From the comments: ‘These are Canada-wide issues.’ Readers respond to reports of racism against indigenous people in Thunder Bay

I live in Thunder Bay - I’ve lived elsewhere (Asia, Toronto, Ottawa). There is racism towards native people here. There has been many cases where the police have failed victims of violent crime. Having said that, to state that the racism here is the cause of issues like youth death, drownings, murders, etc, is a major error in logic. Today’s racism didn’t cause the deaths. The murders that have been solved were usually perpetrated by known associates of the victims and usually victim and assailant have been of the same socio-economic strata as well as race (in the vast majority of solved crimes). The racism doesn’t help things, it would be very difficult being a native person in a small town in Canada, but today’s racism is not the cause of these deaths. It would also be difficult being a police officer in Thunder Bay, dealing with the same people and the same issues on a daily basis (native or not). The problems being reported on are issues that have deep roots - they’re Canada’s problems - the drug issues, abuse and death that result from these problems are more prevalent in remote communities, these issues have grown and spread to here.

Fellow Thunder Bay resident here, and I could not agree more. Racism absolutely exists here and it is not unilateral. As you mentioned, there are additional, deeper problems that add to the issues in Thunder Bay. One issue is that exiles from northern communities are sent here (as well as Sioux Lookout and Kenora) and expected to "figure it out" - these exiles are the ones too violent or destructive to remain in their home communities. Another issue is that support networks for visiting students from northern communities are lacking or non-existent. Sometimes, due to their own traumas, parents are not well positioned to support their kids with substance abuse. These are Canada-wide issues. Progress cannot be made without acknowledgement of the issues. To say that everything bad that has happened is due to racism is a very easy answer to a complex question - an answer that requires little to no action other than shaming Thunder Bay and its residents then moving on to the next hot topic.

I grew up there; none of this is news. I have noted some comments on this article suggesting that to some degree the Indigenous people of Thunder Bay bring it on themselves and/or have a "victim mentality." Statements like that miss the mark in two ways. First, they miss the fact that only racists are responsible for their racism, and secondly, they miss the significance of the long, deep and painful roots of racism toward Indigenous people today. It's not as if Indigenous people woke up one morning and decided that their culture and communities should be almost destroyed and then decided to carry on as though nothing happened.

Thank you Globe and Mail, for once again pushing light into dark places. There are many Thunder Bays across Canada, and we must stand up and push back against racism against Indigenous people, who are owed so much and deserve far better than this.

Thunder Bay is far from alone - Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg all deal with the same sad issues. The Globe article may have been more informative in dealing with the issue country wide. Having had direct dealings with many people in Thunder Bay, I can say that I have found them to be hard working, very decent people.

Reconciliation will only happen when the Indian Act is abolished, and support for Indigenous communities is the same as for all other communities across Canada.

Everything happens for a reason, and it usually has two sides. I believe instead of crying discrimination, we need a deeper analysis on why this happens. What is wrong with today's society is that we victimize/sensationalize too much without thoughtful analysis on the root cause. Unfortunately without addressing the root cause, the problem can never be resolved.