SLSC’s Commitment to Reconciliation
Positioning Ourselves
Reconciliation is not a one-time project or a goal to be completed. It is an ongoing process of learning, reflection, and action.
As a national, membership-based organization, the work of St. Leonard’s Society of Canada (SLSC) and our members extends across the traditional territories of many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples throughout the lands of Turtle Island known as Canada. SLSC’s office is located on the traditional, unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabeg Algonquin Nation.
Learning from Indigenous Voices and Experiences
The criminal legal system is shaped by colonial policies, systemic discrimination, and ongoing inequities. We acknowledge that the legal system – including its institutions, policies, and practices – has and continues to cause harm, especially to Indigenous Peoples and communities.
As an organization working within this system, SLSC recognizes our responsibility to understand this context, to listen to Indigenous voices, and to take meaningful action towards reconciliation. Information and resources regarding Indigenous Peoples and communities should be grounded in lived experience and informed by reliable authorities.
Rather than attempting to summarize this history ourselves, we encourage readers to explore resources that help inform our understanding of Indigenous experiences and the impacts of colonialism in Canada, such as:
- Assembly of First Nations
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR)
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
If you are interested in learning more about Indigenous-led organizations working in community corrections, check out some of these groups that we collaborate with:
Where We Started
SLSC’s work is grounded in humane and evidence-based policies and the values of accountability, social responsibility, integrity, commitment, and the inherent worth of all people. For decades, we have worked to address systemic inequities within and beyond the criminal justice system to achieve our purpose and vision.
Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Calls to Action, we began more intentionally reflecting on our role and responsibility in reconciliation. From there, we gradually began participating in reconciliation through ongoing action and relationship-building to help us and our members become more informed and action-oriented. We aim to be able to provide more support for Aboriginal programming in halfway houses and parole services.
Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation
Leading from discussions with our Board’s Policy Review Committee during the development of our policy on Racism in the Criminal Justice System, reconciliation was raised as an opportunity for SLSC to explore how we could engage more meaningfully with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
To inform our approach, SLSC’s Board of Directors formed a Truth & Reconciliation Working Group in 2022 to develop recommendations in the spirit of reconciliation and explore how SLSC could engage in meaningful, sustained action grounded in decolonizing principles. Through this work, it became clear that financial resources beyond SLSC’s operating budget were needed to advance the group’s objectives and meaningfully engage experts to help guide this process.
In 2023, SLSC applied to Public Safety Canada for funding to engage Indigenous leadership in informing the priorities of the working group. This funding was approved, allowing us to launch the Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation: Applying Decolonizing and Indigenizing Strategies to Address Gaps in Community Corrections project.
The purpose of this work was to critically reflect on how SLSC and its member organizations are situated within a colonial context, and to identify concrete, informed ways to contribute to reconciliation through our policies, practices, and relationships.
Throughout this project, SLSC was guided by Indigenous experts, community voices, and people with lived experience. The project emphasized learning before action, recognizing that meaningful change requires humility, accountability, and sustained effort.
As part of the project, in April 2024, Project Lead Jessica Rumboldt facilitated a workshop for SLSC’s Board and member organizations, which helped build shared understanding and momentum for deeper engagement.
Access some of the workshop materials here:
- SLSC Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation Virtual Workshop Primer
- SLSC Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation Virtual Workshop Slides
The learnings from the April workshop helped build momentum for the in-person Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation gathering held over two days in June 2024. This created an opportunity for our national network to connect, reflect, and learn together.
View the presentation from our gathering here:
In October 2024, we attended the Canadian Criminal Justice Association’s Congress, which was an excellent opportunity to learn about other efforts happening within the sector and what is needed to make improvements. We were also grateful to be one of the presenters, which allowed us to share what we had learned about decolonizing and Indigenizing our organization so far, as well as talk to attendees about their experiences to further inform our findings (view presentation slides HERE).
Together, the project activities sparked dialogue and ideas about how SLSC can improve our ability to contribute to truth, reconciliation, and action beyond the project’s end date. This includes a better educational foundation and guidance as we continue advocating for humane, informed, and culturally grounded approaches, including to support the advancement of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, particularly in relation to justice.Call to Action
Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
TRC Call to Action #30
TRC Call to Action #35
TRC Call to Action #37
TRC Call to Action #42
The project Process Report that details our activities and findings is available HERE.
If you have any questions about this project, please reach out to the SLSC team: info@stleonards.ca.
Where We’re Going
Informed by the Understanding Our Truth in Reconciliation project and our ongoing efforts, SLSC and its members are committed to:
- Recognizing positionality, bias, and identity, and how these shape decision-making
- Building and sustaining meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, organizations and the communities they represent
- Reducing structural barriers and supporting community-based approaches
- Advocating for sustainable resources to support Indigenous-led and culturally appropriate services
- Respecting diverse Indigenous knowledge systems, recognizing that no single approach fits all communities or individuals
- Maintaining accountability, recognizing that meaningful change happens through continuous efforts
We aim to accomplish this by:
- Continuing to listen, support, and engage with Indigenous partners working in community corrections
- Participating in S. 84 Steering Committee work, in both an advisory and research capacity
- Attending events and learning opportunities that bolster our participation in reconciliation
In recent years, we’ve been building our relationship with the Kahnawà:ke Public Safety Commission’s Section 84 Team. This has included the opportunity for us and our members to visit and learn more from them and about their partnership with SLSC member, Maison Cross Roads.
Alongside Kahnawà:ke’s Section 84 Team and other partners, SLSC participates in a Section 84 Steering Committee established by the Circle of Eagles Lodge Society (COELS). This Committee supports coordinated, Indigenous-centred approaches to reintegration and community safety.
We are continuing to develop ways to share what we have learned, expand our collective knowledge, and turn learning into action.
We welcome continued dialogue, collaboration, and accountability as part of our responsibility to support reconciliation and contribute to safer, more equitable communities. For any inquiries, please reach out to the SLSC team: info@stleonards.ca.
Resources for Continued Learning
The following resources inform our ongoing learning and may be helpful for those interested in learning more about truth and reconciliation and the experiences of Indigenous Peoples and communities:
Understanding Indigenous History and Context
- Colonization | The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Insight on 10 Myths About Indigenous Peoples
- What Is Indigenous?
Reflecting on Bias and Assumptions
- Harvard Implicit Association Test
- Paweena Sukhawathanakul, psychology researcher, shares five tips on checking your bias
- Recognizing Our Implicit Bias Towards Indigenous Peoples | Kelly Terbasket | TEDxBYU
Reconciliation and Accountability
