Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

256 • Truth & Reconciliation CommissionThe principles enunciated in the new Royal Proclamation will serve as the foundationfor an action-oriented Covenant of Reconciliation, which points the way forwardtoward an era of mutual respect and equal opportunity.Calls to Action46) We call upon the parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreementto develop and sign a Covenant of Reconciliation that would identify principlesfor working collaboratively to advance reconciliation in Canadian society, and thatwould include, but not be limited to:i. Reaffirmation of the parties’ commitment to reconciliation.ii. Repudiation of concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenouslands and peoples, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, andthe reformation of laws, governance structures, and policies within theirrespective institutions that continue to rely on such concepts.iii. Full adoption and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.iv. Support for the renewal or establishment of Treaty relationships based onprinciples of mutual recognition, mutual respect, and shared responsibilityfor maintaining those relationships into the future.v. Enabling those excluded from the Settlement Agreement to sign onto theCovenant of Reconciliation.vi. Enabling additional parties to sign onto the Covenant of Reconciliation.Governments at all levels of Canadian society must also commit to a new frameworkfor reconciliation to guide their relations with Aboriginal peoples.Call to Action47) We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to repudiateconcepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoplesand lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, and to reformthose laws, government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely onsuch concepts.Churches and faith groups also have an important role to play in fostering reconciliationthrough support for the United Nations Declaration and repudiation of theDoctrine of Discovery.