Identifying as indigenous is not really an issue if you can legitimately trace your heritage back to a band.

​

The bigger issue is that many in the academic space have appointed themselves as the leaders of the reconciliation movement and treat all indigenous people as a uniformed identity. First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people all have very different and unique cultures and have unique issues.

​

For instance, a ton of Metis people typically have white complexions, yet still typically are in lower income brackets than the average Canadian. They obviously have more "privilege" than the average indigenous person, but are still typically economically struggling due to historical interference by the government.

​

If you ever have a dialogue with an elder, they are open to more people identifying with their indigenous routes, but what every single one makes clear, is that you should NOT act as a leader for all indigenous people. It's not, and never will be, one autonomous group. Yet, people (specifically in the academic and political fields) keep ignoring that. Or worse, they will find a token indigenous person who agrees with whatever hypothesis they have, and use them as a marketing tool of sorts.

​

The divisive rhetoric in the reconciliation movement almost exclusively comes from these actors and is not remotely in the spirt of the Truth & Reconciliation report.