Today is National Aboriginal Day, prompting the Diocese of Ottawa to tweet this meaningless nonsense:
If the diocese truly believes its churches are built on land that belongs to someone else, they should give it back. Bishop John Chapman could set an example by giving away his rectory.
The label “meaningless nonsense” deserves further explanation. How is it meaningless? How is it nonsense?
It is as meaningful and sensible as a burglar easing his conscience by announcing to all and sundry that he steals things for a living but has no intention of reforming his ways.
I suppose I could label it dishonest and hypocritical if you prefer.
I acknowledge that I am using your unceded laptop to make this post. It’s working beautifully — thank you!
Just more politically (in)correct idiocy from what has become nothing more than a left wing political lobby group. The tweet is grossly a lie in that the land is not “traditional, unceded territories” for these lands were willingly sold to our European predecessors for a fairly negotiated price.
But making such tweets and public statements may have serious legal consequences. For these may be interpreted by our courts as a public admission that these lands are still owned by the Algonquin and Mohawk groups.
The Anglican Diocese is following the lead of the City of Ottawa, which is heavily into this sort of “meaningless nonsense” too.
Except of course, it is not “meaningless nonsense” at all. It is quite the opposite; it is “meaningful nonsense”. Each time the City of Ottawa continues to insist that it sits on unceded Algonquin/Mohawk territory, it sets itself up for a smart cabal of indigenous lawyers to make the squeeze for a massive financial settlement.
As an Ottawa taxpayer and thus one of the poor saps who will inevitably end up shelling out for the City’s grandiose posturing, I am surprised the Algonquin and Mohawk leadership haven’t already dragged the city into court for a big cash pay-off.
Has anyone actually asked, face to face, that very obvious question, “Why don’t you give the land and buildings back?” What was the answer? Hypocrisy is too weak a word for it.