Upholding the highest standards of care and practice requires a       commitment to social justice.
In 2018 ᓃᒫᐃᐧᐣ Nîmâwin, a group of six members was created as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and their calls to action. The objectives of the group were, in a spirit of reconciliation, to promote mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. CASC/ACSS is committed to overseeing the implementation of the action plan produced by ᓃᒫᐃᐧᐣ Nîmâwin, to guide CASC/ACSS in its reconciliation journey for years to come. We are proud that truth and reconciliation are values that inform the identity, policies and practices of CASC/ACSS.

ᓃᒫᐃᐧᐣ Nîmâwin Recommendations

Recommendation 1:  Adopt a Principles-based Framework for Reconciliation
In response to the Calls to Action, the Calls for Justice, and the UNDRIP, CASC/ACSS adopt a principles-based Framework for Reconciliation that:
  1. Enables a process of decolonization and indigenization across the organization including structure, governance, education, professional practice, ethics and member relations;
  2. Affirms CASC/ACSS’s commitment to active and ongoing involvement in reconciliation, explicitly acknowledging the truth of colonization and genocide against FNIM Peoples from coast to coast to coast on Turtle Island-Canada, and all forms of historic and continuing colonial violence by the Canadian state including residential schools, day schools, “Indian hospitals,” the 60’s scoop, child and family services and systemic racism, as well as the role of the churches;
  3. Affirms the rights of FNIM Peoples, as described in the UNDRIPx ;
  4. Honours the spirit and intent of the treaties from coast to coast to coast on Turtle Island-Canada, and acknowledges that “we are all treaty people”;
  5. Repudiates the Doctrine of Discovery and the concept Terra Nulliusxi;
  6. Embraces the principles of substantive equity, inclusion, anti-racism, cultural safety and humility, trauma-informed practice, and Etuaptmumk, “Two-Eyed Seeing”;
  7. Mandates the creation of an Action Plan for Reconciliation with an annual budget (see Recommendation #2 below); and
  8. Establishes and funds a Reconciliation Council to develop and oversee implementation the Framework and Action Plan, report annually on progress made, and review and revise both documents as needed for the ongoing reconciliation journey (see Recommendation #3 below).
Recommendation 2:  Adopt an Action plan for reconciliation
That CASC/ACSS adopt an Action Plan for Reconciliation with an annual budget, incorporating the following five commitments:
  • Commitment #1: CASC/ACSS’s national and regional leadership promote and enact reconciliation in all aspects of organizational life, interactions with partner organizations, and public communications.
  • Commitment #2: All SPE and clinical and supervisory certification programs enact reconciliation with FNIM members entering and advancing in the profession, and include core content and competencies that enable and promote active engagement in reconciliation by all members.
  • Commitment #3: With foundational training in place Spiritual Care Practitioners and Psychospiritual Therapists actively engage in reconciliation in their work, and as representatives of CASC/ACSS.
  • Commitment #4: Reconciliation is enacted with FNIM members of CASC/ACSS interpersonally and through all aspects of organizational life.
  • Commitment #5: The CASC/ACSS Board, commissions, Supervisor-Educators, and all Spiritual Care Practitioners and Psychospiritual Therapists seek to develop partnerships with FNIM leaders, organizations and communities for the purposes of consultation, collaboration and accountability.
Recommendation 3:  Establish and fund a reconciliation council
It is imperative that CASC/ACSS establish and fund a Reconciliation Council to develop and oversee implementation of the Framework and Action Plan, leading a process of decolonization, indigenization and Two-Eyed Seeing across the organization including structure, governance, education, professional practice, ethics and member relations. The Council will report annually on progress made, and review and revise both documents as needed for the ongoing journey of reconciliation. The Council will have a formal, sustainable structure, with internal governance (e.g. decision making processes, meeting format and frequency) to be established and evolved by its own members.
"Truth and reconciliation informs the identiTy, policies and practices of CASC/ACSS."