GC45 WF18: NS01 Apology from the United Church of Canada to the African Diaspora for Slavery and the Legacies of Slavery in Canada for Summer 2025

Half of groups were not able to discuss this proposal because of time constraints. 

Of the groups that discussed the proposal there was: 

• support for an Apology with appropriate intentional preparation, consultation and study (as with the path taken with other Apologies) to inform the preparation of the apology.
• Recommendations for a Task Group to be formed to engage in this work. 

General Council Office staff have already done research on the experiences of Apologies in which the United Church has been involved, and that work could inform the development of frameworks for moving forward with this specific Apology and future Apologies. Based on this study, a report will be released with recommendations for making truthful and meaningful Apologies. 

Therefore, the Way Forward Committee recommends: 

That, in response to NS01 Apology from the United Church of Canada to the African Diaspora for Slavery and the Legacies of Slavery in Canada, the 45th General Council, 2025,  

• direct the General Secretary to form a Task Group to work on this Apology, informed by experiences with previous Apologies, and report back to the 46th General Council
• refer NS01 to the Task Group with the notes from the discussion groups and the General Council Office research on previous Apologies to inform the creation of a process and framework for future Apologies from the United Church, and report back to the 46th General Council