Digital Public Square recognizes that this land we live and create on has been the site of human activity since time immemorial. We acknowledge our physical presence is on the traditional territory of many Indigenous nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat peoples, and the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

We strive to meet the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92 about business and reconciliation, and we are grateful to live and work on this land. Our work in digital spaces provides new opportunities to recognize Indigenous wisdom, creativity, and authorship, and we strive to work in partnership in our pursuits to help build healthy communities. We recognize it is our collective responsibility to share in wise stewardship and peaceful care of the land, and that our contribution to reconciliation will be a continued process of listening, learning, and action.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92

We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:

i. Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects.

ii. Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.

iii. Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.