Chief Cadmus Delorme Shares a Message of Hope and Truth in Journeying Toward Reconciliation

Following a sold-out event that included participants from across our community and surrounding area, the Prince Albert Police Service is excited to share with our community a recording of the presentation featuring Chief Cadmus Delorme. The recording is available for viewing online at www.papolice.ca.

Chief Delorme, from the Cowessess First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, was the guest speaker at a special event in Prince Albert November 2 at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts. Chief Delorme spoke on the importance of our individual roles in truth and reconciliation, and how we can all move forward together.

The discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves in June 2021 at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School near Cowessess First Nation was covered by CBS’s 60 Minutes and has prompted conversations across the country about the impacts of residential schools and government policy on Indigenous families. Chief Delorme is at the forefront of many of these difficult conversations, helping to lead his community and our country through challenging times.

“Today, nobody created residential schools. Today, nobody created the Indian Act. Today, nobody created 60s Scoop. We all inherited the aftermath,” Chief Delorme said during the presentation. “In order to even get to reconciliation, we must first check ourselves at the door on ‘do we know the truth?’ Once we accept and understand the truth, reconciliation will come with so much more motivation, energy, and why.”

The recording of Chief Delorme’s presentation is being shared internally with all police service members, said Deputy Chief of Police Farica Prince.

“The history of Indigenous people in this land is heartbreaking and a tough truth to process, not only for Indigenous people but non-Indigenous people. Cadmus is right, none of us today had a part in the harmful policies and practices of the past but we all are 100% responsible for what happens moving forward,” Deputy Chief Prince said. “In sharing Chief Delorme’s message with those who couldn’t be there in person, we hope our community will be left feeling hopeful and motivated, and will continue to join us as we work toward understanding the truth and advancing reconciliation together.”

Chief of Police Jonathan Bergen said he was excited to welcome Chief Delorme and hear his message again following a delay due to the pandemic.

“In hearing his message previously, I felt very impacted and wanted to be able to share that with members in our organization,” Chief Bergen said. “We were able to hear that message shared on a much larger scale and together with our community in an important and compassionate way, and it was inspiring to see our community come together to support this important discussion on truth and reconciliation.”

An Evening Journey with Chief Cadmus Delorme was sponsored by Community Builder Malcolm Jenkins, with support from the Prince Albert Grand Council, the Municipal Cultural Action Plan and the Prince Albert Police Service. The Ironswing Singers opened the evening that also had performances by the Prince Albert Barveenok Ukrainian Dancers, with promotional support from the E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts, Prince Albert Daily Herald, PA Fastprint, and paNOW.

To view the presentation online, please click here.

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