On June 13, several members of the Spruce team attended a public citizenship ceremony at the Museum of History in Gatineau. Under the Grand Hall’s totem poles and shoreline houses of First Peoples of Canada’s Pacific Coast, 48 people from 18 different countries were sworn in as new Canadian citizens. We thought it was a wonderful event, both serious and sincere, full of emotion and pageantry.
We were there for the launch of a new video that Spruce produced for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Canada’s first Métis Citizenship Judge, Suzanne Carrière, presided over the ceremony and presented the video, in which she is featured. As she explained, the video’s purpose is to introduce new Canadians to this land’s rich diversity of Indigenous cultures, to help explain the country’s colonial history and to explain the national project of Reconciliation in the words of Indigenous Peoples.
“Welcome, there is room” will be played at all future citizenship ceremonies. It features First Nations, Inuit and Métis folks, showcases a variety of geographic regions from coast to coast to coast, and offers a wealth of greetings and messages in many Indigenous languages.
We collaborated with First Peoples Group, a 100% Indigenous-owned-and-operated consultancy, to develop this project. Their team conceived the theme, wrote the script and reviewed the edits through a cultural lens, while our team managed, filmed and edited the video. Though Spruce is a majority Indigenous-owned firm, our team is primarily non-Indigenous and we recognize the need to partner with Indigenous firms and creatives to ensure their voices are centered. Collaborating with Indigenous partners is always a chance for our team to listen, learn and grow.
The experience of witnessing the citizenship ceremony was a moving one for our team, particularly with the emphasis on including Indigenous voices in its welcome of new Canadians. We believe Reconciliation can help lead us to a more equitable, just and sustainable country. This hinges on listening and learning from Indigenous Peoples, acknowledging past wrongs, committing to collective responsibility and working together. We hope that this video will help new Canadians join this project of Reconciliation and make them feel welcomed by Indigenous Peoples to their new home.
Joseph Mathieu is an Account Manager and Writer at Spruce.
