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A Brantford, Ont., city councillor is being called out for his stance on land acknowledgments.
Coun. Greg Martin refused to give the land acknowledgment ahead of a committee meeting he led earlier this month, and previously said he viewed them as “virtue signalling.”
Six Nations of the Grand River’s elected council said in a statement this week that the council “strongly rejects” those comments and the statements are necessary.
Stating a land acknowledgment is commonly done at the beginning of events, meetings and gatherings, for instance, to recognize they’re being held on traditional Indigenous land.
Such acknowledgments are a way to “continue to strengthen the relationships and understanding between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples,” notes the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
In the case of the City of Brantford, its land acknowledgment comes ahead of council and committee meetings.
Meeting held without land acknowledgment
The issue involving Martin began June 2, when he chaired the committee of the whole meeting.
After reading opening remarks, he asked for councillors to be seated. Following is the exchange that then took place between Martin and Coun. Richard Carpenter:
Carpenter: “Point of order. I think you missed the land acknowledgment as part of the opening. Thank you.”
Martin: “Yes, I did.”
Carpenter: “That was intentional?”
Martin: “Yes, it was.”
Martin then carried on with the meeting.
‘It has to be a 2-way street’
During a Grand Erie Board of Health meeting on April 15, members were voting on updating the land acknowledgment that’s said at meetings and events. Martin, a member of the board, told the meeting he wouldn’t support it.
“I don’t believe in land acknowledgments. I think it’s virtue signalling. I don’t think it really means much of anything,” he said.
“There’s no reciprocal acknowledgment. What about my treaty rights? They do nothing to acknowledge that some of the land was sold, some of the land was traded for services — they just say everything’s under claim. It has to be a two-way street and I don’t see that that’s happening right now.”
The board of health passed the new land acknowledgment and said it’s a living document that could change going forward.
Six Nations council aims to educate people
In a statement Wednesday, Six Nations of the Grand River elected council said land acknowledgments “are intended to educate people on the history and origins of lands that are occupied today.“
“Land acknowledgments are also a means to formally recognize that the original inhabitants of this land — First Nations and their rights holders — continue to exist, govern and maintain their inherent treaty rights. These rights are not historical artifacts — they are living and ongoing.”
The elected council said it remains committed to working with all municipalities “to strengthen relationships based on truth, respect, education, and our shared history and responsibilities.”
City echoes elected council’s position
CBC News has reached out to Martin for comment but had not yet received a response by publication time.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Brantford said it “shares the position outlined in the Six Nations of the Grand River 59th elected council’s statement.”
“The land acknowledgment remains an important part of the invocation read prior to committee of the whole and council meetings, and the city respects and seeks to continue and promote its longstanding relationships with this area’s First Nations and the Indigenous peoples who reside in Brantford,” it said.
“Going forward, the city remains committed to strengthening relationships with our Indigenous partners and community members through respectful dialogue and meaningful action, built on a foundation of truth, respect, education, and our shared history and responsibilities.”
