Acknowledging this land and the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island.

We hold this space to acknowledge the land on which we are learning, unlearning, working and organizing today. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

As young people in what is colonially known as Canada, we grow up learning about the struggles Indigenous people suffered in the past tense, which makes it easy to believe that such oppressions are of the past.

It is easier to deny Indigenous peoples their rights if we historicize their struggles and simply pretend they don’t exist.

Therefore, we believe it is particularly important to acknowledge the land on which we stand as a reminder of the ongoing and current oppression Indigenous people still face today. Land acknowledgements have the potential to be performative, but they can also represent an important first step to reconciliation.

Our living here is a freedom undeserved, and our ignorance is a propagation of the erasure of Indigenous culture.

We commit ourselves to the struggle against the systems of oppression that have dispossessed Indigenous people of their lands and denied their rights to self-determination, work that is essential to human rights across the world.

We encourage our followers, our partners and all young Ontarians to reflect upon this and ask yourself what we can do to advocate and stand up for what is right.

To start, you can not only acknowledge your own region’s traditional lands, but also learn more about the Indigenous peoples who have cared for and nurtured them by visiting https://native-land.ca/.

Know that while this may be a step in the right direction, truth and reconciliation is neither a task nor a checkbox — it is a continuous journey. It is a journey we are committed to traveling on and do so alongside our Indigenous friends.

— Young Ontarians United