FRI DAY, NOVEMBER 17
Morning
Members:
opened with worship and reflection on the values the Council seeks to represent in the life of the church: faithful, effective and life-giving;
heard a variety of reports dealing with the residential schools issues. This session was held in camera. A summary released later notes:
The Prolocutor, Rod Andrews, presented the report of the Officers and highlighted two items: the Officers and Management Team have not proceeded with development of detailed crisis management plan, as requested by May CoGS, since the priority is to work on seeking a resolution other than bankruptcy; and the officers have considered mounting an election strategy to engage candidates but believe it is not in anyone’s best interests to raise residential schools issues in a partisan context.
The General Secretary reported on
§ staff changes at Church House
§ a meeting of Provincial Secretaries from the Anglican Communion. As part of their meeting the Secretaries spent a day and a half hearing about residential schools and offered many suggestions about ways to increase our work in reconciliation.
§ We have completed a detailed count of the legal claims arising from residential schools, based on information submitted by all our lawyers. Not counting class actions,
o the direct claims against General Synod (all of which are also direct claims against the Government of Canada) total 507
o third party claims (claims brought against General Synod by the government after the government was named a sole defendant) total 376
o This means the General Synod is involved in 43 percent of cases solely because of actions brought by the Government of Canada.
§ We have written to all Liberal MPs saying their numbers are wrong. Many Liberal MPs are replying to our letter-writing campaign using a form-letter response. It says the Anglican Church was named a sole defendant in 941 cases. The correct number is zero, according to our lawyers. We have asked the MPs to withdraw their that statement and to cease providing incorrect information.
§ We keep in touch with AFN as an important part of looking for a whole solution.
§ We have received a lot of support from many different people: contributions to healing fund, messages to staff, advice and in many other ways.
§ A conference called by the Diocese of Calgary which brought together several different dioceses with General Synod was very good and helped to clarify our way forward.
Nick Parker , dean of Cariboo , said the rumours are more interesting than the actual events. The Cariboo Synod had a wonderful spirit. We’re a shrinking happy band of pilgrims. Some clergy have left and it’s difficult to attract new clergy. We’re a people caught between history and dream. We’re trying to cope with the history in some tangible ways, but we also have dreams of a ministry that we’re trying to keep alive.
Michael Butler, our consultant on government relations, reported on discussions with the federal government.
The Treasurer reported on actions taken to further clarify the General Synod accounts, including:
§ placing in separate accounts those funds held in the Consolidated Trust Fund that do not belong to General Synod (e.g., funds belonging to Anglican Foundation);
§ re-insuring annuities to guarantee that there would be no interruption in payments to the elderly beneficiaries in the event of General Synod insolvency
§ completing the incorporation of PWRDF.
He noted residential school expenses to November 16, 2000 total $771,000, which has been financed by the sale of assets in the consolidated trust fund. A further $1 million has been liquidated to provide working capital. No further sale of assets is anticipated in 2000.
Margaret Shawyer reported on diocesan consultations. Thirteen have been completed but only nine reports have been received, so the results are still quite preliminary:
§ many people are saying healing and reconciliation needs to be worked at locally
§ there are many requests for liturgies related to healing and reconciliation
§ there is appreciation for clear communication received
§ there is concern in some dioceses about reductions to Council of the North
§ most responses to the question of how we should work at healing and reconciliation support an approach that maintains the existing strategic plan priorities but reallocates a higher proportion of resources toward the healing and reconciliation work
§ CoGS members noted an unfortunate lack of Aboriginal participants in some consultations.
Table group discussion of the reports produced the following questions and responses:
Can diocesan proportional gifts be assured for 2001?
Yes, proportional gifts will continue to go to the ongoing work of General Synod, and litigation costs will continue to come from assets. If we reach the point where assets are no longer available, we’ll tell dioceses we can’t do that any more.
Government is in control of the litigation processes and the discussions around settlement, but it’s also a key defendant. Would it be better to work with a third-party process, in which there could be a more objective assessment?
We have made that recommendation to government, but it has chosen not to pursue it at this time.
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) proposed a public enquiry on residential schools. General Synod, guided by the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, supported that call. The Assembly of First Nations is considering the possibilities for some form of Truth and Reconciliation commission.
Why have we not challenged politicians more directly?
If we challenge representatives during an election campaign, we risk having the issues become partisan. We think that would be inappropriate.
Some are asking why the Primate has not been more visible.
That approach was deliberate. It was our thinking originally that we were ultimately working toward a meeting of the Prime Minister and the Primate and we held the Primate in reserve. Things are working out somewhat differently, but our view remains that the Primate’s role is to stay focused on the wider vision, the long-term future of the church.
Why weren’t Indigenous people invited to some consultations?
The letter to dioceses specifically asked that Aboriginal people be included. Ultimately, the diocese decides who to invite. Several consultations have included Aboriginal persons. The Anglican Council of Indigenous People has provided travel costs to get ACIP members to some. The Diocese of British Columbia ran a very good healing and reconciliation program in addition to its consultation.
Are we re-victimizing the victims if we participate in a litigation slowdown?
Slowdown refers to slowing the action in court between the government and the church. If we can get that discussion out of the courts it will speed up settlements for plaintiffs. In fact, that’s what’s unfolding now in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. So it’s to the benefit of plaintiffs.
How long?
Decisions about our finances can wait until sometime next year. We can’t predict how long the government discussions may take.
Friday afternoon
received the report of the Financial Management and Development committee (FMD) including:
§ a presentation on the proposed 2001 budget.
Key factors in revenue include: reduced diocesan revenue overall, although commitment to proportional giving is good; lower investment income; and potential decrease in fund-raising, because donors are concerned about whether their contributions are secure.
Key factors in expenditure include significant reduction in program expenditures; increased resources for reconciliation and healing; uncertain costs related to litigation. The budget is balanced (excluding residential schools costs) for 2001.
· a proposal to develop a financial strategy capable of taking the Anglican Church into the future, to rebuild and to address ongoing commitments.
A consultative process would develop an integrated approach to generating revenue for both General Synod and the dioceses. The intent is to have two regional gatherings, followed by a national gathering, all to be completed by March with a report available to the next meeting of the Council of General Synod.
· a policy on planned giving , presented for approval at a later point in the meeting.
received the report of the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF). The Fund is now federally incorporated and has received charitable status with the capacity to issue its own tax receipts. A board of directors will ensure that it remains an Anglican institution and that donations to PWRDF are directed solely to the Fund’s purposes. A discussion paper on Healing and Reconciliation within PWRDF’s Canadian Development Program was attached.
received the report of the Faith, Worship and Ministry committee (FWM), including:
· a report of four provincial worship consultations.
Their recommendations include asking General Synod to extend approval for use of the BAS until General Synod determines otherwise; continuing consultation about the need for revision of authorized liturgical texts; providing access to a library of authorized liturgical resources; developing service templates which would outline a common shape to liturgical rites while permitting greater experimentation; and asking the House of Bishops to address the issue of a unifying common lectionary for the church.
In table groups, members considered whether some of these recommendations might be effectively addressed in regional liturgical forums, and gave advice to FWM about how it should frame resolutions about liturgy for General Synod 2001.
· notices of motion related to an order for Compline, Supplementary Liturgical Materials, and liturgical resources for healing and reconciliation.
The motions will be debated and voted on later.
· the report of the task force on Theological Education for Ordained Ministry
The task force believes it may be possible to identify the core competencies (as distinct from standards) necessary for ordination on a national basis.
received the report of the Information Resources Committee (IRC) and discussed the goals of our communication strategy. Some comments:
· inform as many as possible; connect Anglicans across Canada and throughout the communion
· people in pews are primary target: they need a print resource that’s positive, practical and spiritual; and videos for leaders to use in equipping the saints
· enhance our presence on the Internet and possibly distribute resources that way
· interpretation and translation for Indigenous communities
Friday evening
received the report of the Council of the North . At its September meeting, the council urged all parties in the eastern lobster fishery dispute to enter into negotiations in a spirit of mutual respect, honouring the treaty principle of sharing resources in a fair, just and equitable manner.
received a comprehensive report from the Marriage Canon Task Force set up in response to a request from the 1998 General Synod. Among its recommendations:
· there is no reason for the church to seek to abandon ‘the marriage business’ or, on the other hand, to oppose if legislatures seek to make the solemnization of marriage a government function.
· appropriate liturgies for the blessing of a civil marriage should be included in any future book of liturgies
· the church should not bless common law relationships
· a divorced person who wishes to remarry should not have to apply to a matrimonial commission. Instead, the incumbent [priest] should determine whether such persons may marry according to the rites of the church, after appropriate consideration of the matters presently required to be considered by matrimonial commissions.
These recommendations will require approval at two consecutive General Synods
heard the Primate’s reflections on his time since the last meeting, especially on the ecumenical activity as it bears on our life as the Anglican Communion. The first event took place in the Czech Republic, when the Primate co-chaired a meeting dealing with the place of the Orthodox in the World Council of Churches. The Orthodox pressed hard on some fundamental ecumenical issues. The church subsists in the Orthodox Church and that’s that. But the other Christians present raised serious questions in return about the dismissive way in which this characterized our own baptisms.
This discussion was all carried out inside a monastery. We went to the liturgy every morning. A mother and son from the community came every morning and participated intensely in the worship and it turns out, they’re Buddhists! They’re the only Buddhists in the community, and they go to the Orthodox Church because, in a secularized society like that, where only four percent of the people consider themselves believers, you go where the spirit is.
Considering how rigid the Orthodox seemed to be with regard to the rest of us ‘Protestants,’ the open way in which the Orthodox Archbishop and nuns accepted these people was astonishing.
‘But of course they come to our church,’ the archbishop said. ‘They’re part of us, part of our community.’
Where was the narrowness there? Where was the breadth?
Archbishop Peers said other international meetings raised important questions about faith and order. An international gathering of Anglican and Roman Catholic Primates was an attempt to move the whole enterprise from abstract theology to where the church lives. Then a little later in the year, along came [a Roman Catholic statement called] Dominus Iesus, which said the church subsists in the Roman Catholic Church.
Archbishop Peers said Dominus Iesus is really an internal document. It represents an internal debate in the Roman Catholic Church, but it raises a question of faith and order. It seeks to address relativism in faith by invoking order (the Papacy).
In the Anglican Communion, he said, major issues of faith and order are placed before the Primates. At Lambeth in 1998 I think most people thought the major issues were issues of faith. Since the Singapore consecrations [referring to the irregular consecration of bishops to work in a Province where they were not authorized] they have become issues of order. But my question is, ‘Is order the real glue?’
Archbishop Peers repeated Desmond Tutu’s oft-quoted statement that ‘we are Anglicans because we meet.’ When the Primates next meet, he said, they are not going to talk about unity, but about ‘the ordering of our common life.’ Not order, as some kind of straightjacket, but the ordering of our common life. I’m very happy with that phrase. That combination — of ordering and meeting – is for me tremendously important.
Archbishop Peers quoted the Archbishop of Sydney, Harry Goodhew, in his farewell message to his synod. He said ‘you are far too fussy about those with whom you will meet.’ As Harry can tell you, in his diocese that’s a problem for evangelicals. Elsewhere it’s a problem for Charismatics. It’s a problem for Catholics. And it’s a problem for liberals. Just far too fussy about those with whom they’ll meet.
Well here we are who do we meet?
closed with Night Prayers
Saturday November 18
Morning
opened with worship led by members of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples
received the report of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP).
· ACIP members participated in Aboriginal Awareness Weeks at Church House
The program was intended to help Church House staff better understand Indigenous issues through approaches such as creating a ‘wall of history,’ discussions and a visit to the Woodlands Education Centre (formerly Mohawk Indian Residential School). Sue Moxley (Nova Scotia) noted this approach can readily be adapted for use by dioceses or parishes.
· There were two Canadian contributions to the first publication of a First Peoples Theology Journal , (available from ABC).
It is hoped this will be an annual publication.
· ACIP sponsored Bishop Gordon Beardy’s visit to the Burnt Church community and issued a statement after hearing his report.
· Individual donations have allowed the Healing and Reconciliation Fund to expend $113,613 this year (exceeding its budgeted funds of $100,000).
Mervyn Wolfleg reported on a Northern Health and Healing Gathering in Thompson, MB, which was partly supported by the Fund. It drew people from as far south as Winnipeg, and from Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Helena Houldcroft reported on another project partly supported by the Fund. She and Dale Gilman, an aboriginal priest, work together on healing among both aboriginal and non-aboriginal persons in the diocese of Qu’Appelle. Ministries that model true partnership are going to make some incredible things possible.
· The Sacred Circle (August 18-25) was held on the theme Walking a New Vision. Comments from some of the non-Indigenous partners named by the Council of General Synod include:
We heard daily how important the apology our Primate gave [at the second Circle] has been
I’d been introduced to the Covenant earlier, but Covenant is about relationship, and it was only through the experience of relationship at the Circle that the Covenant came into meaning in my heart.
I felt as someone who had been blind, didn’t know I was blind, and had the scales taken from my eyes over the course of the week. At the end of the week I didn’t know what to do except weep. Now I reflect on the words of John McMurray, the Scottish Quaker philosopher, who said ‘all meaningful knowledge is for the sake of action, and action is for the sake of friendship.’
We in the church are coming through a very profound change in our understanding of God. A hundred years ago we said, ‘we want to bring God to these people;’ today we understand that God is in our midst when we meet with Indigenous peoples.
Archbishop Peers noted he is one of the few people privileged to have attended all four gatherings. This one, like others, reflected the oral culture of the people; but differed because the spectrum is shifting. Work around healing is far more predominant in the stories. It’s a long haul, but that’s one of the gifts we bring to the enterprise. We’re there, decade by decade.
· Mervyn Wolfleg reported for the ACIP.
The Sacred Circles continue in discernment of the vision of the Covenant. Comments are organized by the four aspects of the medicine wheel: physical, cultural, emotional, spiritual.
Physical pain of residential schools remains. One young man said, I didn’t attend residential school but I had to live with my father’s anger. Structures in band councils have also been affected. Residual power struggles show the effects. The institutional church may bring pain by exclusion (e.g., not allowing drums in the church). There are both Christian and traditional ‘fundamentalists’ in communities who agree only that you can’t be Christian and Aboriginal at the same time. This is very divisive in our communities.
The emotional aspect can be summarized by the statement: deal with the hurts of the past and find the spirit of forgiving; and claim it so that we can face our future and begin the work of healing and reconciliation.
The mental aspect has to do with individual care. How can survivors be strengthened to endure the long journey of healing?
The spiritual dimension is summarized by an elder who said: The journey is like a river fed by many streams. If the river is to be strong the streams must be strong. We discussed many ways of proceeding with the spiritual dimension.
· A selection of reports from the Sacred Circle is available at www.anglican.ca/acip/sacred .
drew mind maps as a way of exploring activities and possibilities for work in healing and reconciliation.
received the report of the EcoJustice Committee and as part of that:
· heard a presentation on the third phase of the Jubilee campaign, focusing on land rights.
Chris Hiller, Indigenous Justice Coordinator, said land for Aboriginal peoples is bound up with culture and identity. Aboriginal land rights are inherent rights to maintain and develop a relationship with the land and its resources. Currently Aboriginal people have access to less than half of one percent of land below the 60 th parallel. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples made 78 recommendations about land and treaty rights as a prerequisite to sustaining viable communities.
Inherent rights are the right of self-determination, flowing from Aboriginal peoples’ place as the first inhabitants of this land. Treaty rights are those negotiated with the Government of Canada. These rights have been affirmed in legislation, in the constitution, and repeatedly through the courts.
The Anglican portion of the Jubilee campaign seeks to gather 30,000 signatures (out of a total goal for Canada of 100,000) on a petition asking the Government of Canada to set up an independent body capable of implementing land, treaty and inherent rights.
More information is available at www.anglican.ca/ministry/jubilee or the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative web site, www.web.net/~jubilee .
Afternoon
(EcoJustice continued)
reaffirmed support of the Jubilee initiative and adopted the year three Land Rights/Right Relations Campaign; and joined with the Aboriginal Rights Coalition in calling on the federal government to act immediately to establish a truly independent commission with the mandate to implement Aboriginal land, treaty and inherent rights.
received a report on restructuring the ecumenical justice coalitions and approved participation in a new ecumenical partnership of churches with the working title Canadian Churches for Social Justice . The new structure is intended to address challenges posed by changes in the legal and tax environment, rising costs; too little coordination among the eleven independent boards of the existing coalitions; and changes in the communication environment.
The existing boards are asked to continue through 2001 (working as program committees of the new structure) to allow a transition period. Decisions about finance, governance and personnel will be made by the new board of directors.
received the report of the Pension Committee and approved a number of detailed changes in the Pension Plan resulting from an actuarial evaluation.
heard partners’ reflections .
Verna Firth of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples said the past two days have contained an overwhelming amount of information and work. I’m used to sharing a blessing before meals at ACIP gatherings, and I notice that doesn’t happen here; I miss it.
Mervyn Wolfleg noted the Covenant states the purpose of establishing a self-determining community and to this end we extend the hand of partnership. Commenting on a report that healing and reconciliation work was not highly rated in some diocesan consultations, he said Indigenous peoples are committed and are doing the work and will continue to do the work regardless, though they would prefer to work in partnership.
Warren Ramshaw of ECUSA said many topics we’ve been dealing with are similar to issues facing ECUSA. It also is looking forward to celebrating full communion with the Lutheran Church. Issues of meeting are also common; ECUSA’s executive council spends some time with the local community as it holds its meetings in different parts of the country.
Evening
heard the report of the Planning for the Future task force and examined the timeline to General Synod.
Some of the things that need to happen at General Synod are: transparency for the work of this triennium; setting a strategic direction for the next triennium; initiate a planning process for a (re)new(ed) strategic plan to be presented in 2004; approve a financial development plan to resource this work. The Council of General Synod will need to approve proposals for the latter three items at its next meeting.
Steve Hopkins said there seems to be an emerging consensus from the consultations that have taken place so far that might be expressed as:
a) Affirm healing and reconciliation with indigenous people as a high priority and with increased resources
b) To the extent possible, maintain existing work according to the 1995 strategic plan using existing committees and frame this work in terms of healing and reconciliation
There is a significant amount of work to be done in determining how we will go about achieving those objectives in healing and reconciliation. What kind of program will be involved? How will we determine its effectiveness?
Table groups discussed these questions (and this way of expressing the emerging consensus) and gave feedback to the Planning Team about the perceived nature of healing and reconciliation and ways of approaching it.
closed with night prayers.
Sunday, November 19, 2000
Morning
opened with a Eucharist
heard partners’ reflections (continued)
Jon Fogleman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada said our move to full communion is the most important thing the church will be doing next year. We’re developing a new roadmap for ecumenism. After 2001 you can no longer be Anglicans as you were before, and I can no longer be Lutheran as I was before.
He said the Lutheran church has joined in our letter-writing campaign because that’s what brothers and sisters do. We are with you in every way. And if God-forbid you should need space, our house is your house.
Resolutions
revisited its earlier decision to continue the General Synod broadcasts in 2001 and directed the General Synod Planning Committee to determine how it will expend no more than $450,000 for the meeting, including communication costs, and to report its decisions to the March 2001 meeting. (This represents a $52,000 reduction from projected costs.)
approved the budget for the year 2001 . The budget is balanced, excluding residential schools costs; and approved an FMD plan to initiate a consultative process on future financial strategy ; and approved a policy on Planned Giving;
affirmed priorities for the work of General Synod in the 2001-2004 triennium
§ To the extent possible, maintain existing work according to the 1995 strategic plan using existing committees:
-Strengthen our mission and development partnerships outside Canada
-Clarify Anglican identity, doctrine, liturgy, and worship
-Nurture ecumenical relationships
-Advocate social justice and prophetic mission within Canada, especially in indigenous people’s concerns and social, economic, and environmental justice issues
-Strengthen the commitment of the whole Church to domestic mission in partnership with the Council of the North, and work with the Council of the North to move toward self-sufficiency
-Provide services to diocese – information, financial, administration
§ Affirm healing and reconciliation with indigenous people as a priority in its own right and with increased resources to work toward:
-Healing for those affected by the residential schools, their families and their communities
-Reconciliation within Canadian society of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people
-Developing and enhancing the relationship of indigenous and non-indigenous Anglicans
-Developing and enhancing the partnership of the church with others working toward healing and reconciliation
recessed for lunch ( after saying grace!)
Afternoon
directed the Planning and Agenda Team to do further work on priorities for the next meeting and to prepare a proposal for strategic planning beyond 2004.
referred a draft Statement on Healing and Reconciliation to the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples.
directed the Faith Worship and Ministry committee in consultation with the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples to collect and develop liturgical resources to assist with healing and reconciliation
heard the report of the General Synod Planning Committee.
The committee has discussed adding extra Indigenous persons to the participants of General Synod to allow there to be two at each table group. It’s uncertain how to finance the cost. Consultation is continuing.
received a preliminary report of the Dignity, Inclusion and Fair Treatment Task Group (established after the November 1999 meeting). The draft document affirms God’s call to a new humanity in Christ, a humanity that exists as one body with many parts. It proposes procedures designed to enhance the sense of dignity, inclusion, and fair treatment experienced by individuals in their dealings with the Church.
heard that the Jurisdiction Task Force has had two meetings by teleconference and is collecting materials. A report will be available in March.
appointed Sally Tuckey to the Anglican Award of Merit Committee, representing the Province of British Columbia and the Yukon.
adjourned as the Council of General Synod and reconvened as the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada (MSCC), and in that incarnation appointed the Primate as President of the MSCC and authorized the Officers of the MSCC to make any necessary decisions related to the residential schools litigation before the next meeting of the Board; and adjourned as MSCC to become, one again, the Council of General Synod.
authorized the Officers of General Synod to make time-driven decisions related to residential schools litigation before the next meeting of the Council and to continue discussions with both the federal government and indigenous organizations, keeping in mind:
i. Our commitment to increased healing and reconciliation with former residential schools students and their communities
ii. Our earnest desire to participate in resolution of the many lawsuits, including provision of compensation where appropriate and where it is within the capacity of the General Synod to do so, and to seek such resolution in a timely manner
iii. Our longstanding partnership with indigenous peoples, our support for the Covenant and our commitment to involve the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples in all aspects of ministry that concern indigenous peoples
iv. Our desire to find alternative ways of resolving litigation that are fair, humane and expeditious
v. Our desire to find a comprehensive solution that will be applicable to all affected dioceses as well as the General Synod
vi. Our urgent financial situation and that of several dioceses
vii. Our continuing belief that the federal government bears the major responsibility for the policy of assimilation and for the residential school program and operations.
and authorized the officers to continue exploring financial options for General Synod, including the possibility of the Companies Creditors Arrangements Act.
endorsed the report of the Task Force on Theological Education and asked that it be circulated widely
approved Night Prayer: An order for Compline and Supplementary Liturgical Materials (Eucharistic Prayers and Service of the Word) for use where authorized by the diocesan bishop;
requested committees to submit a list of work to be carried forward and expertise required for the information of the nominating committee.
approved future meeting dates for the next triennium. Next date is March 15 to 18, 2001.
asked FMD and the Management Team to develop a budget narrative which clearly identifies our commitment to healing and reconciliation and make it public as widely as possible.
agreed to distribute copies of the Marriage Canon Task Force Report to diocesan bishops and diocesan editors
heard suggestions for key messages from this meeting from the Planning and Agenda team, grouped under the headings of determination, stewardship and hopefulness.
Determination
§ continue to push the government for a negotiated, just and speedy settlement in order that we may get on with the work of the church in healing and reconciliation
§ reiterated our deep desire for full participation of Indigenous Anglicans in the life and work of our church and in all consultations with government.
§ increased our financial commitments to healing and reconciliation
§ continued to identify the specific gifts that all of us bring to resolution of our present challenges
Stewardship
§ keeping faith with donors by approving a balanced budget dedicated to the ongoing mission of the church
§ litigation costs, while continuing, are covered by assets
§ we continued our preparedness by increasing our knowledge about the options in front of us
§ approved by large majority a plan to design a strategy for financing the work of the church into the future
Hopefulness
§ have taken courage from the stories of the people of the Diocese of Cariboo, people who live between ‘history and a dream’ and are unafraid; and from the stories of ministries in the diocese of Qu’Appelle that are modeling true partnership.
§ reaffirmed priorities of the existing strategic plan, while raising up healing and reconciliation to a higher level.
§ anticipated with gladness the coming of full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and noted a new link to be forged between Lutheran and Anglican Indigenous peoples
§ approved new liturgies and the development of new liturgical resources
§ adopted year three of the Jubilee campaign, Land Rights/Right Relations
§ received a logo for General Synod which expresses the theme Towards Healing Reconciliation and The New Life.
heard a brief closing reflection from Archbishop Peers. He said the place of Indigenous peoples in Canadian society may be the most important social issue facing Canada, even though no government wants to deal with it. But this is where God has set us. The knowledge and relationships we will have developed in working with Indigenous people through this time will leave us significantly ahead of the society at large.