As we gather, let us take time to reflect on our privilege to live and work in Guelph; a city built over rich Indigenous histories. We are guests here, and we should reflect upon the responsibility to care for this land, the people who live here today, and the generations to come. If our actions today can move us towards reconciliation, we should take pause and make those decisions with intention and gratitude.
This place we call Guelph has served as traditional lands and a place of refuge for many peoples over time, but more specifically the Attiwonderonk, and the Haudenosaunee. This land is held as the treaty lands and territory with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Guelph lies directly adjacent to the Haldimand Tract and is part of a long-established traditional hunting ground for the Six Nations of the Grand River. Many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who have come from across Turtle Island call Guelph home today.
Pronunciation guide:
- Attiwonderonk (At-ti-wan-da·-ronk)
- Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-no-show-nee)
CUPE 973 is committed to reconciliation, to the protection of the natural world, and to respect and fairness for all people. We stand in solidarity with all workers to hold governments and employers accountable to the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action.