Refers to challenging colonial influences and dismantling and replacing structures that perpetuate the status quo using Indigenous perspectives.

Decolonization is a long-term process involving the bureaucratic, cultural, linguistic, psychological, and spiritual divesting of colonial power and simultaneous promotion of Indigeneity. It includes an acknowledgement of settler privilege or proximity to it.

A common misunderstanding is that decolonization is an attempt to re-establish the conditions of a pre-colonial North America and would require a mass departure of all non-Indigenous people from the continent. That is not the goal. As Canadians, we can all take part in building a genuine decolonization movement. This movement would respect the land on which we are all living and the people to whom it inherently belongs.

See also: Colonization

References:

2021 National Action Plan. 2021 missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people national action plan: Ending violence against indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Pulling Together: Foundations Guide by Kory Wilson and Colleen Hodgson (MNBC),

Ricketts, R. (2021). Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy. Atria Books.