JOINT MEDIA ADVISORY: Churches respond to TRC deadline on commitment to reconciliation
Representatives from churches and religious organizations to issue ecumenical statement in a press conference on Parliament Hill on March 30
(Ottawa, ON) – Seven churches and religious organizations will jointly commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Call to Action 48 in a press conference in the Charles Lynch Room on Parliament Hill on March 30 at 11 a.m. This call urges the faith community to implement the principles, norms and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.
TRC Commissioner Marie Wilson will respond to the statement, which comes a day before the deadline set by the TRC. It is the only deadline issued by the TRC in its 94 Calls to Action and it involves churches, faith groups and interfaith social justice groups.
Speaking at the press conference on behalf of the churches and religious organizations that have signed the ecumenical statement will be the Right Reverend Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop. The following will also attend and be available for questions and interviews: The Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell, Moderator, United Church of Canada, The Rev. Karen Horst, Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Canada, National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Manuela Popovici, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and Major Shari Russell, representing the Salvation Army.
Released in June 2015, the TRC’s Calls to Action challenge Canadians to address and overcome more than a century of systemic discrimination and abuse in the residential school system, and to create a transformed relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The UN Declaration affirms Indigenous peoples’ human rights and emphasizes that these rights set a minimum standard for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples. By asserting that the Declaration is the framework for reconciliation, the TRC calls on the faith community to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation.
WHAT: Press Conference – Ecumenical Statement by Churches on TRC Call to Action 48.iv
WHEN: Wednesday, March 30; 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Charles Lynch Room, Centre Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa
WHO:
- Dr. Marie Wilson, Commissioner, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2009 2015) – SPEAKER
- Right Reverend Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop.
- The Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell, Moderator, United Church of Canada
- The Rev. Karen Horst, Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Canada
- National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
- Manuela Popovici, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Major Shari Russell, Salvation Army
The Right Relations Reception at Christ Church Cathedral (439 Queen Street) will follow the press conference from noon to 2:00 p.m. A light lunch will be provided. Media are invited to attend.
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Contact:
Cheryl McNamara
Media Coordinator, KAIROS Canada
cmcnamara@kairoscanada.org
877-403-8933, ext. 246
416-875-0097 (mobile)
