Call to Action # 48 : Settlement Agreement Parties and the UN Declaration (48-49)

The Church Parties to the Settlement Agreement – The Anglican Church of Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Roman Catholic Entities Parties to the Settlement Agreement, The United Church of Canada and the Jesuits of English Canada – “acknowledge and welcome the specific calls to action that offer direction to the churches in our continuing commitment to reconciliation” (An Ecumenical Statement):
• In particular, we are committed to respect Indigenous spiritual traditions in their own right (i. and ii. above).
• As individual churches and in shared interfaith and ecumenical initiatives – for example through Kairos, through interfaith groups, and through the Canadian Council of Churches – we will continue to foster learning about and awareness of (i and iii. above):
o the reality and legacy of the residential schools,
o the negative impact of such past teachings as the Doctrine of Discovery, and
o the new ways forward found in places, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (i. above)
• We will continue our commitment to financial support for community-controlled initiatives in healing, language and cultural revitalization, education and relationship-building, and self-determination (1 and iv above).
• All the Church Parties to the Settlement Agreement issued a statement on implementation plans for UNDRIP by March 31, 2016. (iv above)
This Call to Action is still “In Progress” as UNDRIP has not officially been implemented in Canada yet.