You Didn't Settle Anything, Right?

“I didn’t settle anything.” It’s one of the most common things settlers say when the topic of colonialism comes up. But the truth is, being a settler isn’t about what your ancestors did. It’s about where we stand now—and how we benefit from a system built on dispossession.

In this episode of Reconsidering Canada , host Chris Bolster explores what it means to be called a “settler” in a country that calls itself post-colonial. We examine how treaties were broken, land was redistributed, and stories were built to obscure the truth. Through the lens of the Papaschase Cree, the Dominion Lands Act, and contemporary reflections on race, immigration, and inherited position, we ask:

What kind of settler are you willing to be?

This isn’t about shame—it’s about responsibility. And it begins with facing the story we were never meant to see ourselves in.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of colonial violence, land dispossession, residential school legacies, and intergenerational trauma. Please take care while listening.

Credits: Reconsidering Canada is written and hosted by Chris Bolster. Theme music: “In Passage” by Blue Dot Sessions Production and editing by Chris Bolster

Further Learning:

• Dominion Lands Act – Library and Archives Canada

• Chelsea Vowel, “Beyond Territorial Acknowledgements” (âpihtawikosisân)

• Papaschase History – papaschase.ca

• Unsettling the Settler Within by Paulette Regan

• Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel