November 28, 2019
BC Passes UNDRIP Bill
British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to enshrine the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into law. On November 26, Bill 41 was passed unanimously by consent in the legislature. Modelled on private member’s Bill C-262, which died in the Senate when Parliament rose in June, Bill 41 establishes a process, timeline, and accountability mechanism to examine BC law and bring it into line with the Declaration. This work is to be done in concert with Indigenous peoples. Eyes now turn back to Ottawa to see how the new government will proceed with legislation it has promised on implementing the Declaration.
The planning team with Reconciliation/Indigenous Justice Animator Sara Stratton.
Right Relations in Chinook Winds and Northern Spirit
More than 100 people gathered over two cold October days in Edmonton to discern the path forward for right relations work in Alberta. A planning committee of ten from both Northern Spirit and Chinook Winds created a generative learning environment with emphasis on listening to Indigenous participants in the circle.
The gathering was rooted in ceremony, fostered respectful discussion, and featured challenging presentations on ally-ship from Dr. Patricia Makokis and Dr. Davina Rousell. The group endorsed creating one network for the two regions and shared ideas on how it could move forward in a positive direction. Central to this is engaging with the ongoing activities of the Indigenous Church, Indigenous communities of faith and urban Indigenous population in a way that is inclusive, supportive, nurturing and responsive.
[Photo credit: RW Hoekstra]
Indigenous Ministries at Climate Conference
A small United Church delegation will be participating in COP 25, the UN Climate Conference, in Madrid December 2-13. Among them is Tony Snow, a member of the Stoney Nakoda Nation and student at the Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre who also works at Hillhurst and MacDougall United Churches in Calgary.
Tony, along with Wendy Evans from Montreal and Christie Neufeldt from the General Council Office, will be bringing forward the United Church position that the global climate emergency is a moral and spiritual issue requiring urgent and decisive action, and that Indigenous knowledge and experience are integral parts of the solution.
Tony says, “COP 25 is an important moment to affirm Canada's commitment to our climate goals and to ensure that we address our collective impact on the world in real and tangible ways. I hope to find ways to participate, network, and share space with other voices at COP 25 and bring an Indigenous presence that seeks hope and justice for future generations.”
Follow our social media channels for updates from Tony, Wendy, and Christie: @JusticeUCC and @IndigenousMin on Twitter, and United Action for Justice / Indigenous Justice And Residential Schools on Facebook.
Diaconal Conference Focuses on Reconciliation
“Respecting Covenant: Risking the Journey of Reconciliation” was the theme for a conference held by the Diakonia of the Americas and the Caribbean (DOTAC) in Vancouver in August 2019. Among the delegates were Indigenous peoples from both Canada and the United States, including a Métis woman serving as chaplain.
The opening presentation was offered by Carmen Lansdowne (Heiltsuk First Nation) and Executive Director of First United Church in Vancouver, and Melanie Delva, Reconciliation Animator in the Anglican Church of Canada. They challenged participants to use the unsettled feelings arising from the continuing power of colonialism and racism as incentive to take risks toward honest reconciliation.
Through video clips, Indigenous voices were featured in Bible studies on Covenant, Reconciliation, and Community. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise, led and contextualized by Coast Salish people, helped integrate the theological and theoretical with the personal and political. Workshops included Indigenous Spirituality, The Medicine Wheel, Indigenous Documentaries and Filmmakers, Great Bear Rainforest Protection, Creative Responses to the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Exploring Reconciliation in Children’s Literature, and The Painful Legacy of Residential Schools. Site visits included The Museum of Anthropology, First Nations Ecology (Stanley Park), Stories of Hope and Reconciliation (United Church Archives), and the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre.
The perception that Canada didn’t have racism was broken apart. The land acknowledgement, made throughout the event, was new to most of the delegates from outside Canada. Some Brazilian delegates talked about adopting it at home. Other racialized delegates found space to share their stories of racism and reconciliation. The DOTAC Board will now consider how the learning from this conference can help to address the legacy of colonialism and racism in its own operation. Support for the conference was provided by the Justice and Reconciliation Fund.
[Photo credit: Diakonia of the Americas and the Caribbean]
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