The Truth and Reconciliation Commission asks Canadians to acknowledge and understand our collective past as a way to move us toward a stronger and healthier future, with “relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect.” If you are looking to get information, this is the right place – The OTC works to provide information about treaty relationships and is working on a Vision of Reconciliation for Saskatchewan.

What is reconciliation? As a starting place for conversation, reconciliation is the restoration of a friendship after an estrangement. It does not require agreement on every aspect of how to live together. It is not an apology that has been accepted once offered. Rather, it is about the process of coming together—a conscious choice that the future will be better if we work through difficulties and differences with an openness to hearing about, and responding to, the harm that has occurred. Read More.

What does it mean that we are all treaty people? Treaties are considered mutually beneficial arrangements that guarantee a co-existence between the treaty parties. Newcomers and their descendants benefit from the wealth generated from the land and the foundational rights provided in the treaties. There are misconceptions that only First Nations peoples are part of the treaties, but in reality, both parties are part of treaty. All people in Saskatchewan are treaty people. Read More.

In May 2016, Canada moved to accept and fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). According to the government website this document describes both individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples around the world, offering guidance on relationships with Indigenous Peoples to states and the United Nations based on the principles of equality, partnership, good faith and mutual respect. More on UNDRIP here.

Have more questions? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions, or send us an email reconciliationsk@otc.ca

Interested in what others in Saskatchewan are doing for reconciliation? See more stories

A group of roughly 380 Saskatchewan leaders from over 70 organizations, met over eight gatherings held in five different communities from April 2014 to January 2016. What do you think of their Vision for Reconciliation?