Open Letter to the Massage Therapists’ Association of Nova Scotia
Re: Solidarity and support for Indigenous people of Palestine. Support and education for members and clients currently or previously experiencing vicarious or direct trauma.
MTANS Recent History, Priorities
Throughout 2023 & 2024, MTANS was involved in a transition. During this time, MTANS engaged in creating a strategic plan, and was busy with lots of internal change. Included in this strategic plan, MTANS made a commitment to “Prioritize DEIA in all aspects of our work.” This commitment can be seen in changes like the addition of a land acknowledgement on the website, in documentation, and as part of member meetings. There was the addition of pronouns in member listings and the renewal process and MTANS made Indigenous healthcare a focus at the most recent AGM. However, for the past two years, MTANS has stayed silent about the genocide in Palestine despite previously and currently posting/communicating about women’s rights, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, Pride, Truth and Reconciliation, and African Heritage month. There are many acts of violence going on throughout the world, and the genocide happening in occupied Palestine represents a unique look at the global crisis of ongoing settler colonialism as it has received mass media attention. Individuals and organizations can choose to do the right thing or remain complicit. If the moral duty to speak up and divest is not enough I would like to provide some education, and propose the following:
1. Publicly acknowledge and denounce the destruction of medical and aid sites, the murder of healthcare workers and the blockage of aid and medical supplies in occupied Palestine.
2. Provide education and support for RMTs in NS who may be experiencing vicarious trauma, including advice for ways to support clients experiencing vicarious trauma, re-traumatization or actual trauma from direct links to Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and other groups impacted by genocide, famine, apartheid.
3. Publicly denounce the genocide of Palestinians as an act of violent colonization of Indigenous people, and the relationship to our own countries’ history, efforts at reconciliation and spirit of land acknowledgments.
4. Provide direction for members wishing to boycott complicit companies, like massage business suppliers and related vendors.
5. Evaluate MTANS investments and third-party suppliers for complicity and divest where necessary and where those relationships would contradict MTANS stated values, mission, goals.
6. Reflect these values and statements in policies, by-laws and operations.
This is why MTANS is morally and ethically obliged to commit to these changes:
A (Familiar) History of Occupying Palestine, Facilitated by Britain
1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement – Britain and France work out how to take over the lands belonging to the Ottoman empire; Palestine placed under international administration.
1917 Balfour Declaration – Britain divinely mandated to bring Jews to Palestine through evangelical, protestant religious ideology. Britain supported a Jewish home in Palestine. No mention of the rights of the Indigenous Arab population.
1920s-30s – Forced land sales began in Palestine. Zionist agencies were backed by European and British law and stepped in as the primary buyers of land.
1936-39 – Land Transfer Ordinance introduced by Britain. Formalized mass land transfers to Zionist organizations, ignoring the displacement of Indigenous people. Arab Revolt occurred and Palestinians revolted against forced sales and displacements. Britain suppressed the revolt with executions, demolition of homes and imposing curfews while continuing to arm and train Jewish militias.
1948 – The Nakba. Zionist militias seized more than 78% of the land by expelling over 750k Palestinians and British occupying forces prevented them from forming any military force, while still actively training Zionists.
Canadian Indigenous people share a similar history, and settlers here in Canada have only recently acknowledged and began the process of reconciliation and reparation. Palestine offers us a chance to speak up against violent colonization and attempt to put an end to it through direct action and acts of solidarity. A 2024 article in the Vancouver Sun stated that Canada has about 30,000 residents of Palestinian origin. The numbers are likely higher but because of census data excluding Palestine and only allowing indication of “Arab” on these surveys it is hard to determine exact numbers.
They Say This is Genocide
Canada has stayed true to its historical support of the violent removal of Indigenous people by refusing to recognize the actions of Israel in occupied Palestine as genocide. The following organizations, and many more, have recognized this as a genocide and International Law clearly indicates this to be true:
October 2023 – The Center for Constitutional Rights (US)
January 2024 – UN World Court issued binding order for Israel to stop acts of genocide
March 2024 – Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur indicated a genocide was occurring against the Palestinian people, including the systemic destruction of hospitals
2025 – Amnesty International, B’Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), Physicians for Human Rights Israel, International Association of Genocide Scholars and Oxfam Canada all declared genocide.
October 2025 – the Saskatchewan Medical Association voted to transfer funds out of banks complicit in genocide and acknowledged what all major human rights organizations have indicated as genocide being committed by Israel. They will be transferring their banking to a Saskatchewan-based credit union that maintains policies against investing in weapons manufacturing. They also passed a resolution to request that the Canadian Medical Association provide an explanation for their refusal to condemn genocide.
Just recently, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour passed a Hot Cargo resolution against Israel that allows trade union members to refuse handling of arms shipments to Israel. Along with this resolution came an endorsement of the Arms Embargo Now campaign.
Many countries have also agreed to declare the acts of Israel as genocide and include Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, Libya, Maldives, Mexico, Nicaragua, Turkiye.
Organizations Speaking in Support:
The following organizations represent a small portion of those who are actively speaking up about this humanitarian and moral crisis:
Doctors Without Borders (who endeavor to address global health inequities)
Labour for Palestine, NS (made up of labour and trade union members in solidarity with Palestinian workers and people)
Unifor/Unifor Local 2025 (Canadas largest private sector union, called to Carney to end genocide)
UNICEF Canada (Call to end famine in Gaza and recognize “rights of every single child, no matter who or where they are, must be protected.”)
Jewish Voices for Peace
Palestinian Youth Movement
Gazan Canadians
National Council of Canadian Muslims
Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters
Assembly of First Nations (advocating for rights of First Nations people in Canada, 2023 called on Canadian government to call for immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid, respect for international human rights, issued reminder to others of the moral obligation to respect human rights, issued resolutions 82/2023 and 98/2024 in solidarity with Palestine and implementation of sanctions consistent with the UN declaration)
Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
NS Businesses Showing Solidarity:
Black Market
Dee Dee’s Ice Cream
Palestine Action YYT
Independent Jewish Voices Halifax
Flying Apron Inn & Cookery
The Floatation Centre
Universalist Unitarian Church Halifax
Tart & Soul Café
Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters
Labour for Palestine Halifax
Queer Hockey NS
United Church of Canada in the Maritimes
Atlantic Canada Palestinian Society
Hands for Gaza
Local Source
Many other small business and sole proprietors, including massage therapists and other healthcare professionals have been running fundraisers and awareness campaigns for Palestinians. Over 780 individuals and organizations signed an open letter demanding the cancellation of the Davis Cup. Over 900 people sent letters from my own campaign to demand the cancellation of the match in Halifax. MTANS was not one of the organizations included in supporting this initiative despite the close connection between sport and the work of massage therapists.
Conflicts of Interest Lead to Silence
There have been a seemingly unending number of links between Zionist organizations and Canadian government officials, including within Halifax City Council, and more recently the Lieutenant Governor.
Fillmore (current Mayor) and councillor Blois are both listed on the Canada Talks Israel Palestine website as having accepted and taken trips to Israel funded by CIJA (Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs).
Marco Mendicino (previous Chief of Staff to PM 2025), Steven Blaney (former Minister of Public Safety and Minister of Veterans Affairs), Murray Rankin (BC Minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation) have all been on paid by CIJA vacations to Israel.
CIJA is a Zionist Israel Lobby operating in Canada that also runs Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) which influences Canadian media and politicians. This group has taken many Canadian officials on paid, lavish trips to Israel.
Two Case Studies, International and Local
These two organizations, despite not having direct mandates to speak about ethnic cleansing, determined that it was critical to speak up. MTANS can look to them as models and leaders for doing the right thing, and for recognizing how their mission and values obligate them to speak up.
Independent Jewish Voices Canada
This group's mission is to amplify Canadian Jewish voices in support of justice in Israel-Palestine and supports the goal of peace based on principles of equality and human rights.
They recognize that the lands on which we live are the territories of many Indigenous nations. They chose to act in solidarity with Indigenous people and all marginalized people in Canada and fight against racism, settler colonialism and white supremacy.
IJV announced their support for the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanction) National Committees call to compel Israel to comply with International Law by ending occupation, dismantling the Wall, allowing Palestinians to return to their homes, as stipulated by UN Resolution 194.
While this organization's mission is to support peaceful Israel-Palestine relations, it also rightly decided that it was appropriate and necessary to stand in solidarity with all marginalized people, and Indigenous people elsewhere in the world including Canada. Its mandate is to promote Israel-Palestinian peace, but they have also publicly condemned Bill C-2 which would suppress social justice movements and restrict allowing refugees safe haven in Canada. They also stated their solidarity with Syria after the fall of Assad. IJV have raised awareness for the need for Canada to do more to honour the survivors of residential schools and uphold commitments related to Truth and Reconciliation.
NS Farmers Market Association
This organization's mission is to advance growth and prosperity for its members, farmers. Their core values include buying local, providing support and education, removing barriers to food accessibility and creating a community that is inclusive, cooperative and collaborative. This is not unlike MTANS statements in their strategic plan.
In August 2025, NS Farmers Market Association made a statement of solidarity with Palestinians. They indicated that food is a right for all people and should be at the centre of policy making. They acknowledged that they had a history of talking about food insecurity and recognized the need to speak about the same in relation to Gaza. They said that food is a right not just for Nova Scotians but for all people, also mentioning Sudan in their statement.
MTANS stated vision, like NS Farmers, also relates to accessibility. Since NS Farmers recognized the need to extend their food accessibility right to all people globally, which is in alignment with DEIA, MTANS could easily do the same as it relates to accessible healthcare, the destruction of hospitals, aid sites and the murder of medical and aid staff in occupied Palestine.
Not Enough? What About the TRC?
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published 94 calls to action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of reconciliation. Several of these calls to action apply to MTANS as an organization and can provide justification for speaking up.
No.18 – demands recognition and implementation of healthcare rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law.
No.24 – demands medical and nursing schools to require education about Aboriginal health and indicates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People as a guide to developing courses related to human rights, anti-racism and affirming Indigenous people’s equality with all other peoples. This UN Declaration is also referenced in calls to action No. 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 57, 67, 69, 86 and 92.
No.91 – indicates that officials and host countries of international sporting events must ensure that Indigenous people’s territorial protocols are respected.
No.92 – calls on the corporate sector to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People as a framework and to apply its principles to policy and operations.
After the final report of the TRCC, Trudeau issued an apology to Indigenous people and said “Moving forward, one of our goals is to help lift this burden from your shoulders, from those of your families, and from your communities. It is to accept fully our responsibilities – and our failings – as a government and as a nation.” Remaining silent about Palestine sets us up for another failing of Indigenous people and shows that we have not learned from our past. Right now, organizations need to be lifting the burden off the shoulders of the marginalized, including Indigenous people, Palestinians, but also individual practitioners who may need to make some difficult decisions about and within their practices here, how they exist during a televised genocide and in the context of no support from their professional associations/regulatory bodies.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, 2007
This declaration rejects all forms of colonialism and:
- Affirms that Indigenous people are equal to all people
- Recognizes that Indigenous people have suffered injustices through colonization and dispossession of their lands
- Recognizes urgent need to respect and promote inherent rights of Indigenous people, especially rights to their lands, territories and resources
- Recognizes and reaffirms that Indigenous people are entitled without discrimination to all human rights as recognized in international law
The following highlights some important articles in the declaration:
Article 7 – Indigenous people have the right to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person, the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security and shall not be subject to any act of genocide or any other act of violence.
Article 8 – Indigenous people have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture including depriving them of their integrity, ethnic identities, dispossessing them of their lands, forced population transfer or forms of propaganda that incites discrimination.
Article 10 – Indigenous people should not be forcibly removed from their lands. No relocation shall take place without their consent and with the option of return.
Article 22 – Particular attention to the rights and special needs of Indigenous elders, women, youth children and persons with disabilities.
Article 43 – Rights indicated constitute the minimum standards for survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous people of the world.
In December 2020, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-15, an Act respecting the UN Declaration and setting out a plan for federal implementation. It received assent June 21, 2021. The act rejects concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples, like the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius.
On May 26 2025, MTANS posted about Access Awareness Week, intended to help people better understand the barriers that exist for persons with disabilities. As well as posting about International Women’s Day, several Indigenous-led and related events and initiatives. These types of posts are rooted in decolonization and DEIA and taking direction from the UN Declaration, these issues, rights and campaigns become global initiatives that champion the rights of all people, especially those of women, children and the disabled. You can’t be pro-Women’s rights just in Canada, or support recognition of the harms of colonialism in Canada but nowhere else.
Empty Acknowledgments
MTANS has adopted a land acknowledgement that is used on the website, in some documents and at virtual and in-person meetings and events. On September 30, 2024 MTANS posted about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honouring residential school survivors and indicating “We are all Treaty people” and had a residential school survivor and elder speak at the recent AGM.
On December 1, 2024 Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters issued a statement in support of a student who spoke up at a Board of Governors meeting. That student denounced the use of a land acknowledgement by Dalhousie because of their contradictory actions in remaining complicit in genocide of the Palestinian people by not divesting from Israel. Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters made this statement:
If you want to recognize the right to be of Indigenous peoples and their right to their land, you can’t pick or choose which Indigenous peoples it applies to.
You are intentionally being deceitful when using land acknowledgment applying to the Mi’kmaw peoples but not using the same logic when addressing the Palestinian people.
Without the acknowledgment of the land of the Palestinian people, how does your acknowledgment of Mi’kma’ki make any sense?
This shows that your understanding of colonialism, genocide, and reconciliation is superficial.
Furthermore, a land acknowledgment does not rid of moral responsibility or any self-pity.
They indicated that making a land acknowledgement without the policy and actions to back it is tantamount to a direct attack on all Indigenous people. They indicated their commitment to fight for their brothers and sisters in Palestine because “An attack on one Indigenous people is an attack on all.”
If MTANS chooses to continue to make land acknowledgment statements, the statements from Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters, the TRC Calls to Action and the UN Declaration oblige MTANS to extend the meaning behind these statements to all Indigenous people, including Palestinians.
Aligning Mission, Vision, Goals
MTANS vision relates to accessible care, and core values to centering members, accountability, and inclusivity. Priorities include improving member confidence, advocating for and supporting well-being of members, and committing to support members’ personal and professional success. Page 8 of MTANS strategic plan, indicates prioritizing DEIA, representing members and the diverse communities they serve.
MTANS advocacy policy indicates the need to align with mission, values and strategic priorities, and based on data and evidence.
The above provides these justifications and aligns with MTANS stated values and goals.
Respectfully submitted by Laurie Di Giulio, MTANS member on October 30th 2025 at Halifax, NS Canada.
Re: Solidarity and support for Indigenous people of Palestine. Support and education for members and clients currently or previously experiencing vicarious or direct trauma.
MTANS Recent History, Priorities
Throughout 2023 & 2024, MTANS was involved in a transition. During this time, MTANS engaged in creating a strategic plan, and was busy with lots of internal change. Included in this strategic plan, MTANS made a commitment to “Prioritize DEIA in all aspects of our work.” This commitment can be seen in changes like the addition of a land acknowledgement on the website, in documentation, and as part of member meetings. There was the addition of pronouns in member listings and the renewal process and MTANS made Indigenous healthcare a focus at the most recent AGM. However, for the past two years, MTANS has stayed silent about the genocide in Palestine despite previously and currently posting/communicating about women’s rights, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, Pride, Truth and Reconciliation, and African Heritage month. There are many acts of violence going on throughout the world, and the genocide happening in occupied Palestine represents a unique look at the global crisis of ongoing settler colonialism as it has received mass media attention. Individuals and organizations can choose to do the right thing or remain complicit. If the moral duty to speak up and divest is not enough I would like to provide some education, and propose the following:
1. Publicly acknowledge and denounce the destruction of medical and aid sites, the murder of healthcare workers and the blockage of aid and medical supplies in occupied Palestine.
2. Provide education and support for RMTs in NS who may be experiencing vicarious trauma, including advice for ways to support clients experiencing vicarious trauma, re-traumatization or actual trauma from direct links to Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and other groups impacted by genocide, famine, apartheid.
3. Publicly denounce the genocide of Palestinians as an act of violent colonization of Indigenous people, and the relationship to our own countries’ history, efforts at reconciliation and spirit of land acknowledgments.
4. Provide direction for members wishing to boycott complicit companies, like massage business suppliers and related vendors.
5. Evaluate MTANS investments and third-party suppliers for complicity and divest where necessary and where those relationships would contradict MTANS stated values, mission, goals.
6. Reflect these values and statements in policies, by-laws and operations.
This is why MTANS is morally and ethically obliged to commit to these changes:
A (Familiar) History of Occupying Palestine, Facilitated by Britain
1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement – Britain and France work out how to take over the lands belonging to the Ottoman empire; Palestine placed under international administration.
1917 Balfour Declaration – Britain divinely mandated to bring Jews to Palestine through evangelical, protestant religious ideology. Britain supported a Jewish home in Palestine. No mention of the rights of the Indigenous Arab population.
1920s-30s – Forced land sales began in Palestine. Zionist agencies were backed by European and British law and stepped in as the primary buyers of land.
1936-39 – Land Transfer Ordinance introduced by Britain. Formalized mass land transfers to Zionist organizations, ignoring the displacement of Indigenous people. Arab Revolt occurred and Palestinians revolted against forced sales and displacements. Britain suppressed the revolt with executions, demolition of homes and imposing curfews while continuing to arm and train Jewish militias.
1948 – The Nakba. Zionist militias seized more than 78% of the land by expelling over 750k Palestinians and British occupying forces prevented them from forming any military force, while still actively training Zionists.
Canadian Indigenous people share a similar history, and settlers here in Canada have only recently acknowledged and began the process of reconciliation and reparation. Palestine offers us a chance to speak up against violent colonization and attempt to put an end to it through direct action and acts of solidarity. A 2024 article in the Vancouver Sun stated that Canada has about 30,000 residents of Palestinian origin. The numbers are likely higher but because of census data excluding Palestine and only allowing indication of “Arab” on these surveys it is hard to determine exact numbers.
They Say This is Genocide
Canada has stayed true to its historical support of the violent removal of Indigenous people by refusing to recognize the actions of Israel in occupied Palestine as genocide. The following organizations, and many more, have recognized this as a genocide and International Law clearly indicates this to be true:
October 2023 – The Center for Constitutional Rights (US)
January 2024 – UN World Court issued binding order for Israel to stop acts of genocide
March 2024 – Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur indicated a genocide was occurring against the Palestinian people, including the systemic destruction of hospitals
2025 – Amnesty International, B’Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), Physicians for Human Rights Israel, International Association of Genocide Scholars and Oxfam Canada all declared genocide.
October 2025 – the Saskatchewan Medical Association voted to transfer funds out of banks complicit in genocide and acknowledged what all major human rights organizations have indicated as genocide being committed by Israel. They will be transferring their banking to a Saskatchewan-based credit union that maintains policies against investing in weapons manufacturing. They also passed a resolution to request that the Canadian Medical Association provide an explanation for their refusal to condemn genocide.
Just recently, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour passed a Hot Cargo resolution against Israel that allows trade union members to refuse handling of arms shipments to Israel. Along with this resolution came an endorsement of the Arms Embargo Now campaign.
Many countries have also agreed to declare the acts of Israel as genocide and include Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, Libya, Maldives, Mexico, Nicaragua, Turkiye.
Organizations Speaking in Support:
The following organizations represent a small portion of those who are actively speaking up about this humanitarian and moral crisis:
Doctors Without Borders (who endeavor to address global health inequities)
Labour for Palestine, NS (made up of labour and trade union members in solidarity with Palestinian workers and people)
Unifor/Unifor Local 2025 (Canadas largest private sector union, called to Carney to end genocide)
UNICEF Canada (Call to end famine in Gaza and recognize “rights of every single child, no matter who or where they are, must be protected.”)
Jewish Voices for Peace
Palestinian Youth Movement
Gazan Canadians
National Council of Canadian Muslims
Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters
Assembly of First Nations (advocating for rights of First Nations people in Canada, 2023 called on Canadian government to call for immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid, respect for international human rights, issued reminder to others of the moral obligation to respect human rights, issued resolutions 82/2023 and 98/2024 in solidarity with Palestine and implementation of sanctions consistent with the UN declaration)
Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
NS Businesses Showing Solidarity:
Black Market
Dee Dee’s Ice Cream
Palestine Action YYT
Independent Jewish Voices Halifax
Flying Apron Inn & Cookery
The Floatation Centre
Universalist Unitarian Church Halifax
Tart & Soul Café
Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters
Labour for Palestine Halifax
Queer Hockey NS
United Church of Canada in the Maritimes
Atlantic Canada Palestinian Society
Hands for Gaza
Local Source
Many other small business and sole proprietors, including massage therapists and other healthcare professionals have been running fundraisers and awareness campaigns for Palestinians. Over 780 individuals and organizations signed an open letter demanding the cancellation of the Davis Cup. Over 900 people sent letters from my own campaign to demand the cancellation of the match in Halifax. MTANS was not one of the organizations included in supporting this initiative despite the close connection between sport and the work of massage therapists.
Conflicts of Interest Lead to Silence
There have been a seemingly unending number of links between Zionist organizations and Canadian government officials, including within Halifax City Council, and more recently the Lieutenant Governor.
Fillmore (current Mayor) and councillor Blois are both listed on the Canada Talks Israel Palestine website as having accepted and taken trips to Israel funded by CIJA (Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs).
Marco Mendicino (previous Chief of Staff to PM 2025), Steven Blaney (former Minister of Public Safety and Minister of Veterans Affairs), Murray Rankin (BC Minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation) have all been on paid by CIJA vacations to Israel.
CIJA is a Zionist Israel Lobby operating in Canada that also runs Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) which influences Canadian media and politicians. This group has taken many Canadian officials on paid, lavish trips to Israel.
Two Case Studies, International and Local
These two organizations, despite not having direct mandates to speak about ethnic cleansing, determined that it was critical to speak up. MTANS can look to them as models and leaders for doing the right thing, and for recognizing how their mission and values obligate them to speak up.
Independent Jewish Voices Canada
This group's mission is to amplify Canadian Jewish voices in support of justice in Israel-Palestine and supports the goal of peace based on principles of equality and human rights.
They recognize that the lands on which we live are the territories of many Indigenous nations. They chose to act in solidarity with Indigenous people and all marginalized people in Canada and fight against racism, settler colonialism and white supremacy.
IJV announced their support for the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanction) National Committees call to compel Israel to comply with International Law by ending occupation, dismantling the Wall, allowing Palestinians to return to their homes, as stipulated by UN Resolution 194.
While this organization's mission is to support peaceful Israel-Palestine relations, it also rightly decided that it was appropriate and necessary to stand in solidarity with all marginalized people, and Indigenous people elsewhere in the world including Canada. Its mandate is to promote Israel-Palestinian peace, but they have also publicly condemned Bill C-2 which would suppress social justice movements and restrict allowing refugees safe haven in Canada. They also stated their solidarity with Syria after the fall of Assad. IJV have raised awareness for the need for Canada to do more to honour the survivors of residential schools and uphold commitments related to Truth and Reconciliation.
NS Farmers Market Association
This organization's mission is to advance growth and prosperity for its members, farmers. Their core values include buying local, providing support and education, removing barriers to food accessibility and creating a community that is inclusive, cooperative and collaborative. This is not unlike MTANS statements in their strategic plan.
In August 2025, NS Farmers Market Association made a statement of solidarity with Palestinians. They indicated that food is a right for all people and should be at the centre of policy making. They acknowledged that they had a history of talking about food insecurity and recognized the need to speak about the same in relation to Gaza. They said that food is a right not just for Nova Scotians but for all people, also mentioning Sudan in their statement.
MTANS stated vision, like NS Farmers, also relates to accessibility. Since NS Farmers recognized the need to extend their food accessibility right to all people globally, which is in alignment with DEIA, MTANS could easily do the same as it relates to accessible healthcare, the destruction of hospitals, aid sites and the murder of medical and aid staff in occupied Palestine.
Not Enough? What About the TRC?
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published 94 calls to action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of reconciliation. Several of these calls to action apply to MTANS as an organization and can provide justification for speaking up.
No.18 – demands recognition and implementation of healthcare rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law.
No.24 – demands medical and nursing schools to require education about Aboriginal health and indicates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People as a guide to developing courses related to human rights, anti-racism and affirming Indigenous people’s equality with all other peoples. This UN Declaration is also referenced in calls to action No. 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 57, 67, 69, 86 and 92.
No.91 – indicates that officials and host countries of international sporting events must ensure that Indigenous people’s territorial protocols are respected.
No.92 – calls on the corporate sector to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People as a framework and to apply its principles to policy and operations.
After the final report of the TRCC, Trudeau issued an apology to Indigenous people and said “Moving forward, one of our goals is to help lift this burden from your shoulders, from those of your families, and from your communities. It is to accept fully our responsibilities – and our failings – as a government and as a nation.” Remaining silent about Palestine sets us up for another failing of Indigenous people and shows that we have not learned from our past. Right now, organizations need to be lifting the burden off the shoulders of the marginalized, including Indigenous people, Palestinians, but also individual practitioners who may need to make some difficult decisions about and within their practices here, how they exist during a televised genocide and in the context of no support from their professional associations/regulatory bodies.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, 2007
This declaration rejects all forms of colonialism and:
- Affirms that Indigenous people are equal to all people
- Recognizes that Indigenous people have suffered injustices through colonization and dispossession of their lands
- Recognizes urgent need to respect and promote inherent rights of Indigenous people, especially rights to their lands, territories and resources
- Recognizes and reaffirms that Indigenous people are entitled without discrimination to all human rights as recognized in international law
The following highlights some important articles in the declaration:
Article 7 – Indigenous people have the right to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person, the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security and shall not be subject to any act of genocide or any other act of violence.
Article 8 – Indigenous people have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture including depriving them of their integrity, ethnic identities, dispossessing them of their lands, forced population transfer or forms of propaganda that incites discrimination.
Article 10 – Indigenous people should not be forcibly removed from their lands. No relocation shall take place without their consent and with the option of return.
Article 22 – Particular attention to the rights and special needs of Indigenous elders, women, youth children and persons with disabilities.
Article 43 – Rights indicated constitute the minimum standards for survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous people of the world.
In December 2020, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-15, an Act respecting the UN Declaration and setting out a plan for federal implementation. It received assent June 21, 2021. The act rejects concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples, like the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius.
On May 26 2025, MTANS posted about Access Awareness Week, intended to help people better understand the barriers that exist for persons with disabilities. As well as posting about International Women’s Day, several Indigenous-led and related events and initiatives. These types of posts are rooted in decolonization and DEIA and taking direction from the UN Declaration, these issues, rights and campaigns become global initiatives that champion the rights of all people, especially those of women, children and the disabled. You can’t be pro-Women’s rights just in Canada, or support recognition of the harms of colonialism in Canada but nowhere else.
Empty Acknowledgments
MTANS has adopted a land acknowledgement that is used on the website, in some documents and at virtual and in-person meetings and events. On September 30, 2024 MTANS posted about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honouring residential school survivors and indicating “We are all Treaty people” and had a residential school survivor and elder speak at the recent AGM.
On December 1, 2024 Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters issued a statement in support of a student who spoke up at a Board of Governors meeting. That student denounced the use of a land acknowledgement by Dalhousie because of their contradictory actions in remaining complicit in genocide of the Palestinian people by not divesting from Israel. Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters made this statement:
If you want to recognize the right to be of Indigenous peoples and their right to their land, you can’t pick or choose which Indigenous peoples it applies to.
You are intentionally being deceitful when using land acknowledgment applying to the Mi’kmaw peoples but not using the same logic when addressing the Palestinian people.
Without the acknowledgment of the land of the Palestinian people, how does your acknowledgment of Mi’kma’ki make any sense?
This shows that your understanding of colonialism, genocide, and reconciliation is superficial.
Furthermore, a land acknowledgment does not rid of moral responsibility or any self-pity.
They indicated that making a land acknowledgement without the policy and actions to back it is tantamount to a direct attack on all Indigenous people. They indicated their commitment to fight for their brothers and sisters in Palestine because “An attack on one Indigenous people is an attack on all.”
If MTANS chooses to continue to make land acknowledgment statements, the statements from Dalhousie No More Stolen Sisters, the TRC Calls to Action and the UN Declaration oblige MTANS to extend the meaning behind these statements to all Indigenous people, including Palestinians.
Aligning Mission, Vision, Goals
MTANS vision relates to accessible care, and core values to centering members, accountability, and inclusivity. Priorities include improving member confidence, advocating for and supporting well-being of members, and committing to support members’ personal and professional success. Page 8 of MTANS strategic plan, indicates prioritizing DEIA, representing members and the diverse communities they serve.
MTANS advocacy policy indicates the need to align with mission, values and strategic priorities, and based on data and evidence.
The above provides these justifications and aligns with MTANS stated values and goals.
Respectfully submitted by Laurie Di Giulio, MTANS member on October 30th 2025 at Halifax, NS Canada.