General Assembly showed its support of the church's healing and reconciliation initiatives by deciding that any funds saved through the overall residential schools settlement between the church and Aboriginal peoples be used for healing and reconciliation purposes only.
The motion stemmed from the fact that the cap for liability in the church's agreement with the federal government towards residential school settlements was recently decreased. In April, the cap dropped from $2.1 to $1.32 million, thanks to a more favourable agreement given to Roman Catholic entities that were also involved in the schools.
Rev. Stewart Folster of the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry asked if any leftover funds could also go towards the church's existing native ministries. He did not feel he received a definite answer.
Rev. Gordon Haynes, associate secretary of Canada Ministries, stated that Native ministries already receive the second largest amount of funding with grants totaling more than $450,000 in 2006. Haynes said the only way to increase funding would be to increase givings to Presbyterians Sharing, or to discontinue grants to other ministries. Therefore, funding will remain the same. The assembly agreed with this response.
Several commissioners seemed disappointed in this decision. Jim Smith, Presbytery of Westminster, said that the church's Native ministries “are doing wondrous work”, and that thanks to them, many First Nations peoples are now saying, “I trust the church.” The assembly then carried a new motion dealing with the remaining $400,000 in the Healing and Reconciliation Fund, 75 per cent of which is to be spent on program costs for the church's new healing and reconciliation program (see the May 2006 Record for details).
The assembly also agreed that the church will recognize the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation by designating the Sunday in the church year before the designated national day (May 26th) as Healing and Reconciliation Sunday. – AM
