P.D. Workman
asked
P.D. Workman:
You touch on the issue of residential schools in Out with the Sunset. Why did you address this subject? Was it because of the recent discovery in Kamloops?
P.D. Workman
The homicide detective in the Parks Pat series is Marguerite Patenaude, a Métis woman. Growing up, Margie saw the impact that the systemic abuses of the Residential School program had on her family. Her grandfather, who features in the story, is a residential school survivor, and his experiences still affect him decades later. He talks with Margie and her daughter about it and warns them about not letting others subvert their culture.
Out with the Sunset was written in September of 2020, before the discovery of the Kamloops graves was announced.
I have been concerned for a number of years about the intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools, living conditions on reservations, and discrimination faced by the Indigenous peoples in this land, and have written about some of these issues previously in Questing for a Dream. It is my hope that my writing can raise awareness and educate readers on both the history and the current conditions of those who have lived these experiences.
If you are also concerned about these harms, I would encourage you to write to your MP (if you are Canadian), encouraging the federal government to follow through on the calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in their final report in 2012 and the promises they have previously made with regard to such things as clean water, medical care, and keeping Indigenous families together.
You can also make a donation to a charity that benefits residential school survivors, such as the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Out with the Sunset was written in September of 2020, before the discovery of the Kamloops graves was announced.
I have been concerned for a number of years about the intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools, living conditions on reservations, and discrimination faced by the Indigenous peoples in this land, and have written about some of these issues previously in Questing for a Dream. It is my hope that my writing can raise awareness and educate readers on both the history and the current conditions of those who have lived these experiences.
If you are also concerned about these harms, I would encourage you to write to your MP (if you are Canadian), encouraging the federal government to follow through on the calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in their final report in 2012 and the promises they have previously made with regard to such things as clean water, medical care, and keeping Indigenous families together.
You can also make a donation to a charity that benefits residential school survivors, such as the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more