What follows is essentially the amended text of a presentation at Peace Mennonite Church [PMC] in Richmond BC on 2016 4 10.
(TRC of course being the abbreviation for Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, so that is the first acronym dealt from our
bulletin announcement)
We had two sessions at PMC 2.5
years ago before the TRC came to Vancouver. Some of our members volunteered at and
attended the TRC and related activities at that time. Since then, the TRC wound up with a final session in Ottawa in June 2015. Part
of the outcome of that was:
1.
a
permanent centre in Winnipeg to hold the archives of all the materials
collected then, especially the recorded and videotaped stories of residential
school survivors and the statements and apologies made by various churches and
organizations involved in the schools and other past injustices against our
First Nations neighbours.
2.
A
Final Report with 94 recommendations to the Canadian government and its
citizens [SKIP TO MIDDLE of PG. 2].
The first session held at PMC in June 2013 centred around the following:
I.
Why Should We Care?
1. Some of us might again be asking with respect
to bringing this topic up, why should we care?
Well, we are talking here about what we as
immigrants to this land have been part of in terms of systemic practice of colonization. As we know, one of the
worst examples of this was the residential school system about which we have
all heard. In other words, we are part of a group of people that have been
guilty of continuing to perpetuate injustices, or allow them to continue
against our indigenous neighbours.
2. We have not only been part of this as
individuals and the community of settlers, we have allowed our governments to
carry out many practices and pass many laws that have had harmful effects on
our indigenous neighbors.
3. We are also part of the church, and the
church has been implicated in this as one of the structures that has also
helped to carry out these injustices. To be sure, our Mennonite Church was not
involved to nearly the same extent as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and United
Church, to name the largest denominations that were involved. However, we did
have some involvement and for that we must take responsibility. Furthermore, in
the eyes of the indigenous people, regardless of what denomination we belong
to, we are seen as Christians who inflicted upon them a lot of ideas and rules
that were harmful to them as a people.
4. Therefore, as Christians, and I would like
to think this would be especially true of us as Anabaptist Mennonite Christians
who say we believe in peace, justice and reconciliation, we have a
responsibility to try and help correct the wrongs of the past.
5. I have said it before, and I'm certainly not
the only one to do so, that I believe that we as a church and a nation cannot
receive the full blessings God would love to bestow on us as long as there is
such a big gap between our indigenous neighbors and ourselves.
Some would have you believe that the government
spends excessive amounts of money on indigenous communities. If you really
analyze the numbers and compare them with what the rest of us get through all
of our levels of government, including municipal, the first Nations is still
behind in every area, including social welfare, infrastructure (think of the recurring
stories we hear of the lack of clean water and basic sanitation where our
indigenous neighbors live) and education. Those are three important pillars, as
we can well understand, of being a healthy and successful community, and if
they are not met, our indigenous neighbors will never be equal to us, which
they should be.
6. Some of us might also have difficulty in
this whole area because we do not sense that we live among indigenous people,
or have them live among us, but they are still among us. Even if
they might not be where you live, we are part of the greater society and they are certainly
within the greater society.
The second session held two year ago focussed on:
II. So what can we then do?
A. We can certainly pray that ourselves, our
communities and all our levels of government would do the right thing by our
indigenous neighbors.
B. We can encourage those of us whom we might
know who are in positions that relate to indigenous neighbors to support right
action among them and let us know how we can help them.
C. We can convey our concerns to the business
and political communities/levels of government, encouraging them to carry out
right actions and abide by commitments made, including using allotted budgetary
funds for the purposes described. We can convey our concerns through individual
meetings, writing letters and even through sharing our concerns and supporting
actions or suggesting actions through our contributions to social media such as
Facebook and Twitter.
D. The end of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission was a report containing 94 recommendations for action. Really, they
are a plea from all of those who were involved in the TRC, from those who told
their stories, to those who listened, to those who gathered it all together
into this report. It is really call for help from our indigenous neighbors. I
believe they are right when they say that if we are serious about what we
believe as Christians in terms of God’s love for all, reconciliation, equality
and social justice, we have to respond.
III. TRC Recommendations for the Church
You can read the final report of the TRC with
its 94 recommendations online at their website. However, I want to single out
for us this morning the recommendations that apply particularly to
us as Mennonites, with their own history and culture in a way, and to us as a
church.
Settlement
Agreement Parties and the United Nations
1.
From
recommendation 48: “to formally adopt and comply with the principles,
norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as a framework for reconciliation (and that deals
with acronym number two from the bulletin). This would include, but not be
limited to, the following commitments:
i. Ensuring that
their institutions, policies, programs, and practices comply with the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
ii. Respecting
Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination in spiritual matters, including
the right to practice, 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.
iii. Engaging in
ongoing public dialogue and actions to support the United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
iv. 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.”
This obviously means
that we need to familiarize ourselves with the UNDRIP
Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous People 
A word first about indigenous. As we
all know, when Columbus so-called "discovered" the lands we live on,
he thought he had arrived in India, as that was what the Europeans were
searching for, and therefore called the natives he met Indians. Now, that is a
term that the original inhabitants of these continents have chafed at for
centuries, as they are not one people to be called Indian. There are many
nations with many languages and differing cultures. Therefore, in an assembly
of these peoples in Vancouver in 1975, they decided themselves to refer to
these original inhabitants of the Americas as "indigenous." So, on to
the UNDRIP.
The UNDRIP is a 46 article document
released by the United Nations in 2007. On March 2011, a joint statement on
implementation was completed.
Timeline: UN Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Sept. 13, 2007: The UN General Assembly adopts the declaration but
Canada, which had for many years been involved in drafting UNDRIP, joined the
U.S., Australia and New Zealand in opposing it. One of the concerns was that
“free, prior and informed consent” could be used as a veto.
Nov. 12, 2010: Canada endorses UNDRIP, but refers to it as “an
aspirational document” and notes it is not legally binding: “We are now
confident that Canada can interpret the principles expressed in the declaration
in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution and legal framework.”
Sept. 22, 2014: Canada is the
only UN member to refuse adopting the “outcome document” affirming commitment
to UNDRIP, again citing concerns over “free, prior and informed consent”.
The Outcome Document, of which I could only find a
draft online, is 35 article document of recommendations and commitments made by
the signatory nations to the UNDRIP.
The above timeline adapted from:
In 2015 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave that sentiment a boost when
he told his new cabinet ministers in their mandate letters: “No relationship is
more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples.”
The Crown already has a constitutionally protected “duty to consult”
with aboriginal peoples on issues that might affect their interests, but the UN
declaration goes much further and calls on governments to obtain “free, prior
and informed consent” for anything to do with the First nations and their
lands, whether ensured by Treaty or where rights remain because the lands were
never ceded, including when it comes to natural resources development.
[Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn] Bennett said she
and her department will jointly lead the consultation process with Justice
Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Status of Women Minister Patricia Hajdu, with
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale also playing an advisory role.
Bennett said she was pleased
to see Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose lend her support to the
inquiry, and noted that NDP MPs Niki Ashton and Romeo Saganash and Green Party
Leader Elizabeth May have always been on board.
The preceding paragraphs from:
Nov 12 2015
In the newly released book, Wrongs to Rights,
How Churches Can Engage the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, put out by the Indigenous Relations of Mennonite Church
Canada, edited by Steve Heinrichs, he draws our attention in particular to the
following articles of the declaration:
3 Self-Determination: Indigenous peoples
have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely
determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and
cultural development.
15 Accurate Public Information - Indigenous
peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their cultures,
traditions, histories and aspirations, which shall be appropriately respected
in education and public information.
22 No Violence Against Women and Children - States
shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to ensure that
indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection and guarantees against
all forms of violence and discrimination.
28 Redress - Indigenous peoples have the right
to redress, by means that include restitution or, when this is not possible,
just, fair and equitable compensation, for the lands, territories and resources
which they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used, and which
have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used or damaged.
36 No Borders to Relationships - Indigenous
peoples, in particular those divided by international borders, have the right
to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation, including
activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes,
with their own members as well as other peoples across borders.
Going on to the church-related recommendations:
2. From recommendation 49: “to
repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands
and peoples, such as the Doctrine of Discovery (DOD) and terra nullius (which
has brought us to the third acronym from our bulletin announcement).”
This obviously means
that we need to familiarize ourselves with the DOD
The
Doctrine of Discovery
The “Doctrine of Discovery” laid
the political and theological groundwork for nations ‘to invade, capture,
vanquish, the enemies of Christ and reduce these peoples to perpetual slavery’.
(See Papal Bull of 1452). This doctrine has been a foundation of our western
legal system in relation to Indigenous peoples.”. This
“doctrine,” began in 1452 when the Pope divided up South America between
Portugal and Spain. [remember the movie Mission? It has that hauntingly beautiful
classic soundtrack showing how Europeans civilized Indians by teaching them to
sing Bach, of all things. However, it also dramatized the announcing of this
papal decree]. These edicts thus allowed the claiming of all lands where there
were no Christians, in the name of the monarch in whose name the land was
“discovered”.
The Pope, sitting way over there
in Europe, upon Columbus’ return and hearing his report in 1493, had the
audacity to add, "If there are no Christians there, I declare these lands
empty,” or as was said in Latin in those days, “Terra nullis."
Furthermore, he added, "And if the people there are not Christians, they
have no title to this land," meaning obviously that it was up for grabs to
all the so-called discoverers and explorers.
So, with one decree, all of the
inhabitants of the Americas, indeed much of the Third World, were essentially
totally disenfranchised. They became, in the eyes of the Europeans, less than
people, less than human; no longer eligible for human rights. If we are honest
with ourselves, we can readily see, that there is still too much of this
sentiment expressed time and again by we immigrants and settlers to this land.
Indeed, in the details, where the devil always lives, as we say, the meaning
was that these less-than-humans had no souls, they were like animals, so how
could they have rights to land and self-determination!
Now, these are all indigenous
peoples, and they continue to struggle to regain their rights to this day. Now,
at least, they have the United Nations, at least partially, on their side. I
say partially, as not all member states have yet totally ratified or begun to
put into effect the UNDRIP. And, just like we have had to say about the issue
of the residential schools, which is not something in the past, as the only
closed in 1997, meaning the students and their children and their parents who
were affected by that are still very much among us, this Doctrine of Discovery
and its effects are not in the past either. As recently as 2007, the US Supreme
Court decided against a First Nation there in a decision about paying taxes on
their own land, at least according to indigenous rights.
Now, Europe was no more united
then than it is now, and not everyone accepted the Pope as their authority in
all things. However, the European powers all basically agreed that this idea
worked for them, whether they were British, French, Dutch, Belgian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian or German, all of these nations having tried to establish
empires at one time where the other. Queen Elizabeth I, an excommunicated
Catholic in England, told Sir Walter Raleigh, one of England’s honoured
explorers, to “go where no man has gone before and claim lands for me.” This
doctrine led to the so-called Law of Nations which empowered European, supposed
Christian governments “to invade,
search out, capture, vanquish and subdue all Saracens [Muslims] and pagans
whatsoever and other enemies of Christ … and to reduce their persons to perpetual
slavery and to apply and appropriate to himself and his successors the kingdoms,...
possessions…” More than just a Catholic doctrine, the Doctrine of
Discovery formally reduced non-Christians to sub-human status in order to take
their lands, property, and lives-in the name of Christ.
This Doctrine of Discovery has been a
part of the western legal framework and, in many cases remains the basis of the
North American legal system in regards to Indigenous peoples. By enforcing
European standards of civilization and proper use of land resources, the
Doctrine of Discovery discounts Indigenous culture, spirituality, and
especially land rights in order to justify colonialism. In fact, when
indigenous people first tried to reason with the Europeans as to their land
rights, the response of the whites was that they still had no right to the land
because they were not making proper use of it, i.e., they were not settled
down, farming, establishing cities with commercial areas etc. Eventually, in
their push to gain all of this land, especially in the US, whole tribes and
communities of natives were tricked and forcibly moved ever further westward
and North. Others in both the US and Canada replaced on reservations and
reserves, respectively, on the basis of treaties in some cases. Regardless, the
conditions on which these lands were given were never honored and the lands
kept getting ever smaller and in some cases disappeared altogether.
This document reflected the thinking in
Europe at the time of the settlement in and colonization of North and South
America, not to mention the rest of what we still refer to as the Third World.
As such, its sentiments were not only about land but also behind such ill-fated
ventures as the Canadian Indian Residential Schools, of which we have heard so
much about already, and the intensive damage that inflicted on not only
individuals but their families, communities and cultures, including their
languages and their own spirituality.
Some of the above section was taken from a speech given by Onondaga chief Oren Lyons at Humbold tUniversity on Columbus Day in 2010:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVZDbqh7WgM
With all of the above preamble, one of the first things our church has been called to do is pass...
THE
MOTION to REPUDIATE The DOCTRINE of DISCOVERY:
The
recommendation for us Mennonites to do our part to repudiate this doctrine and
all that it stands for was developed by an ad hoc committee of those of our
conference who attended the Ottawa final TRC in 2015 and has been endorsed by
the Mennonite Churches of BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Eastern Canada as well
as, as of the end of March, four individual congregations. It would be good if more congregations could go on record as being another one in the list of those individual
congregations supporting this document's being passed at the 2016 MC Canada
sessions in Saskatoon. Bring it up to your church!
The
recommendation, which has two parts, reads as follows:
1.
That Mennonite Church Canada repudiate/renounce the Doctrine of
Discovery as it is fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and our
understanding of the inherent dignity and rights that individuals and peoples
have received from God.
2. That a working group be formed by
representatives of the Mennonite Church Canada Area Churches to begin by
reviewing the church related recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission Report, make the appropriate study material available to
congregations, and make further periodic recommendations to the General
Board/Area Church Boards on steps along the path of reconciliation.
Recommendation
two is already being worked on in a sense and the meeting where this material was presented is
actually already part of that.
With
respect to point 1, there is nothing in the gospels or other NT writings to
support any other actions towards non-Christians except to preach to them the
message of the gospel, lead them to repentance and baptize them, teaching them
to be disciples. There is nothing about taking their lands and all they have
and making them second class citizens, using military might against them,
enslaving and killing them etc., as we know settlers and colonists did for
centuries. Some of this, can you believe it? was actually based on what Israel
did to the pagan nations in Canaan when they returned from Egypt. Siince when
has that become a model as to how to treat others? You can see what happens
when we don’t interpret the Bible, especially the OT, as we Anabaptists do,
through the understanding of what Jesus and the NT writers had to say.
Back to the TRC's recommendations then:
Church Apologies and Reconciliation
3.
From recommendation 58: encourage the Pope to
"to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities/ties
for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional,
physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in
Catholic-run residential schools. We call for that apology to be similar to the 2010 apology
issued to Irish victims of abuse and to occur within one year of the issuing of
this Report and to be delivered by the Pope in Canada."
This report was issued
in June 2015, so we are over three quarters of the
way to the date in which recommendation wish to have this issue dealt with. We as a Mennonite Church, even
for our small role in this as a church, have already made such apologies
in both BC and Edmonton TRC hearings [see below].
4. From recommendation 59:
"Church parties to the Settlement Agreement – this does not formally include The Mennonite
Church but the language of the document, see especially the next point,
suggests this includes other churches/faith as well,
even though there is naturally a
greater responsibility on the parties to that
agreement - to
develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective
congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and
legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school
students, their families, and communities were necessary.”
5. From recommendation 60: "leaders
of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement and all
other faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual
leaders, Survivors, schools of theology, seminaries, and other religious
training centres, to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and
all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect
Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential
schools and the roles of the church parties in that system, the history and
legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families and communities, and the
responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflicts and prevent
spiritual violence."
6. From
recommendation 61: "church parties to the Settlement Agreement, in
collaboration with
Survivors
and representatives of Aboriginal organizations, to establish permanent funding
to
Aboriginal
people for:
i.
Community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects.
ii.
Community-controlled culture and language revitalization projects.
iii.
Community-controlled education and relationship-building projects.
iv. Regional
dialogues for Indigenous spiritual leaders and youth to discuss Indigenous
spirituality, self-determination, and reconciliation.”
These two
recommendations are simply asking for our help as citizens of this country and
members of the Christian faith that did not recognize indigenous right to
self-determination, language, culture and spirituality in the past to help right those
wrongs by helping indigenous citizens recover what we as a nation and religion
took away from them.
Education for reconciliation
7.
From recommendation 62:
Encourage “the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in
consultation and
collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:
i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on
residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and
contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for
Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.
ii. Provide the
necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to
integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
iii. Provide the
necessary funding to Aboriginal schools to utilize Indigenous knowledge and
teaching methods in classrooms.
iv. Establish
senior-level positions in government at the assistant deputy minister level or
higher dedicated to Aboriginal content in education.
8. From recommendation 63:
Encourage the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education
issues, including:
i. Developing and
implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on
Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of
residential schools.
ii. Sharing
information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential
schools and Aboriginal history.
iii. Building
student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
iv. Identifying
teacher-training needs relating to the above.”
9. From recommendation 64: Encourage
“all levels of government that provide public funds to
denominational schools to require such schools
to provide an education on comparative religious studies, which must include a segment on
Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices developed in collaboration with Aboriginal Elders.”
These three recommendations are
calling us to two areas:
i. to assure education of all of our citizens as to
what happened and what we can do about it now ii.
to recognize that indigenous peoples also have valid bodies of knowledge and
ways of learning which we could benefit from by incorporating into our own
bodies of knowledge and educational systems.
10. From
recommendation 65: Encourage “the federal government, through the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and in
collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, post-secondary
institutions and educators, and the
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and its partner institutions, to establish a national
research program with multi-year funding to advance
understanding of reconciliation.
Museums and Archives
11. From recommendation 67: Encourage “the federal government to provide funding to the
Canadian Museums Association to undertake, in
collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, a
national review of museum
policies and best practices to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to make
recommendations.
12. From recommendation 68: Encourage
“the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, and the Canadian Museums Association
to mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017 by establishing a
dedicated national funding program for commemoration projects on the theme of reconciliation.
13. From recommendation 70:
Encourage “the federal government to provide funding to the
Canadian Association of Archivists to
undertake, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, a
national review of archival policies and best
practices to:
i. Determine the
level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Joinet-Orentlicher Principles, as
related to Aboriginal peoples’ inalienable right to know the truth about what
happened and why, with regard to human rights violations committed against them
in the residential schools.
ii. Produce a
report with recommendations for full implementation of these international
mechanisms as a reconciliation framework for Canadian archives.”
IV. From the Langley Menn Fellowship meeting
Nov. 28, 2015:
Langley Mennonite Fellowship, under its currently retiring pastor Henry Krause, is, in BC, at the forefront of working through these issues. Henry is the longstanding chair of Mennonite Church BC's Service, Peace & Justice Committee, of which the writer is a member, now in a second term. This committee was responsible for and oversees the work of MCBC's Indigenous relations Coordinator Brander McDonald, who has a special section on MCBC's website and a Facebook Page (http://www.mcbc.ca/branders-blog/; https://www.facebook.com/groups/MCBCIndigenousRelations) related to his work.
Ask how does this relate to us
as Mennonites, and Christians generally Nationally, Provincially, Local Church and finally personally;
keeping in mind historical relationships, what we are doing now and what kind
of opportunities can be take moving forward.
We, our indigenous neighbours
and our churches, are both on a journey or process of reconciliation at various
levels and not to get distracted by fear of new relationships or breaching
protocols. We should take courage that First Nations will help us move in the
direction of healing if we are faithful to the challenge. They are inviting us, challenging us, to live up to our professed beliefs as Christians. Also, we have to
become more aware globally of the paradigm shift going on in other areas
outside our church reality yet not to take the easy road and absolve ourselves
of that responsibility just because someone else is doing the work of
reconciliation. We are all responsible as Canadian citizens and children of God
to continue in this journey of reconciliation.
Thoughts from small groups:
Question #1: We asked the question as to what initially stands out to
folks regarding the TRC Summary report.
– First Nations involvement in
Canadian society needs to be recognized
– Need to tell the story to
create a country where Indigenous Story is recognized. There needs to be more
assistance to help First Nations share their history.
– we need to tell the story so
everyone can learn from everyone and each other both First Nations stories and
non-native stories to be able to tell stories of hope.
– what are our “Community
Values” as Mennonites and can we move towards relating better locally with
First Nations
– there needs to be strong
focus on supporting reclaiming of First Nations language wherein the language
represents culture and personhood, belonging and identity regarding rights and
title issues, land, treaty- this needs to be offered to non-native peoples as
one of the program choices they can be involved in regarding reconciliation.
Question #2: What is in our denominational, provincial church, local
church, personal toolbox regarding TRC Recommendations; historically, presently
and personally?
– having to answer the
question about “what works for us re: reconciliation?”
– be willing to take the first
step in relationship development and not be intimidated.
– story telling with churches
by First Nations is very valuable but working to letting all peoples share in
the story.
– work as a Mennonite culture
on “being” and not so task oriented by looking at relationship building
foremost
Question #3: What can we challenge the National, Provincial and local
churches to do regarding these recommendations?
NATIONAL challenge:
1. Mennonite Schools should include the history of Residential Schools in their First Nations
History and curriculum.
2. National response by the
repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery
3. Move the Federal Government
of Canada to accept, adopt and implement the recommendations of the TRC Summary
Report.
4. Move the TRC Commission to
revise the summary report to have recommendations target non-settlement
churches nationally and government.
PROVINCIAL challenge:
1. Renounce the Doctrine of
Discovery, formally accept the TRC Summary Reports Recommendations
2. Move to have an Indigenous
Relations representative in every congregation
CHURCH local challenge:
1. Develop First Nations
resources and libraries in every church to continue helping tell the story.
2. build support of this
agenda to Mennonite Brethren as well
3. Have specific relationship
building actions between Churches and Indigenous in local areas implemented
4. Indigenous Relations should
be on every church budget to support this work at local church, provincial and
national level
5. Work at our own Mennonite
Church spiritual healing regarding our relationships to First Nations
personally, locally and nationally.
Appendix
A. At the Edmonton TRC in
March 2014…
On
this final day, it was time to go beyond listening, and to speak. A group of
Anabaptist leaders from five Mennonite denominations [Coalition of Anabaptist Church Leaders/CACL] had written a Statement
(see below, and been granted permission to read it into the public record as an
‘Expression of Reconciliation’. In it, they expressed “regret that at times, the
Christian faith was used wrongly, as an instrument of power, not as an
invitation to see how God was already at work before we came...” They acknowledged “the paternalism and racism of the past...” They repented that “our
denominational encounters with Indigenous People at times may have been
motivated more by cultural biases than by the unconditional love of Jesus.
They repent(ed) of their failure to advocate for marginalized Indigenous Peoples as
our faith would instruct us to...and that words without actions are not only
ineffective but may also be harmful.” They committed ourselves to walking with
Indigenous neighbours to “listening and learning together as we journey to a
healthier and more just tomorrow.”
The
expression was as follows:
Anabaptist
Leaders offer Expression of Reconciliation
On
March 30, 2014, Canadian Anabaptist Church Leaders shared this statement as an
expression of reconciliation during the
We
are leaders of a group of Canadian Christian churches known as Anabaptist
denominations. Our delegation includes Mennonite Church Canada, the Evangelical
Mennonite Conference, the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, the
Brethren in Christ Church of Canada, and Mennonite Central Committee Canada.
Many people from our churches have come to the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission events, including this one, to volunteer, to listen, to learn.
We
acknowledge that we are all treaty people and that we are meeting on Treaty 6
territory, on land that is part of an historic agreement between First Nations
people and newcomers, an agreement involving mutuality and respect.
Throughout
the period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission events across the
country, we have watched and listened with respect, as residential school
survivors have told stories with graciousness and courage, sharing experiences
of the Residential School Legacy from its beginning. We are humbled to witness
this Truth and Reconciliation Commission event.
As
we have listened to your stories, we’ve added our tears to the countless tears
that you have shed. We acknowledge that there was, and is, much hurt and much
suffering. We have learned much and we have much to learn.
We
heard the wise words of Justice Sinclair encouraging us to acknowledge that all
of us, in one way or another, have been affected by the Residential School
experience. We recognize that being part of a dominant culture, our attitudes
and perspectives made the Residential School experience possible and that these
attitudes and perspectives became entrenched in our relationships and in our
culture.
We
regret our part in the assimilation practice that took away language use and
cultural practice, separating child from parent, parent from child, and
Indigenous peoples from their culture.
We
regret that, at times, the Christian faith was used, wrongly, as an instrument
of power, not as an invitation to see how God was already at work before we
came. We regret that some leaders within the Church abused their power and
those under their authority.
We
acknowledge the paternalism and racism of the past. As leaders of Mennonite and
Brethren in Christ church communities, we acknowledge that we have work to do
in addressing paternalism and racism both within our communities and in the
broader public.
We
repent of our denominational encounters with Indigenous Peoples that at times
may have been motivated more by cultural biases than by the unconditional love
of Jesus Christ. We repent of our failure to advocate for marginalized
Indigenous Peoples as our faith would instruct us to.
We
are aware that we have a long path to walk. We hope to build relationships with
First Nations communities so that we can continue this learning journey and
walk this path together.
We
are followers of Jesus Christ, the great reconciler. We are aware that words
with- out actions are not only ineffective but may also be harmful. We commit
ourselves to take your challenges to us very seriously. We will seek to model
the reconciling life and work of Jesus in seeking reconciliation with you.
We
will encourage our churches to reach out in practical and loving ways,
including dialogue and expressions of hospitality.
We
commit ourselves to walk with you, listening and learning together as we
journey to a healthier and more just tomorrow.
Thank
you.
Signed by Tim Dyck,
General Secretary, Evangelical Mennonite Conference, Douglas P. Sider Jr.,
Canadian Director, Brethren in Christ Canada, Willard Metzger, Executive
Director, Mennonite Church Canada, Willy Reimer, Executive Director, Canadian
Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, and Donald Peters, Executive
Director, Mennonite Central Committee Canada.
B. At the Vancouver TRC in
September 2013:
MCBC Executive Minister Garry Janzen said:
Regarding our Expression
of Reconciliation at the Vancouver TRC, it was from a Community of
Mennonites. These were very carefully chosen words, so that they did not
directly name the BC Mennonite Brethren Conference (BCMC) (and maybe even was reflective of concern
from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) BC; I don’t clearly recall). Certainly Mennonite Church BC (MCBC) was prepared to be
named. The people presenting the Expression were representative
of: MCBC, BCMB, and MCC BC. I am attaching a scan of the document presented
here. Like the document referred to in Appendix A, this was presented to the Commissioners at the TRC hearing and deposited into the special Bentwood Box where all the moments of the TRC hearings were first placed.
