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Chancellor Clare Burns to step down

Published on 
November 12, 2025

On November 10, Canon Clare Burns submitted her resignation from the role of Chancellor of General Synod effective no later than December 31, 2025. She was appointed Chancellor in November 2023, after serving for three years as Vice-Chancellor. 

I have respectfully accepted Canon Burns’ resignation and wish to acknowledge her outstanding and sacrificial contribution to the life and health of our church at an extremely challenging juncture. Her integrity, wisdom, acumen and poise were instrumental in lifting us to a place where the work of “creating pathways” can be fully embraced.   

Her generous offering of service comes from deep faithfulness, and I know that her decision to step down comes after prayerful and careful consideration. She has my sincere personal gratitude and that of our beloved Anglican Church of Canada. 

The Officers and Council of the General Synod will work together to identify and confirm a new appointment to the vital position of Chancellor. 

In Christ,

[signed] +Shane
The Most Reverend Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.