The Surrey Board of Trade requests that the Surrey Mayor and Council respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous lands on which they gather at all meetings and at all public City events.
“It is not that the City of Surrey is being forced to do this by way of a motion, but the fact that in the advent and commitment to truth and reconciliation it is because it is the right thing to do,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade.
A letter was sent by the Surrey Board of Trade to Surrey Mayor and Council on January 22nd outlining the city-building and economic importance of Indigenous land acknowledgements.
Reasons:
- The significance of acknowledging the Indigenous land we stand on marks a small but essential step toward reconciliation;
2. Surrey has the largest population of urban Indigenous Peoples in BC. The economic importance of this is obvious as it relates to Indigenous relations. Consistently improving this relationship requires meaningful, respectful, mutual dialogue with the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities;
3. Territorial acknowledgements are not new. Acknowledging relationships to space and place is an ancient Indigenous practice that flows into the future;
4. For Indigenous People and communities, the accountability that everybody has to listen to the concerns of the community; and,
5. Acknowledgements should lead to more questions and actions about who the people listed in the acknowledgement are to ensure inclusivity.
