Honouring our Committment
Introduction  |   Why this Campaign?  |   About the Campaign  |   The Agreement  |   Our Diocesan Response
Introduction

Participating with the whole Anglican Church in Canada to address an historic legacy, fulfill our obligation to the national Church, and enable a deepening relationship with Aboriginal peoples…

After years of negotiations between the federal government and the Anglican Church of Canada, an agreement was signed in March 2003. The agreement ends legal confrontation and financial uncertainty, and allows a new beginning in our relationship with First Nations people across Canada.

The agreement sets up a “Settlement Fund” and gives all Anglicans in Canada an opportunity to contribute. The fund caps what the Anglican Church must pay nationally toward settling the claims at $25 million. Our share for the Diocese of New Westminster is $1.6 million.

The agreement frees us to build a new future with First Nations. We can now meet our obligations and compensate those who were wronged, clearing the way for healing, reconciliation, and justice.

"We have been reading headlines for years about Indian Residential Schools lawsuits. People have been asking, “How can we help?” Well, now it’s our turn to help, along with every other Anglican diocese across Canada. Please give generously to honour this commitment."

- Bishop Michael Ingham
Page 1 of 5  | Why this Campaign?

A Message from the Co-Chairs

“Please join us in making your pledge. Working together we can achieve this goal. This is an opportunity for us to show our compassion towards First Nations peoples and move forward as a Diocese.”

-Linda Robertson & Gordon Lee
Campaign Co-chairs

We are proud to be asked to co-chair the Honouring Our Commitment campaign. We believe that this campaign marks an important milestone in the history of our church as we move forward into a new partnership with First Nations people.

As Anglicans, we have always responded to the suffering we see around us. This is an opportunity for all of us to respond to those children who are today living as adults with the painful memories of abuse.

To be truly a movement towards reconciliation and healing, this campaign must involve Anglicans at the parish level. This is not simply a fund raising campaign but a learning and outreach program to First Nations people many of whom today fill our churches - especially in the North.

We believe that Anglicans will respond to this important call to leave the legacy of the residential schools behind us and respond to Christ's message to heal pain and do justice whenever we see that injustice has occurred. We know that for some parishes this is a challenging amount of money to raise. We are hopeful that other parishes will give more than their suggested targets to help out those parishes which are struggling.

If we work together as a Diocese, we will accomplish great things. Please join with us in honouring our commitment to reconciliation and healing with our First Nations neighbours.