Today, on the first day of 2022 and the 55th World Day of Peace, we stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people and call upon the government of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to immediately cease their occupation, arrests, and trespassing on Wet’suwet’en sovereign territory.

We are deeply concerned by the extended period of violence, militarized arrests, pressure and trespassing presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wet’suwet’en sovereign territory, and all other Indigenous sovereign territories and water & land defenders, from coast to coast to coast. These tactics are in opposition to not only Truth & Reconciliation in Canada and UNDRIP, but also the Pope’s message today for creating paths for lasting peace.

We invite you to consider these special prayer intentions today as we pray for peace:

• For dialogue to build peace; we pray for the immediate cessation of all violations and assaults on Indigenous water and land defenders.
• For education to drive peace; we pray that the RCMP and Canadian government respectfully honour Wet’suwet’en Clan law, and that all Canadians seek to respect and honour all Treaty relationships.
• For labour to keep peace; the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found that there is a direct connection between resource extraction projects and increased violence against and within Indigenous communities.

We pray that dignified and prosperous work for all be created in a just transition.

Pope Francis invites us today to “…walk together with courage and creativity on the path of intergenerational dialogue, education, and work. May [everyone] strive daily, with quiet humility and courage, to be artisans of peace.” We pray for true peace-keeping and right relations with all Indigenous peoples in Canada.