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Primate’s 2015 Election Message to Political Leaders

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Published on 
October 6, 2015

With the 2015 Canadian federal election underway, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, addresses the leaders of Canada’s five largest political parties, including Stephen Harper (Conservative), Tom Mulcair (New Democratic Party), Justin Trudeau (Liberal), Elizabeth May (Green), and Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Québécois). Outlining some of the major issues facing Canada and its most vulnerable residents, the Primate encourages each leader to listen to all they encounter on the campaign trail and offers his prayers.

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.