The United Church of Canada’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action

A year after The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its final report in December 2015, The United Church of Canada continues to engage with and respond to the 94 Calls to Action. (The Calls to Action can be found at www.united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/truth-and-reconciliation-commission or http://nctr.ca/reports.php.)

In June 2015, the churches that are parties to the Settlement Agreement (Anglican, Presbyterian, United, and a number of Roman Catholic entities) made a joint statement in response to the Calls to Action. The Response of the Churches can also be found at www.united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/truth-and-reconciliation-commission.

While The United Church of Canada recognizes the value in each of the Calls to Action, this document refers specifically to

• calls directed to the churches that are parties to the Settlement Agreement or to faith groups generally
• calls directed to the parties to the Settlement Agreement, which includes the churches

On the United Church website (www.united-church.ca), you will find information regarding our response to Calls that relate to concerns for which the United Church has historically undertaken advocacy work, and continues to do so: a public inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; child welfare and education; implementation by governments of the

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and mandatory school curricula re Indigenous history and culture, treaties, and residential school history.

Calls to Action directed to the churches and faith groups

We call upon the church parties to the Settlement Agreement, and all other faith groups and interfaith social justice groups in Canada who have not already done so, to formally adopt and comply with the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation. This would include, but not be limited to, the following commitments:

1. Ensuring that their institutions, policies, programs, and practices comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
2. Respecting Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination in spiritual matters, including the right to practise, develop, and teach their own spiritual and religious traditions, customs, and ceremonies, consistent with Article 12:1 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
3. Engaging in ongoing public dialogue and actions to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
4. Issuing a statement no later than March 31, 2016, from all religious denominations and faith groups, as to how they will implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Comments:

The United Church, as an active member of KAIROS, has been an advocate for the adoption and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for many years.

A UN Declaration Task Group was formed in December 2015 to 1) develop the statement issued on March 31, 2016, and a format for ongoing reporting; and 2) develop and implement a process to engage the whole church in complying with this Call to Action, providing a mechanism with which to assess compliance in all our policies, programs, and practices. The task group has begun introductory sessions with the national governing bodies, and is looking forward to providing resources to Conferences, presbyteries, and communities of faith so they may begin to examine their way of doing things according to the norms, principles, and standards of the Declaration.

The church has been increasingly moving toward Indigenous self-determination in its structures and policies. On March 30, 2016, the United Church joined the broader ecumenical community in announcing a collective intention to implement the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation (see www.united-church.ca/news/release-ecumenical-statement-un-declaration).

On March 31, 2016, the United Church issued its own statement expressing its commitment to honouring this Call to Action (www.united-church.ca/news/united-church-responds -call-action-un-declaration). This statement was offered as the Aboriginal Ministries Council in the United Church, accompanied by the non-Indigenous (settler) church, began a process of consultation to determine its own vision and future structure. The Caretakers of Our Indigenous Circle, a group of 13 Indigenous leaders, will make recommendations to the 43rd General Council in 2018.

Read More: http://www.united-church.ca/sites/default/files/ucc-response-trc-calls.pdf

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