We would like to express our gratitude to Indigenous and First Nations peoples across Turtle Island who have protected and nurtured these lands from the beginning of time.
Please take a moment and honour the First Peoples of the land and commit to do your part to respect and protect the land that we live, work, and interact on.
We are compelled to acknowledge our colonialist history, the devastation and destruction it has caused, and the ways it continues to damage the lives of so many Indigenous People.
We continue to commit ourselves to work with others to bring justice to murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls from coast to coast to coast.
The recent and ongoing finding and recovery of Indigenous children buried at unmarked mass graves on the sites of former Residential Schools across the country are a haunting and horrific legacy of the residential school system.
These sites, along with the deep disparities and inequities that exist in many Indigenous communities and reserves, are stark reminders of Canada’s past and continuing assimilationist policies, colonial laws and discriminatory attitudes that continue to harm Indigenous Peoples.
As a public service union and providers of vital front-line public services, we are committed to working diligently to achieve prosperity and equality for all peoples.
Our recognition of the historic importance of Indigenous Peoples is clearly and overtly linked to our collective commitment to continually pursue and make real the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action in our communities and in our union.