Indigenous Solidarity Statement
Out of care and intention to pursue truth and reconciliation, and with the goal of achieving social, economic and racial justice for everyone, the Back on Track campaign makes the following statement:
As rail workers, we respectfully acknowledge that we work, live and organize on ancestral Indigenous lands, many of which remain unceded territory to this day. We strive for respectful relationships with all the peoples across Turtle Island as we search for collective healing and true reconciliation and honour this land together.
As settlers and workers in Canada, we acknowledge the country's history of colonization, the injustices imposed on Indigenous Peoples and communities of this land by the Canadian state, and the ongoing legacy of racism that continues to have an impact today.
As advocates for national public rail services, we recognize the role cross-country railways have played in facilitating colonization, their conflicted history and the exploitation and oppression they have caused for many communities and what it continues to symbolize to this day.
Through this campaign, we seek a collective and inclusive method to reach our goal of providing safe, reliable and public rail connection from coast to coast to coast. We commit to building links and connections that do not yet exist. We commit to working with and not for Indigenous communities. We commit to constantly reflecting and evaluating the objectives and actions of this campaign so that they are built on respect, reconciliation, anti-racism, and the greater common good.