Indigenous Communities

In a ceremony steeped in tradition, drumbeats and booming voices filled the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver ballroom as Squamish First Nation drummers brought an Indigenous welcome at a reception for Vancouver Archbishop Richard Smith.

The Speech from the Throne — delivered by King Charles III May 27 to open the latest session of Parliament under the Liberals and Prime Minister Mark Carney — was a powerful assertion of Canada’s identity as distinct political, social and cultural entity.

For Indigenous communities around the world, "land, water and food are not mere commodities, but the very basis of life and of these peoples' bond with nature," Pope Francis said.