At a recent Township of North Frontenac Council meeting, the second item on the agenda—before roads, zoning, or infrastructure, was a land acknowledgment recognizing Indigenous peoples as the original caretakers of the land and their relationship with “Mother Earth.” It’s a sentiment that has become common across Canada, appearing in council meetings, classrooms, and official documents.
But as a lifelong Canadian, a millennial, and a resident of rural Ontario, I believe it’s time we start asking some hard but respectful questions. Not about the past, which has been endlessly studied, apologized for, and compensated. But about our present. About where we’re headed. About whether the principles of fairness, secular governance, and shared citizenship are still guiding us…or whether we’re replacing those with division, guilt, and preferential treatment.
Let’s be clear: reconciliation is a worthy and necessary pursuit. But it must include dialogue. And dialogue is only honest when all voices can speak without fear of being silenced by accusations of racism or ignorance. That’s not reconciliation. That’s orthodoxy.
We’re told to acknowledge “Mother Earth” in civic forums. But many of us—respectfully—do not share that belief system. I don’t follow Indigenous spirituality any more than I follow Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism. I have my own understanding of spirituality, and it doesn’t involve public policy. Yet increasingly, Indigenous spiritual language is embedded in government documents and public ceremonies, while we are also told Canada is a secular country. So which is it?
This matters, especially at the local level. Here in North Frontenac, we face serious challenges: the cost of living is rising, our roads need repair, emergency services are stretched thin, and young families are struggling to find economic opportunities. Amid these issues, billions of taxpayer dollars are being directed, to support Indigenous communities. But where is the accountability? How are we, as taxpayers, supposed to understand where this money goes, especially when many reserves continue to suffer from poverty, lack of services, and in some cases, open criminal activity?
These are uncomfortable questions, but they are not illegitimate. We hear little about systemic corruption, economic transparency, or performance outcomes tied to this funding. Are we really helping Indigenous people if billions are spent without measurable improvement or are we simply maintaining a cycle of dependency, grievance, and political guilt?
Many Indigenous individuals have already stepped away from this cycle. They live integrated, successful lives off-reserve. They contribute to our economy, build community, and reject the narrative that victimhood must be inherited. This is not an attack on Indigenous identity, it is a challenge to the systems that claim to protect it while failing to deliver progress.
We must also talk about equality. In Canada, equality has to mean something. It cannot mean one set of laws and expectations for some, and another for others, based solely on ancestry. Yet we’re seeing legal and political decisions increasingly shaped by demands for special treatment land access, tax exemption, and consultation rights that go beyond what is reasonable in a shared democracy.
Here in North Frontenac, we are not immune to these pressures. And many of us are wondering: why does our local council repeat spiritual statements as if they’re civic fact? Why are local policies shaped around beliefs many of us do not share? Why are we treated as intolerant or backwards simply for asking?
If reconciliation means moving forward together, it must be built on shared values, not exemptions, not guilt, and not silence. And if the Canadian state is to remain a place where all voices matter equally, then we must be able to speak even if what we say is uncomfortable.
That includes asking where the money goes. That includes questioning policies that embed religious beliefs into public governance. And that includes stating clearly: we are all Canadians. No one is more Canadian than another because of birthright or history.
We in North Frontenac are not trying to erase anyone’s past. But we are trying to secure a future—for everyone. And that future will only thrive if it is built on mutual respect, common responsibility, and yes, the courage to ask questions out loud.
This Article was originally published June9 2025. i was Intimidated by Local residents and called Racist for simply publishing this editorial. Today, Jan 6 2026, I am making this Editorial public again. partly out of more confidence to be able to back myself up in debate over this subject, and part our community has grown more mature to be able to accept and discuss this topic in a mature manner.
