The Presbyterian Church in Canada acknowledges that it meets, worships, and works on the traditional territories of many Indigenous nations and peoples across what is now known as Canada. We acknowledge the treaties made across this land and that our national office, on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Wendat peoples, is on lands that are part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty as well as Treaty 13 (the Toronto Purchase Agreement), held by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The church comes from a tradition steeped in an understanding of holy ground and acknowledges that it is still learning how to walk humbly on that ground. Part of our learning to walk humbly, as The Presbyterian Church in Canada, is learning the history of the land and the history of the peoples first in relationship with it, as well as what treaties have been made and how they are being lived out. And so we acknowledge with respect the importance and sacredness of the land to the Indigenous peoples and nations who are the traditional keepers of it; the significance the land holds within Indigenous cultural and spiritual practices, and the rooted care for the land, plants, animals and waters that Indigenous nations and peoples have shown for thousands of years.
We acknowledge the treaties that have been made and the importance they hold. The church comes from a tradition steeped in an understanding of holy ground and acknowledges that it is still learning how to walk humbly on that ground. Part of our learning to walk humbly, as The Presbyterian Church in Canada, is learning the history of the land and the history of the peoples first in relationship with it, as well as what treaties have been made and how they are being lived out. And so, we acknowledge with respect the importance and sacredness of the land to the Indigenous peoples. Only first, having acknowledged with respect and gratitude the First Nations and peoples of these lands, we acknowledge the church’s identity and marred relationship with the land and the First Peoples as The Presbyterian Church in Canada—a church that participated in colonization. Guided by our 1994 Confession, The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, and our 2024 Apology for our complicity in colonization and the residential school system, the PCC commits to repair and redress for the harm we caused as an active participant in colonization, and to a future of walking humbly on this holy ground.