In reference to the article penned by John Young [“Near and Far: Let’s do the right thing,” June 30], rather than being enlightened, I have a few questions.
As you mentioned, Mr. Young, while working “for the wing of the BC premier’s office charged with knowing everything…one of my office mates at the time was a bright, affable fellow named John Horgan.”
By your own account, your work in the premier’s office was to “know everything.” Further, in “knowing everything” you became aware of the mistreatment and harm of Indigenous children from our communities that occurred at residential schools.
You qualified this statement by saying that hundreds, if not thousands of people, elected and unelected, including yourself as the “knower of everything,” were aware of everything that is now becoming public about the horrific and absolutely awful things that happened at these schools.
My questions to you are: When did you know about everything that is now, as you say, coming to light about residential schools? According to your article you state you had this knowledge in the early 1990s.
As the “knower of everything” in the 90s, working alongside your “office mate,” that knowledge became available to you. Yet is it now 30 years later that you wish to bring the reader’s attention to these facts? Thirty years of containing this knowledge to yourself? Thirty years of keeping this information of the trauma of our Indigenous brothers, sisters and their families quiet? I don’t understand.
What did you do with the information you gained at that time working with your “office mate” in the premier’s office? To whom did you reach out with the intention of working to engage and inform regarding the considerable pain and suffering thrust on Indigenous families?
With whom did you share the information regarding the havoc and life-changing trauma and deaths at these residential schools? Which agencies did you try to reach out to with the intention of acknowledging the resulting anger, hopelessness and loss, the constant reminder of the “survivors” of residential schools?
Pardon me if I’m mistaken, but after reading your article, I have read nothing other than this: You did nothing.
Carmel Behan, Sutherland Avenue
Powell River
