Toronto, ON
We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit. This territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
This territory is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties.
The meeting place of Toronto continues to be home to many Indigenous Peoples from across Turtle Island, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work and present in this territory.
As settlers, we are grateful for the opportunity to meet here, and we thank all the generations of Indigenous Peoples who have cared for this land for thousands of years.
Long before today, as we gather here, Indigenous Peoples have been the stewards of this land — including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples. It is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this place. We also recognize the contributions that Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous Peoples have made in shaping and strengthening this community in particular, and our province and country as a whole.
As settlers, this recognition of the contributions and historic importance of Indigenous Peoples must also be clearly and explicitly connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities — and in particular, to bring justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People across our country.