Commitments of International Sporting Organizations Towards Indigenous Reconciliation

St. Catherine Standard – The 2021 Canada Games Host Society has signed a memorandum of understanding with a newly formed Indigenous Partnership Council including representatives from local, provincial and national Indigenous communities and groups including the Six Nations of the Grand River, Niagara Regional Native Friendship Centre, Fort Erie Friendship Centre, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Métis Nation of Ontario, Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board, Inuit and Brock University. The Indigenous Partnership Council’s vision will be to build a legacy for “an inspiring, unifying and transformative” 2021 Canada Summer Games by sharing the diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. 

In collaboration with the host society, the mission will be to co-welcome and educate the athletes, their families, and guests as well as and broader Niagara community and viewers nationwide on the original peoples and their ways of life. The education will include sharing their distinct cultures, traditions, songs, dances, and craftsmanship to create a unique cross-cultural experience for the Games.  The Partnership Council will play an essential role in the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, the 13-for-13 Cultural Festival, and Niagara Place.