pho To: The Canadian press/ToM hanson
elijah harper holds up one of two eagle feathers he held when, as an Mla, he stalled Manitoba’s endorsement of the Meech
lake accord. he opposed this revision to the Constitution because first nations leaders had not been consulted.
camps, the meeting brought together 36
aboriginal Christian leaders with about
a dozen heads of key evangelical organizations for three days of what LeBlanc
modestly calls “conversations.”
“It was foundational,” he recalls.
“People began to listen to one another.
It was the first time [Christian leaders]
saw aboriginal peoples as human beings
with a story to tell.”
He recalls the reaction, on the third
day of the gathering, of leader Brian
Stiller, then president of The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC). Stilller,
after listening to a Cree man recount his
heart-rending experiences at a federally
run residential school, “was moved to
an overwhelming flow of tears, saying
this was the first time he heard the story
of a native man, a native Christian, a
brother and could now understand
what the issues were because of the
personal story.” The sentiment quickly
spread to other non-aboriginals, LeBlanc noted.
The following year was pivotal.
First Nations leader and former Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper (of Meech
Lake “No” fame) convened aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples from
across Canada to find a spiritual basis
for healing and understanding. The
“Sacred Assembly” took place in Hull,
Que., in December 1995.
From it sprang the landmark Reconciliation Proclamation. In part, it enunciated a “common spiritual foundation:
the belief that the Creator, God, reigns
supreme over all things.” And it called
on churches and faith communities “to
continue the process of healing and
reconciliation with aboriginal peoples
by providing the forums and supports
needed to heal the wounds created in
the past; to become stronger advocates
for justice and reconciliation in the current and future public affairs, and to
hold our governments accountable for
their implementation of just policies; to
recommit ourselves to a program of education and action on issues relating to
land rights, self-government, economic
development and racism.”
Immediately after the Sacred Assembly, the EFC founded the Aboriginal Task Force, including LeBlanc (then
working for World Vision Canada) and
Bruce Clemenger, now EFC president.
The name was changed to the Aboriginal Ministries Council around 2002.
By then momentum was building.
In 1996 The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (CMA) and
