Norfolk County staff are working to create a land acknowledgement to recognize the local Indigenous communities.
After staff’s presentation, councillor Chris Van Paassen stated his opinion on the prepared acknowledgements.
Councillor Kim Huffman called a point of order to respond.
The acknowledgements were made with consultations from legal counsel with expertise in Aboriginal law.
Van Paassen was given time to explain.
He continued by saying he believes the statements are factually incorrect.
Other councillors expressed concerns with specific wording in the statements.
Council directed staff to look over the acknowledgement to clean up the language used, focusing specifically on terms such as “thank,” and to acquire consultation from local Indigenous leaders.
The proposed versions of the acknowledgement are provided in full below.
Long Version of Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are meeting on land inhabited by Indigenous peoples. We recognize the history, heritage, and diversity of the land known today as Norfolk County, which sits on the ancestral lands of Anishinaabe, Attawandaron, Haudenosaunee, and Mississauga peoples.
We thank all the generations of Indigenous peoples who are stewards of these lands and waters today and those that were here for countless years before us.
We acknowledge our continued friendships with the neighboring communities of the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
We also recognize the contributions First Nations, Métis, and Inuit have made in our province and to our country.
We collectively commit to continue walking the path of truth and reconciliation in our communities and to overcome those challenges as one.
Short Version of Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are meeting on land historically inhabited by Indigenous peoples.
We recognize that the history, heritage, and diversity of Norfolk County is situated upon ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Attawandaron, and Mississauga peoples.
We thank all generations of Indigenous peoples of these lands, and will continue the friendships with neighboring communities of Six Nations of the Grand River, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, to lead towards truth and reconciliation.