Reconciliation and relationship-building: Sask. Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty reflects on 2021

Russ Mirasty, Saskatchewan's first Indigenous lieutenant-governor, looks back on 2021 with Sam Maciag, host of CBC Saskatchewan News at 6.

Mirasty discussed highlights from the year, his hopes for 2022 and how he has incorporated his Indigenous identity into his role as the Queen's representative.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Q: Looking back on 2021, what do you think you'll remember most about it? 

A: I hate to say it, but probably COVID-19 and how it impacted not only my work, but everybody else's work and lives. That's probably the number one thing I'll remember about this past year when I reflect on it down the road. But at the same time, thinking about the resilience of people and obviously Saskatchewan people and how they've managed to live through this period in our history.

Q: What are some things that you were able to do personally and professionally this year that made you happy that you were able to take part in? 

A: After I thought through how I would perform my duties as lieutenant-governor and accepted that most of that would be virtual or written messages, which I do quite often, then it was a matter of reconnecting with those organizations that we would normally visit in person.

And so the first opportunity to do that was really a happy moment for me and for Donna [Mirasty's wife], because Donna is always with me at these events, especially the in-person events. So being able to go out and actually meet people in person the first time, that was uplifting. 

Q: What were some of your goals when you were appointed as the Queen's representative two years ago?

A: Lieutenant-governors have the opportunity to put their support behind issues or topics that are important to them on a personal, maybe even a professional level, before they became the lieutenant-governor. For me, it was a little bit of both.

I had done some work with the Ministry of Education just after I left the RCMP and that reinforced my belief in the importance of education, particularly for Indigenous people. And so that was at the forefront of my thinking: How can I support students who are struggling to stay in school and to achieve the outcomes that they want?

And along with that, just that relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people here in the province. And that goes back to my time in the RCMP — very much of a concern, if I can put it that way, but also just thinking about it as an obstacle to really creating those strong relationships that we need to create that positive change we need across our communities here in the province and across the country, for that matter. 

That led to me thinking about something more broad because I have varied interests and certainly you can only do so much. And so I started thinking: what is all encompassing in this period of time in our history? And I settled on reconciliation.

When I think about reconciliation, it includes relationship-building. In fact, that's the foundation of true reconciliation is to have strong relationships and also thinking about how youth fit into that picture of reconciliation because the future is about them, about us to a certain extent, but more so for young people and what we leave behind for them in terms of relationships, in terms of understanding, in terms of coming together as different peoples for a better future for all.

Ultimately that's where my thinking lies day-to-day because it's something that I've lived and I thought about in my career with the RCMP, but also as a young Indigenous person growing up on a reserve in northern Saskatchewan.

Very early on, I saw the differences between life on the reserve and life in the town of La Ronge and what people had, what people didn't have and why my friends and relatives didn't graduate from high school when I did. And so this thinking is founded on many years of personal experience and observations. 

Q: Have you made inroads or progress on those goals, especially over the last year as you've been able to see people? 

A: Progress is hard to measure, but I certainly get positive feedback in terms of my involvement and my statements. Just talking to people across the province getting feedback, the vast majority of that is very positive and remembering I'm only one person.

Certainly being a lieutenant-governor gives me the opportunity to be in positions or in conversations that I might not otherwise have, and with people that have a lot more influence than I do. So I do think about that and whether or not I'm having an impact. But I think at the end of the day, each of us has to be satisfied with what we do on an individual basis. So far, I am. 

Q: You've been able to participate in more events the last 12 months versus 2020 and at those events you've been able to speak Cree. How has it felt being able to use your language in such a public way?

A: My language is a gift. Coming into the office, Donna and I, who [speaks a different dialect of Cree], we talked about how we could incorporate Cree into our work to create understanding, to educate, to allow other people to hear the language and appreciate the language for what it is. It's a reflection of who I am, a reflection of my community and to a certain degree of Indigenous people here in the province.

So as we look forward to the work, how do we bring young people into this world to allow them to have a better view, I suppose, and look for ways to better work with non-Indigenous people and for the benefit of all. 

Q: Canada had its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. What did it mean to you? 

A: It's an important day because it really is about an important, although dark period in our history. I'm talking about not only Saskatchewan, but the country. But to bring it to the forefront and to be recognized by a special day, I think was an important step for Canada.

For me personally, beyond that, I'm a residential school survivor, second generation. I know and I still see to this day the ongoing impacts of that period of history. I think it's important for all Canadians to have some understanding of what that means, what that period of time did to our people, to Indigenous people and the ongoing impacts. 

When we talk about moving forward, the first step is really about understanding. So creating a special day brings more attention to residential schools and gives an opportunity for people to try to better understand what that means. Because as with many issues, you hear people say, 'Well, that's part of our history, it impacts us in a bad way ... move on.' With residential schools, we can't do that.

It's such an important conversation that needs to continue so that understanding goes on, goes deeper, so people then can be in a better position to say, 'OK, I understand and I know how I can move on and maybe how I can help my community, or my family even, move on from this.'

Q: How do you see your role as lieutenant-governor helping move reconciliation along in Saskatchewan or in the country as a whole? 

A: As I've said, I'm in a unique position because I'm indigenous and I went to residential school so I have that lived experience that I can share. I'm kind of standing in two worlds here. I come from an Indigenous world but work in a predominantly non-Indigenous world. And so that gives me the opportunity to support one group and on the other hand, educate and support people that don't know enough about the issue.

And so traveling around and talking about it, incorporating reconciliation into some of my presentations, is something that I can continue to do.

More concretely here at Government House, I made the decision to initiate discussions with the provincial government on establishing a memorial for residential schools, and so that work is ongoing. I received support and based on a proposal to the government that this would be a good place to have that. And so that work continues, and I think that will be a lasting monument of the time for future generations to come and look at it, see it and hopefully learn from it.

Q: Since you've been appointed, we now have the first Indigenous governor general. How important is it for Indigenous people to be in these highly visible leadership roles?

A: It's extremely important. I'll go back to the fact that Indigenous people are the first peoples of this land. Why shouldn't we occupy those positions at every level in every sector and bring that unique perspective into those positions?

When I heard about Mary Simon being appointed the governor general, that was great news. [She's] a very experienced person who brings not only lived experience but professional experience to the role and I think with a great deal of credibility so she will further those conversations that I spoke about here. Particularly, she's talked about reconciliation being very important.

And so being an Indigenous person, I think, gives her that unique perspective to be able to have very personal but also meaningful conversations with people across Canada. 

Q: What are your hopes for 2022? 

A: It's an unfortunate reality, but to get over this obstacle of COVID. As we're told by professionals, it'll always be here with us, but to get to a point where it's manageable and we can carry on in a normal way, which will then allow Donna and I to get back out, meeting people, attending events and recognizing people, awarding people for their accomplishments and really just being able to get out there and do the best we can with what we're given.