Calgary Flames break silence on missing land acknowledgement

The Calgary Flames have finally broken its silence, saying that it’s in talks with representatives of some Treaty 7 Nations on the topic of land acknowledgements.

It comes after CityNews reached out to the Flames on several occasions over the last two weeks asking why the team doesn’t have a pre-game land acknowledgement, something which takes place at every other NHL arena in Canada.

“We have been working closely with representatives of some of the nations of the Treaty 7 region of southern Alberta on several initiatives, including the Flames Indigenous celebration game on Feb. 16, the Hitmen Every Child Matters game on Feb. 4, and the Roughnecks NLL every child matters game on Jan. 28,” said the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation in a statement to CityNews Wednesday.

“Land acknowledgement is part of those discussions. It is important that we continue to learn from these conversations and ensure we speak with all seven nations prior to any formal announcement.”

The long-form reading of the Treaty 7 territory land acknowledgement takes roughly 45 seconds. It’s a traditional custom of Indigenous people when welcoming outsiders onto their land or into their home.

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Tim Fox, the vice president of Indigenous relations with the Calgary Foundation, says if the Flames adopt an acknowledgement, he hopes they do it respectfully.

“There’s actual work involved and relationship building involved, or should be involved. Before I think entities get into the practice of acknowledging land or those territories,” Fox said.

“It’s a big part of this truth and reconciliation movement. We’re trying to sort of really call society into that conversation.”

Fox was also quick to recognize the importance of the Every Child Matters games.

“Efforts of acknowledging and amplifying that every child matters game, like the Calgary Flames are doing, I think is doing a really good job of sort of saying: this matters and we all need to be apart of this truth-telling history and truth-telling movement,” he said.

The Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers began land acknowledgments before games at the start of the 2021/22 season, while the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators started land acknowledgements as early as 2019.