e-4431 (Culture and heritage)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• The National Anthem was amended with gender-neutral language to ensure equity and inclusion;
• Canada's most notable symbols, the Canadian flag, and the National Anthem, fail to represent Indigenous people;
• The land has provided sustenance and shelter to Indigenous people since time immemorial and is revered for its life-giving quality that sustains plants, animals, and people;
• Indigenous stories, traditional knowledge, culture, spirituality, and law illustrate the relationship to the land;
• To ensure abundant resources, Indigenous people had a reciprocal relationship with the land characterized by responsibility, balance, and connection;
• The nature of this tie is not one of "ownership but stewardship.";
• The land is a sacred gift from the Creator, and Indigenous people vowed to protect it;
• Disconnection from the land, water, and sky, caused by displacement and banning ceremonies, harmed Indigenous people spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally;
• Indigenous peoples helped newcomers survive on the land by teaching them how to hunt and find shelter;
• Treaties declared that Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations were built on peace, friendship, and mutual respect for one another's sovereignty; and
• Indigenous people's relationship to the land is constitutionally recognized.