June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, an opportunity to honour and celebrate the diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.
It is also an opportunity to acknowledge and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples to their unceded territories. The institutions where our members work — Mount Saint Vincent, Saint Mary’s, and Dalhousie universities — are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are all treaty people, and must all be committed to working with Indigenous nations, communities, organizations, and students toward decolonization, reconciliation, and respecting the on-going treaty relationships.
Here is a statement from CUPE national.
Here is a statement from CAUT.
To learn more about the ongoing legacies of colonialism read the resources provided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or resources provided by the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. You can CUPE’s response to that report here.