The Land We're On

The Centre’s Commitment to Decolonization and Reconciliation

Dialogue is rooted in relationships. For us to do the work we do, in a good way, we must acknowledge, reflect and continuously learn about our colonial history and its ongoing impact on the conversations and spaces that make up our work. As a Centre within an educational institution with colonial roots, we must also be conscious that the atrocities committed at Indian Residential Schools across Canada were done in the name of education. This creates the foundation from which we can work together in collaboration to address harms, uphold Indigenous knowledge and reimagine more just relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Our pledge

Through the participatory process for creating Beyond Inclusion, a guide to support equity in public participation, we heard from Indigenous knowledge holders and advisors on the importance of establishing respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, including recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral ties to these lands, as well as their inherent and distinct treaty, constitutional and human rights. As engagement practitioners, we formally commit as an institution to the principles co-created through this process, including to:

• Learn how our engagement topics impact Indigenous Peoples
• Acknowledge and equitably address the impacts of past and present-day colonialism
• Honour and centre Indigenous knowledge and worldviews
• Foster reciprocal and collaborative relationships with Indigenous Peoples
• Advance reconciliation and decolonization at an organizational and systemic level

Actions to advance these principles can include:

• Familiarize yourself with the lands, history, culture, protocols and governance structure of the Indigenous communities you are engaging and/or on whose ancestral territories the engagement takes place. Keep in mind that urban settings are often home to Indigenous people from multiple Nations.
• Make time for relationship building. Building personal relationships should precede engagement planning and sustaining strong relationships should be one of the central goals of practising engagement.
• Follow the lead of Indigenous communities. Respect community decisions and cede power and space for Indigenous people to lead the engagement. Recognize that your engagement may not be the first time the community has worked on this matter.
• Prioritize reciprocity. Work with the community to ensure the engagement process supports their economic social and cultural well-being, and that outcomes address their priorities and lead to positive systems change.
• Centre Indigenous knowledge and worldviews. In consultation with Indigenous community knowledge keepers, respectfully incorporate Indigenous protocols and cultural elements, such as land acknowledgments, ceremonies, language or traditional foods. Consider how the engagement can reflect Indigenous ways of knowing or values such as holism, respect, connectivity or spirituality. However, be careful not to apply “pan-Indigenous approach” or appropriate Indigenous culture by using cultural element without full understanding, permission or due credit—always ask first.
• Provide culturally relevant health and wellness supports for participants, staff and volunteers when engaging with sensitive topics—such as spaces and materials for ceremony, or support from Indigenous Elders or healers. Build in time to meaningfully discuss issues of importance rather than rushing through something that clearly holds meaning. Providing compensation also shows consideration and respect for participants’ time and well-being.
• Develop an organizational strategy to advance action for reconciliation, decolonization and anti-racism within the engagement as well as at a systemic level, such as through policy reviews and ongoing professional development.
• Build public awareness and prepare non-Indigenous participants for informed and respectful dialogue by including information about Indigenous rights, the impacts of colonialism and steps toward reconciliation (in relation to your engagement topic) in preliminary material.

As we consider how each of us are personally going to work towards decolonization, we have identified some ways to support truth and reconciliation:

• Support Indigenous community organizers and activists in their efforts to raise awareness for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Learn about the residential school system and its intergenerational impacts 
• Read the TRC Calls to Action and the Calls to Action of the Missing and Murdered Women and Girls Inquiry 
• Read a land acknowledgement and learn about the land you are hosted on 
• Donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society 
• Learn from The Circle about reconciliation and the decolonization of wealth 
• Participate in the One Day’s Pay (ODP), which was created by Canadians who want to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with action and accountability by giving one day’s pay to support Indigenous communities