This is a notable step forward.   Not long ago I heard absolutely nothing by way of recognizing that Canada was actually inhabiting or occupying the hereditary lands of (northern) Turtle Island's Indigenous peoples .   For many saying nothing was as it should be; for others it was a silent witness to colonialism's conquest and wholesale theft of lands by the Crown.  

The fact that most of the lands were stolen or bought for a pittance or ceded by asymmetrically negotiated treaties  was then hardly ever mentioned.   It appeared to some uninformed observers that the Crown had always owned Canadian territory and that was a given (from the ether?) that could be taken for granted.

Little was known about the terra nullius  (nobody's land) concept or the Doctrine of Discovery promulgated in Pope Alexander VI's papal bull "Inter Caetera."   It opened the door for European  Christian monarchs to seize and occupy lands inhabited by "heathens".  (See the very informative film on this wicked doctrine and concept at:   https://www.anglican.ca/primate/tfc/drj/doctrineofdiscovery/. )   

Nevertheless, the acknowledgement statements at public meetings are a step in the direction of justice.  Their repetition amounts to  steady droplets of water calling forth in many a yearning for a  shower of just change.  

Having heard the statements proclaimed hundreds of times, they are, however, beginning to wear thin, even be tiresome, for me.   Not because the statements are not true.   But because they are words with a scarcity of evidence to make the statements honourable and meaningful.

Clearly, the statements are not and should not be hollow words.  But the fact is they are expressed with no cost - no bite.   Once said at the beginning of the meeting, we move on to the real business for which we convened.

It is now time to make these words live and have tangible meaning as substance marking the way to just relations between indigenous and settler peoples.   Canada cannot be whole unless there is a common blanket of justice which warms and brings peace to the hearts and lives of all inhabitants of (northern) Turtle Island.

Here is a proposal - partial, incomplete, but substantial - on the way to more just relations:

The proposal is based on the reality that all of Canada - encompasses the traditional and hereditary lands of the Indigenous peoples inhabiting (northern) Turtle Island pre-1492 and that their successors have hereditary rights not extinguished by European political or religious authority or British and colonial governments of Canada.   

Legislation to give force to the proposal would be created by mutual agreement of Indigenous peoples and the Crown and government of Canada.

The key concept is that from the day of its enactment,  legislation would require that every real estate sale/transaction in Canada triggers a "restitution payment".   The surcharge would need to  be determined, but might amount to a percentage (e.g. one or more per cent) of the transaction value.  The Federal government would be responsible for ensuring the annual amount generated by the arrangement is provided as revenue to the Indigenous authority.  

The monies collected would be gathered up in the Turtle Island Restitution Fund (TIRF), governed and administered by a body comprised of representatives of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples of Canada.   

Both the representatives and the objects of the TIRF would be determined by the Indigenous peoples in a process of community decision-making.    The well-being and common good of Indigenous peoples on northern Turtle Island would be the vision driving the TIRF.   In effect the stolen lands occupied and currently owned by the settler communities would be recognized as the endowment of the Indigenous people and the income derived from the sale of these lands would be an inheritance for the Indigenous peoples to steward.

If an arrangement of this sort was created in Turtle Island's Canada,  then hearing the acknowledgement of Indigenous lands at every public meeting I attend would feel more honest and authentic as an action step on the complex and labyrinthine journey of Reconciliation - just and  peaceful co-existence. 

We could all enjoy knowing that the statement witnesses to the fact that every time a piece of northern Turtle Island is sold the light of justice burns that much brighter.   And I could believe that the rainbow sign of the divine covenant with all living creatures has a better chance of being fulfilled in our shared homeland.   (Genesis 9:8-17) .