Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
MCC Canada Indigenous Neighbours Program
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- MCC Canada Native Concerns Program
- MCC Canada Native Issues Program
- MCC Canada Aboriginal Neighbours Program
- MCC Canada Indigenous Work Program
- MCC Canada Work with Aboriginal People
- MCC Canada Work with Indigenous People
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1974 -
History
The work of MCC Canada’s Indigenous Neighbours program began in 1974 with the creation of the Native Concerns program. The mandate of the program was to aid and advocate on behalf of Indigenous people and communities in Canada.
Before the program’s official beginnings, MCC had been involved with Indigenous people and communities through membership in ecumenical organizations and MCC Voluntary Service placements. The establishment of the Native Concerns program in 1974 increased MCC Canada’s involvement with Indigenous communities considerably. MCC Canada’s Voluntary Service workers implemented Native Concerns programming in Indigenous Communities, an emphasis on resource development grew through wildlife management, animal husbandry, and gardening programs, and efforts were made to encourage local industries that benefited Indigenous groups.
In 1991, Menno Wiebe, long-time director of the program, proposed that MCC Canada should extend an official apology to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This proposal emerged after twenty-plus years of MCC work alongside Indigenous communities through the Native Concerns program and its various activities. The official apology was given at MCC Canada’s annual meeting of 1992; it recognized the colonial legacy of Mennonite settlement in Canada and expressed MCC Canada’s intention to work towards reconciliation. A shift in the mandate of the program followed; greater emphasis was given to justice advocacy in areas of treaty rights, resource rights, and land use, and a commitment to collaborate with Indigenous partners was made.
The originally titled Native Concerns program has also been called Native Issues (1997), Aboriginal Neighbours (1998-2007), Work with Aboriginal People (2007-2008), Work with Indigenous People (2008-2011), and has been called the Indigenous Neighbours program since 2012. MCC Canada’s Indigenous Neighbour’s program continues together with the programs of provincial MCC’s through the Indigenous Neighbours Network. The network strives to build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and collaborates with Indigenous partners to advocate for positive political, social, and economic change for Indigenous Peoples.
Places
MCC Canada Winnipeg Office.
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Since it began in 1974, the functions and activities of the Indigenous Neighbours program have evolved over time. The program’s mandate has always been conceived of as wholistic and has included education, research, resource development, and advocacy on behalf of Indigenous communities.
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
When the Indigenous Neighbours program (at that time called the Native Concerns program) began in 1974, the program director reported directly to MCC Canada’s Executive Office. In 1981 the program began to report to MCC Canada’s National Program Department.
General context
Relationships area
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Status
Draft
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created by Jared Warkentin, March 24, 2020
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Sources
Epp-Tiessen, Esther. Mennonite Central Committee in Canada: A History. Winnipeg: CMU Press, 2013.