In response to the devastating confirmation of unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools in Canada, a statement was published, in consultation with the National Indigenous Ministry Council, and signed by the current and previous Moderator of General Assembly. It speaks, through repentance and lament and in humility, for the lives of all the children who were lost and makes many commitments for the church to act upon.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada has issued a statement of repentance and commitment to action, aware of our responsibility with regard to the sin of colonialism and operation of Indian Residential Schools.
The following are answers to some of the questions people are asking about the unmarked graves found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Church staff are also available to answer any further questions. For more information, please contact Allyson Carr in Justice Ministries.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada grieves with Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, who has released news that the unidentified graves of 215 children have been found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, as well as all those who lost family, friends or community members to Indian Residential Schools—for whom this news brings devastating pain, trauma and loss.
This congregational resource contains best practices for online worship and is suited to both congregations experienced in worshipping virtually as well as those just getting started.
Dr. Allyson Carr, Associate Secretary of Justice Ministries, has written on the death of Joyce Echaquan, an Indigenous woman in a hospital in Quebec, and the racist words that were spoken to her by the hospital workers she was in the care of—words which illuminate the unacceptable and condemnable behaviour that is often permitted in our society as a result of systemic racism.
This reflection by the moderator speaks to the importance of participating in Orange Shirt Day on September 30 to remember and honour the Indigenous children who attended Indian Residential Schools, and reflects on the PCC’s involvement in the Residential School System and its inter-generational impacts on Indigenous children today.
Following the recent deaths of Indigenous people during encounters with law enforcement, the PCC calls for an immediate end to violence against Indigenous Peoples.
In the wake of the terrible acts of anti-Black racism over the last week in North America, the Moderator reflects on the anti-Black racism that pervades our nation and our church, and asks what we can do to shed light on ourselves, our systems and our practices, and take action to correct them.
The horrific death of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States, and the circumstances surrounding the death of Ms. Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto, are calls for racial justice. This statement affirms the church's anti-racist position, that black lives matter, and to say anything other rejects the biblical affirmation that all are lovingly made in the image of God.
