Counsel Public Affairs acknowledges that while many of our consultants are still working from home, it is no less important to acknowledge the traditional and ancestral territories that we are privileged to live and work on.  

These include:  

• The traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples, now known as Victoria, BC. 
• The traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, now known as Vancouver, BC. 
• The traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, and the lands of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, now known as Calgary, AB. 
• The traditional territories of the people of Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 regions, the lands of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation, now known as Regina, SK.
• The ancestral lands of the Métis Nation on Treaty One Territory, now known as Winnipeg, MB. Here, our drinking water comes from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, in Treaty Three Territory.
• The traditional lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree), and Dakota peoples, and in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis, located on Treaty One Territory, now known as Winnipeg, MB.
• The traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, now known as Toronto, ON. Tkaronto/Toronto is covered by Treaty 13, signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
• The traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin territory, now known as Ottawa, ON.
• Both Toronto and Ottawa are in Dish with One Spoon territory. Originally a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee, the Dish with One Spoon invites all people to respect the land and share resources equitably. We all eat from this dish with one spoon, and share responsibility for ensuring the dish is never empty.

We recognize that land acknowledgements are not, on their own, enough to acknowledge and right the harm that colonial processes and structures have had on these lands and on Indigenous peoples. We encourage you to do your own learning about colonialism through the following links:  

Native-land.ca

The 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

How to Acknowledge Land