Include Land Acknowledgements at Sporting Events

The VDLC is calling on our local sports teams to include an Indigenous land acknowledgement at the beginning of games. This would be a small but meaningful step, and an obvious one to implement given that the singing of countries’ anthems is already a longstanding practice prior to games. 

The following recommendation was adopted at the regular meeting on May 21st, 2019. 

Subject: Major Vancouver Sports and Land Acknowledgments

BECAUSE BC has the most unceded territories this side of the Rocky Mountains, and is home to many major sports teams, who play and compete on that land; and

BECAUSE it is a simple gesture to raise awareness to the general public, and to create dialogue of the importance of Truth and Reconciliation amongst other organizations outside the labour movement; and

BECAUSE Truth and Reconciliation is a vital part of decolonization and giving respect to Indigenous people and their land,

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL reach out to all Vancouver area sports teams/clubs (Canadians, Whitecaps, BC Lions, Canucks etc.) to inform them, and raise awareness of the significance of Indigenous land acknowledgements, as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL in doing so, also reach out to the Indigenous nations upon whose traditional territories the aforementioned sports teams/clubs operate and offer to partner with them in calling for land acknowledgements to be made a standard feature of the opening ceremonies of all games and events.