of this nation? Is the red for all the blood spilled by colonialists? How much blood is on the hands of the fathers of this nation? The 215 bodies discovered in British Columbia several months ago are just a portion of it. Another blood stain to the nation was shockingly discovered weeks later as 751 more bodies were uncovered in Saskatchewan, another Canadian province. That’s quite alarming and disturbing. But over 900 bodies of indigenous children as young as the age 3 is disgraceful, appalling and a massive wake-up call. This feels like it is only the tip of the iceberg. People always seem to have this impression of Canada being a sweet, lovely place but the fact of the matter is there is nothing sweet or to be celebrated about a nation that has covered up blatant genocide. It’s very apparent that there are a lot more demons buried in the soil of this nation. Like African American/Canadians, the Indigenous people of this nation have always been given the short end of the stick. Widespread systemic injustices have been swept under the rug in Canada for far too long and now the mound can no longer go unnoticed. Residential schools have long been a major problem with great concern expressed by First Nation officials and survivors but have been continually dismissed. The sole purpose of residential schools was to divide a race and rob the people of their culture and language, the same thing that happened to African slaves in many parts of the world. Along with families being separated because of residential schools other key issues that affect the Indigenous community include:

• Poorer health. ...

• Lower levels of education. ...

• Inadequate housing and crowded living conditions. ...

• Lower income levels. ...

• Higher rates of unemployment. ...

• Higher levels of incarceration. ...

• Higher death rate among children and youth due unintentional injuries. ...

• Higher rates of suicide.

Source: Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.


More proof of genocide especially considering another major problem that has affected the Indigenous community that has been kept quiet - the alarming rate of missing, murdered, indigenous women (MMIW) in Canada and the US. It’s been seen before but this incident rocks people to the core because they were babies and children. The uncovering of all the bodies is just another reminder that this is stolen land and makes any decent human being wonder what else has the government been hiding? What other heinous crimes against humanity have been buried away? What other acts of genocide have the Indigenous community been subject to? For decades their voices were shot down with skepticism but now the shots are coming back on the nation like a boomerang.

The story of Amber Tuccaro’s unsolved murder represents the short arm of the law. Mishandled so poorly that a RCMP investigator quit to become a private investigator and really get to the bottom of the facts. Some of the key facts include she was trying to hitchhike from Nisku, Alberta to Edmonton, Alberta (never to be seen again), the infamous phone call recording of her talking to mysterious man who was supposed to drive her to Edmonton and police only publicly released a very small portion of the 17 minute phone call, 2 years after having it in their possession.

Why even hitchhike? For many Indigenous people the mindset of hitchhiking is that it is not only a way of life, a lot of the time it is an absolute necessity. While some Aboriginals prefer this method of travel, for most, it is the only way to get from one place to another because they come from reservations, live remotely and don’t have the resources to afford a car.

Next month, her disappearance is about to mark 11 years of being unsolved yet her story is pretty clear. Multiple women came forward confirming the voice as the same individual but it was dismissed by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). How can that go unnoticed? I believe that if somebody important is being covered for it can. It’s so shameful that those leads were not properly pursued. Many YouTube videos share her story and the facts just don’t add up. It’s a deep rabbit hole to dive into and it gets even deeper if you can stomach the atrocity. 3 different women come forward identifying the same voice from the same person - a man with a vile reputation named Pat Carson. However, the allegations were quickly dismissed by the RCMP even though it’s hard to ignore in my and many people’s opinion.

Some other things to consider:

• Aboriginal women are almost 3 times as likely to be murdered by a stranger, compared to non-Aboriginal women.

• As of 2015, an alarming 53% of murder cases in a database maintained by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) remained unsolved.

• Police/RCMP were slow to react because of disbelief and once an investigation occurred most of Amber’s personal belongings were thrown in a dumpster instead of being combed through for possible evidence and/or returned to her family.

• It took 2 years for the RCMP to admit that Amber was not a runaway and indeed endangered.

• On September 1, 2012, just days after the short audio clip was released, Amber’s skeletal remains were discovered on a farmer’s field in Leduc County by horseback riders. An area just south of the Nisku Place Motel in Nisku, Alberta.

To quote former Governor General Michaëlle Jean at the relaunch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:

Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened. Treaties are broken constantly. Indigenous women go missing at an unimaginable rate 10 times the rate of non Indigenous women in Canada. Railroads and pipelines going through Indigenous communities is unacceptable yet still invades Indigenous communities and the education system just bypasses these horrible truths.

Some important timelines of decrees, Act, policies, reports, and events that have shaped Indigenous history in Canada are seen below: