Westmount Presbyterian Church is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek (Ah-nish-in-a-bek), Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-no-show-nee), Lūnaapéewak (Len-ahpay-wuk), and Attawandaron (Add-a-won-da-run) peoples. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples, who are contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors to all aspects of our society.

The three First Nations communities in closest proximity to WPC are Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Munsee-Delaware Nation. We respect the longstanding relationships of these three local First Nations groups to this land and place in Southwestern Ontario.

These lands are connected with the London Township Treaty of 1796 (Treaty No. 6) and the Sombra Treaty of 1796, as well as the Dish with One Spoon Wampum.

We give thanks for the ability to gather, work, and worship on these lands. The Westmount congregation has been worshipping and gathering on these lands since 1968. During this time, we have built community with each other, freely practiced our spirituality, and shared our gifts, talents, and friendships across generations. During this same time, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their communities and families during the residential school system – which the Presbyterian church participated in – and the 60s Scoop. Generations of Indigenous children were separated from their communities, elders, and families; punished for speaking their indigenous languages; and deprived of learning and practicing their cultural and spiritual traditions.

We acknowledge the historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples endure in Canada, and as a Christian institution, we accept responsibility, lament, and regret the ways we have perpetrated harm and contributed to these injustices. We have inherited the wrongdoings of our ancestors; all of our histories and presents are interconnected. We acknowledge that we have knowingly and unknowingly benefited from harmful policies that promoted Christianity as the norm in Canada and from the dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their lands.

We have a responsibility to not repeat these harmful actions in any form and to share in the ongoing work of truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation. We accept the responsibility of renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities, respectfully following the leadership of Indigenous peoples and communities.

Healing & Reconciliation