49. We call upon all religious denominations and faith groups who have not already done so to repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls upon all religious and faith groups, who have not done so to renounce and discredit concepts used to justify European sovereignty over indigenous lands and peoples. Doctrines like the Doctrine of Discovery are rooted in colonial concepts like terra nullius, which claimed sovereignty over aboriginal lands. Canada’s Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples also has recommended that these terms be recognize to be “legally, morally and factually wrong.”
Further reading:
Response of the Churches to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Anglican Church of Canada.
First Nations’ Rights: The Gap Between Law and Practice, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada.