Beyond Acknowledgement: Practicing Solidarity and Allyship with Indigenous Peoples

Across Canada, and particularly in Quebec, nonprofit organizations are increasingly engaging with questions of reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenous sovereignty. With June 21st being Indigenous People’s Day and Pow-Wow season approaching, we want to share some of our reflections and practices on Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.

Many organizations have adopted land acknowledgements, attended training sessions, or included commitments to reconciliation in their strategic plans. Although it is true that these are important steps, they are only the beginning in creating and sustaining meaningful reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples.

At COCo, we understand anti-oppression as an ongoing practice of examining power, challenging inequitable systems, and building relationships rooted in justice and accountability. Reconciliation is crucial to this work. It requires us to understand the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization, and to take meaningful action in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.

For nonprofit organizations and workers who are not Indigenous, the question becomes: what does solidarity look like in practice?

Moving Beyond Symbolic Gestures

Many organizations begin their reconciliation journey with a land acknowledgement. While acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land can be an important educational practice, acknowledgements alone do not create change. As Eve Tuck and Wayne Yang explain, “Decolonization is Not a Metaphor”. 

A meaningful acknowledgement should be connected to action. It should prompt organizations to ask:

• How are we building relationships with Indigenous communities?
• How do our policies and practices impact Indigenous peoples?
• Who benefits from our work, and who may be excluded?
• How do we benefit from the oppression and dispossession of Indigenous people and what are we doing to remedy that?

Solidarity is not a statement. It is a practice. 

At COCo, we begin our staff meetings with a Land Acknowledgement that moves beyond words. Each meeting, a different member of the staff is responsible for sharing a particular item, practice, or historical knowledge on Indigenous populations in Quebec. We welcome anything from presentations on different land defenders to listening to someone’s recent experience visiting an Indigenous community. We also share local events and experiences that invite the team to be more knowledgeable and in relationship with Indigenous folks. We do not claim to have expertise, but rather take responsibility for learning about issues of importance and sharing the knowledge between allies.

Understanding the Context

Indigenous Peoples in Canada continue to experience the effects of colonization through systemic inequities in housing, healthcare, education, child welfare, employment, and access to land and resources, to name a few.

In Quebec, Indigenous Nations including the Kanien’kehá:ka, Anishinaabe, Atikamekw, Cree, Innu, Huron-Wendat, Mi’kmaq, Naskapi, Abenaki, and Inuit maintain distinct cultures, governance systems, histories, and relationships to the territories they steward.

One of the most common mistakes organizations make is treating Indigenous Peoples as a single community. Effective solidarity begins with recognizing the diversity of Indigenous Nations and respecting their unique histories, rights, and priorities.

Solidarity is Relationship-Based

Reconciliation cannot be achieved through a checklist.

Many nonprofit organizations are accustomed to project-based work, where objectives, timelines, and deliverables define success. Relationship-building works differently.

Building trust with Indigenous communities may require:

• Listening before proposing solutions.
• Investing time without expecting immediate outcomes.
• Respecting community priorities, even when they differ from organizational goals.
• Accepting that trust must be earned through consistency and accountability.

Organizations should avoid approaching Indigenous communities only when funding opportunities arise or when Indigenous participation is needed for a project proposal. Relationships built solely around organizational needs are unlikely to create meaningful partnerships.

At COCo, we’ve explored different ways to build relationships with Indigenous partners. For example, in 2024, our Train the Trainer program invited Manon Richmond from Maammuu and Iako’tsi:rareh Amanda Lickers to facilitate a reconciliation and solidarity focused workshop for our team of facilitators. Given that it is up to our team to implement the lessons learned and practices shared, we then had an internal day to integrate what we learned and practice its application in our ongoing work.

Another example is our recent collaboration with Utapi for our Ateliers/C series. Over the past two years, we have held three training sessions together. Following this year’s 2026 workshop, which focused on “incorporating Indigenous perspectives into community organizations,” we organized a follow-up session where participants could return to ask questions or share how they have implemented concrete solidarity practices in their workplaces. We also supported Utapi’s nomination to the Entreprise category of the 2025 “Un Quebec Sans Racisme”, which won the Medal in this category! In previous years, Ateliers/C has also collaborated with Mikana and Future Ancestors.These multiple collaborations allow us to have deeper relationships with different Indigenous organizations and perspectives, allowing for a diverse and meaningful reciprocity between us and our partners.

Both of these examples show how Solidarity is not a one and done event. It is an ongoing conversation to form meaningful relationships. One that should be tended with respect, humility, and open arms.

What Non-Indigenous Organizations Can Do

Nonprofit leaders and Boards play an important role in creating organizational conditions that support reconciliation.

Invest in Learning

Provide ongoing education for Board members, staff, and volunteers on:

• Indigenous histories and contemporary realities
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action
• Anti-racism and anti-oppression practices
• Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination

Like the aforementioned events, learning should be ongoing rather than a one-time training event. And it is important to note the role of allyship and respect in this journey. As non-Indigenous people, we are not entitled to access sacred spaces, ceremonies, or knowledge without invitation and consent. Additionally, as there are already many resources created by Indigenous communities on how to be better allies, please do not go to the Token Indigenous Person and ask them to explain all the historical trauma imposed on Indigenous people to you. 

Last year, COCo went to Kahnawake with Wise Oak Wilderness to commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, learn about Indigenous cuisine, and connect with the Land. It was a wonderful experience that highlighted the importance of connection between the staff, the Board, the land, and each other. It is important to not only highlight the difficulties Indigenous communities face, but also the joy and resistance they model. 

Review Organizational Policies

Consider whether existing policies unintentionally create barriers for Indigenous staff, volunteers, or community members.

Questions to explore include:

• Are hiring practices accessible and equitable?
• Are Indigenous forms of knowledge and experience recognized as expertise?
• Are cultural and ceremonial responsibilities accommodated within leave policies?
• Does the organization have protocols for working respectfully with Indigenous communities?

At COCo, we have “floating Holidays” that would allow for cultural and ceremonial days to be taken off work. Additionally, we recognize that knowledge comes from lived experiences as much, if not more, than from degrees. As such, we do not use these as requirements for applying to our organization.

Budget for Reconciliation

Commitment without resources is difficult to sustain. As we often say, “budgets reflect organizational priorities”. 

Organizations can allocate funding for:

• Honoraria for Indigenous knowledge keepers and speakers
• Indigenous consultants and facilitators
• Relationship-building activities and community engagement

Too often, Indigenous expertise is requested without compensation. Paying people fairly for their knowledge and labour is a basic act of respect. 

At COCo, we also have reserve funds to donate to an Indigenous organization or cause. In 2023, our Board and our team decided to allocate a monetary value to our Reconciliation values. We strive to donate more and will continue to work in building this fund to increase its impact.

Create Pathways for Shared Leadership

Organizations can explore ways to include Indigenous voices in governance and decision-making structures.

This might include:

• Recruiting Indigenous Board members
• Creating advisory circles
• Developing partnerships with Indigenous organizations
• Including Indigenous stakeholders in strategic planning processes, particularly when projects relate to Land.

Remember that a Token Indigenous voice, like any other Tokenized minority, should never be a stand-in for what a whole minoritized group believes. This is why numbers matter and a diversity of voices should be embraced. 

Representation alone is not enough. Indigenous participants should have meaningful influence over decisions that affect them and their communities. 

Build Accountability into Your Practice

Solidarity is not an identity; it is something we do.

Reflect regularly on questions such as:

• How does my work impact Indigenous communities?
• Whose voices are missing from decision-making processes?
• What power do I hold, and how can I use it responsibly?
• What commitments have I made, and how am I following through?

Accepting Imperfection

Many people worry about saying the wrong thing or making mistakes. While this concern is understandable, fear of imperfection can become a barrier to action. Perfectionism, after all, is part of white supremacy culture.

Organizations committed to anti-oppression recognize that learning involves discomfort, reflection, and growth. Mistakes will happen. What matters is how we respond when they do. Accountability means listening, making changes, and continuing the work.

Reconciliation as an Ongoing Practice

There is no finish line for reconciliation.

Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples is not a project to complete or a policy to adopt. It is an ongoing commitment to building relationships, redistributing power, challenging colonial systems, and supporting Indigenous self-determination.

For nonprofit organizations, this work is deeply connected to our broader commitments to equity, inclusion, and social justice.

The goal is not to become the “perfect ally.” The goal is to participate in creating organizations and communities where Indigenous Peoples are respected, heard, compensated, and empowered to lead.

Like all anti-oppressive work, reconciliation is a practice that requires intention, humility, and action.