Reconciliation is not a one-day event or a box to be checked. It is ongoing, uncomfortable, and necessary. As the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation marks ten years of work, the Bonnyville Friendship Centre is urging the community to move beyond symbolism and into action.

In a statement shared by CEO Janet Gobert, the message is clear: reconciliation requires honesty, responsibility, and a willingness to sit with discomfort.

Discomfort Is Part of the Work

“Movements are uncomfortable,” Gobert writes. That discomfort often shows up as denial — when people say the past is not their responsibility, that things are better now, or when they look away because the truth is hard to face.

According to Gobert, denial protects comfort, but it comes at a cost. It silences lived experiences, delays justice, and allows systemic harm to continue, particularly against Indigenous peoples.

At the Bonnyville Friendship Centre, those uncomfortable conversations are not avoided. They are confronted head on.

 

Accountability Starts With Individuals

Gobert emphasizes that reconciliation begins with personal accountability. That means recognizing injustice when it happens, speaking up even when it feels easier to stay silent, and being honest about the systems that continue to fail Indigenous communities.

“Silence is not neutrality,” she states. “It is complicity.”

 

Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Plus People

Each February, especially around Valentine’s Day, communities across Canada gather for Women’s Memorial Marches to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Plus people (MMIWG2S+).

These marches are rooted in love, remembrance, and resistance. The first march was held in 1992 following the murder of Cheryl Ann Joe, a woman from the shíshálh Nation. What began as a response to one tragic loss has grown into a national movement demanding dignity, justice, and accountability.

Participating in a Women’s Memorial March, Gobert says, challenges harmful stereotypes and restores humanity where it has long been denied.

 

The Numbers Tell a Hard Truth

The statistics underline why denial is not an option.

Indigenous women are four times more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience violence. They account for 16 percent of all female homicide victims and 11 percent of missing women in Canada, while making up just 4.3 percent of the population. They are also twice as likely to experience violence from a current or former partner.

“These are not just numbers,” Gobert writes. “They are lives, families, and futures.”

 

A Call to Show Up

The Bonnyville Friendship Centre is encouraging residents to attend a Women’s Memorial March, listen to the voices of families and communities, and commit to being part of real change.

Reconciliation, Gobert stresses, demands action over comfort. Reflection must lead to responsibility, and awareness must lead to action.