Land acknowledgements are important. Whenever we give presentations or interact with others on a broader level, we should give an acknowledgement of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people that have traditionally lived on the land before we have occupied it.
As colonialism is a present and ongoing process, land acknowledgements don’t exist only in a historical context. We should recognise that the systems in which we operate are rooted in ongoing colonisation of the land we occupy.
The University of Toronto has this land acknowledgement:
I (we) wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.