United Church Adopts UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as Framework for Reconciliation
On March 30 and 31, 2016, The United Church of Canada will participate in events marking our commitment—as a denomination and as part of the ecumenical community—to adopt the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation. We do this in response to Call to Action #48 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
On Wednesday, March 30, Moderator Jordan Cantwell will join with other church leaders in Ottawa to release an ecumenical statement of commitment to this Call to Action. This group includes not just those churches and religious entities that ran the schools, but many more churches and organizations in the Canadian ecumenical community.
On Thursday, March 31, the United Church will release its own statement on the UN Declaration. Moderator Jordan Cantwell and representatives from the Aboriginal Ministries Council will deliver the statement at the opening of the Aboriginal Ministries Consultation, taking place in Alliston from March 31st to April 3rd.