On June 20, 2017, The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce joined the City of Winnipeg and over 80 local organizations, businesses, groups, and individuals in their commitment to Winnipeg’s Journey of Reconciliation by formally becoming partners of Winnipeg’s Indigenous Accord at a signing ceremony at The Forks.
The Winnipeg Chamber recognizes we must lead as an organization living out the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action if we are to ask you – our members – to do the same.
As noted by the City of Winnipeg: “Through our work together, we hope to effect a positive change in Winnipeg through our knowledge and perceptions of Indigenous history, culture, and peoples, through understanding the state of the current relationship between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, and through creating partnership-based initiatives that recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
On Friday, October 6 we attended the first all partner gathering event to learn more about the Principles for Reconciliation and Indigenous Excellence. The event was organized to make space for dialogue to inform signatories’ goals and action plans for implementing the Calls to Action. Highlights of the gathering included:
- Elder guidance and prayers
- Remarks from Mayor Brian Bowman
- A presentation reiterating the content and spirit of Winnipeg’s Indigenous Accord
- A panel discussion on principles for reconciliation that partners can adopt
- Dialogue circles with all accord partners about how we are implementing commitments to the Calls to Action and acts of reconciliation, which offered shared space for leadership, guidance, and inquiry
It’s important to note the accord is not closed. You can apply right now to join as a partner, publicly declaring you and your organization will take steps and report progress on adopting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. We recommend reading this Partner Information Guide that outlines your partners’ roles and responsibilities as well as the support you’ll receive.
We hope you join us walking this path; you certainly won’t be alone.
