We acknowledge that the vast territory upon which the Diocese of Quebec today stands includes the traditional lands of the Abenaki, Atikamekw, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Innu, Mi'kmaq, Naskapi, and Wolastoqiyik First Nations.

For many thousands of years before the arrival of Anglicans, these Indigenous peoples sought to walk gently upon this land, in communion with their Creator. Many offered assistance to the first European travellers to this territory and shared their knowledge for survival in a hostile climate. In return they have often been marginalized on their own traditional lands, subjected to cultural imperialism, and generally disenfranchised as a people.

In the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, we seek a new relationship with the Original Peoples of this land, one based in honour and respect. We also acknowledge our own church’s complicity in the residential schools system and its intergenerational aftermath, and are pledged to walking with Indigenous members of our church on a path of reconciliation and self-determination.

To learn more about the Anglican Church of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, visit www.anglican.ca/tr.