Ask Me Anything: National Indigenous History Month Honouring History and Heritage

June 21, 2021 - Defence Stories

Featuring: Garrison Garrow and Jacinthe Grondin

Co-hosted by: Nicole Elmy and Samantha Moonsammy  

Date and time: Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 1:00PM - 2:30PM EST

Audience: Open to all Government of Canada employees

To register: Registration Form

Link: MS Team live events

Information and resources for the AMA: National Indigenous History Month can be found here. The resource guide includes a facilitation guide so that you can continue the conversation.

Past recordings of AMAs can be viewed at this YouTube link. (Please visit the link using a personal device shorturl.at/hzEMS )

Event Description

Join us as we welcome our speakers Garrison Garrow and Jacinthe Grondin to the Ask Me Anything stage. This month we will be honouring National Indigenous History Month through learning more about First Nations teachings in Ontario and Quebec.

The Seven Grandfather teachings—also called Seven Sacred Teachings— are a set of Anishinaabe guiding principles passed down from generation to generation to guide the way of life.  Almost all First Nation people have adopted and adapted those teachings because they are simple, relatable and provide a moral compass. These teachings offer ways to enrich life while existing in peace and harmony with all of creation. As we apply these teachings or gifts of knowledge our experience of living improves. To incorporate these gifts into our daily lives is an ongoing challenge. It requires attention, discipline and perseverance.

Relating to their own life experience, Garrison Garrow and Jacinthe Grondin will share how they integrate those teachings in their own way of being and how it impacts their identity.

Registration

We encourage everyone to register for our session via the registration form. This session will not include live questions directed to the panelists; however, moderators will be responding to questions in real time during the discussion.

If you are interested in being a speaker at an upcoming Ask Me Anything or if you need accommodation to participate please contact Katie.freer@canada.ca or Samantha.moonsammy@forces.gc.ca or CCG Internal Communications Team.

Panelists

Who is Garrison Garrow?

Garrison is Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) Turtle clan from Akwesasne, a Haudenosaunee community that straddles the Canada, US border. As a child his family moved to the East coast where he grew up in the territory of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet while living in non-Indigenous communities. Usually he was the only Indigenous person in his school and always the only one in his classes, so this meant he had to understand how to live in the two worlds. Something that can only be possible by being firmly rooted in his culture and learning what it means to be adaptable, balanced and resilient.

He has been a public servant for over 20 years, in many different area but always serving Indigenous peoples. He is also a proud father and an artist.

Who is Jacinthe Grondin?

Jacinthe is a woman, daughter, spouse, mother, grand-mother and friend. Born from an Algonquin mother (Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes), yet raised in French-Canadian environment, she was strongly influenced by Anishinabek Indigenous teachings (Abenaki and Algonquin) by the women who cared for her in her early years. Her childhood has shaped her deep-rooted worldviews, which she has struggled to harmonize with Western values. As she became a grand-mother, Jacinthe decided to fully embrace her Indigenous identity through advocating for Indigenous women rights. She is also accepting the role of teaching her grand-daughter the important traditional knowledge she has been taught, continuing this cycle of intergenerational knowledge transmitting.

For a living, Jacinthe has been working as a policy analyst in law-related issues for 15 years; after her initial career in private sector. She is also a Canadian School of Public Service Facilitator for Indigenous awareness Series.

About the Ask Me Anything Series

This is the sixth in our series of Ask Me Anything Sessions that are giving us a platform to share stories, listen, ask respectful questions and continue on our journey to becoming more inclusive organizations.

As individuals you can’t necessarily change where you live, you certainly can’t change your past, but you can adjust who influences you—through the authors you read, music you listen to, movies you watch and interactions with your community. The Ask Me Anything series provides you with an opportunity to increase your perspective—to learn from the lived-experiences of individuals who are bravely sharing their experiences to help educate and move the public service towards a culture where equity is embedded.

The series also provides an opportunity for you to know that you aren’t alone, these experiences, especially the negative ones are systemic and happen all too frequently throughout the public service. The objective by shining this light is to continually increase the network of public servants ready to take action and move forward towards a culture of inclusivity and belonging.

Mission - Ask Me Anything Series

We recognize that individuals are composed of a multitude of layers that make us who we are. We do not fit easily in one box or another and we can’t be neatly counted. We represent the mosaic of Canada.

It is important that we find value in each other’s experiences, differences and unique characteristics. When we build our cultural competency we are able to work better together in our teams and respond to each other with relevance, empathy and compassion. By celebrating and sharing our authentic selves, we gain greater appreciation of each other and the diversity that surrounds us.

We know through diversity, workplaces and communities are stronger, more successful and resilient. And most important, it creates spaces of inclusion and fosters a workplace of belonging where people feel valued.

Thank you to our contributors

Thank you to our contributors from across the Public Service of Canada – Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Crown and Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNA), Health Canada and National Defence.

Series Contributors: Katie Freer and Samantha Moonsammy, Terri-Ann Hurst, Natasha Lim, Tara Lockhart, Melissa Michaud, Lyrique Richards, Shelby Racine, Jasmine Cousineau

Content creators: Garrison Garrow, Jacinthe Grondin and Nicole Elmy

Honouring Indigenous Nations

Message from the AMA Series Contributors:

We remember and honour the 215 children whose remains were recently uncovered at Kamloops Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, British Columbia. We also acknowledge and honour the indigenous lives, cultures, languages and histories that were lost at other residential schools across the country. We remember and honour all of the Indigenous children who never made it home. We also acknowledge and grieve with the survivors, their families and those who continue to live with the enduring and intergenerational trauma of the residential school system.

Support and Resources:

A National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. You can find information on the Indigenous Services Canada website or access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Crisis Line, also known as, the Indian Residential School Survivors and Family crisis line at 1-866-925-4419. Additional support can also be found at the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program 1-877-477-0775.

The Employee Assistance Program and the Wellness Together Portal are also available 24/7 to all employees. For employees who are First Nation, Métis or Inuit, support is also available through Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310. In addition, for individuals wanting to know more about the residential school system please visit the Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) website (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website).