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To the People of the Diocese of New Westminster,
Grace and peace to you.
In the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the 60th call states this:
We call upon leaders of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement and all other faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, Survivors, schools of theology, seminaries, and other religious training centres, to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential schools and the roles of the church parties in that system, the history and legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families and communities, and the responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflicts and prevent spiritual violence.
On January 22, Ms. Dallas Brodie, the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the riding in which the Synod Office is located, appeared at the University of British Columbia to present claims disputing aspects of the history of Residential Schools. Ms. Brodie had previously been removed from her party’s caucus after publicly mocking the testimony of Residential School Survivors.
Her appearance prompted strong opposition from members of the community who gathered in solidarity with Survivors and in response to the harm caused by her statements. While the right to free expression must be respected, that right also carries a responsibility to ensure that public claims are open to scrutiny and grounded in historical fact.
The Anglican Church of Canada, including this Diocese, operated Residential Schools. The Diocese of New Westminster stands with Residential School Survivors and will actively oppose statements or actions that deny, minimize, or disregard the profound harm and abuse experienced by Indigenous children and their families.
Our Diocesan Indigenous Elder, Rikki Kooy, writes this: “It is appalling for Indigenous communities in the process of trauma recovery - rebuilding our family structures, our culture, our languages - to hear the denialism of the horrendous damage done by Residential Schools, and the Indian Day schools, for 165 years. As a child of two Residential School survivors, I am grieved and outraged that the truth is being denied.”
We stand with our Indigenous siblings, and we affirm that we will not accept Residential School denialism or distorted and erroneous portrayals of the history and harm that occurred. In this Diocese, we remain committed to living into the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
May God bless us as we continue to recognize our calling to respect the dignity of every human being.
In Christ,
+John Stephens
Archbishop of the Diocese of New Westminster
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