THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

197

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING JUNE 21, 2025, AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY, JULY 1, 2025, AS CANADA DAY, AND SEPTEMBER 30, 2025, AS TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION DAY, IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF CANADA AND HAWAII, THE INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGNTY AND SELF-DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLE OF CANADA, AND A COMMITMENT TO NEVER AGAIN ALLOW THE SOVEREIGN RIGHT OF A PEOPLE TO SELF DETERMINATION TO BE TAKEN AGAINST THEIR WILL.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Kingdom of Hawaii had foreign consulates in numerous Canadian cities including Belleville, Brockville, Halifax, Hamilton, Kingstown, Montreal, Ottawa, Rimouski, Rockville, St. Johns, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria; and

 

     WHEREAS, the people of Canada and the people of Hawaii share a long and enduring friendship; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is home to many part-time residents from Canada and is one of the State's major overseas visitor markets; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii and Canada share a history dating back to when Hawaii was a kingdom, commonalities in recognizing the rights of its indigenous peoples, and the importance of preserving its culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, today, Canada and Hawaii are both places of great diversity in people, culture, and communities; and

 

     WHEREAS, Canada and Hawaii also share long histories fraught with challenges and injustice related to colonization and exploitation of indigenous communities whose land and sovereignty were taken against their will; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii was ultimately annexed by the United States of America despite significant protest by its sovereign government and people; and

 

     WHEREAS, while the past cannot be changed, today both Canada and Hawaii share a commitment to advancing the rights, preserving the culture, empowering new generations, and reaching toward justice for indigenous and native peoples; and

 

     WHEREAS, while both Canada and Hawaii have much work yet to do to reconcile historical injustice, today nations including the United States continue to seek to acquire and annex other countries, lands, cultures, and people against their will; and

 

     WHEREAS, Canada, the First Nations within its borders, and its many diverse cultures and people, is a country independent of the United States and should not be subject to pressure by political or any other means to cede sovereignty and self-determination to the United States or any other country against the will of the people of Canada; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the House of Representatives concurring, that the people of Hawaii reaffirm an enduring friendship with the people of Canada, and in Hawaii, recognize and acknowledge three Canadian holidays, each important for different reasons to different people, cultures, and communities throughout Canada, which together serve as a reminder that every country, culture, and people have a right to self-determination that must never be taken against their will; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State recognizes June 21, 2025, as Indigenous Peoples' Day; July 1, 2025, as Canada Day; and September 30, 2025, as Truth and Reconciliation Day, in recognition of the enduring friendship between the people of Hawaii and the people of Canada, and in acknowledgement of Hawaii's history of annexation by the United States against the will of the government and people of Hawaii in the past, the United States' posturing to annex Canada against the will of the people of Canada in the present, and Hawaii's commitment to never again allow the sovereign right of a people to self-determination to be taken against their will; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor is requested to raise the Canadian flag in a ceremony of recognition at an appropriate time and place; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the people of Hawaii invite the people of Canada, and in particular leaders from all political parties, First Nations, and indigenous cultures, to join with the leaders and the people of Hawaii in an annual meeting and forum to discuss their shared history, work together on these and other issues of mutual concern to continue building a lasting friendship between Canada and Hawaii, and reaffirm the rights of the people of Hawaii and Canada to self-determination are preserved, and the mistakes of the past are never again repeated; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Prime Minister of Canada; Ambassador of Canada to the United States; Consul General of Canada in San Francisco; Governor; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and members of the Hawaii congressional delegation.

Report Title: 

Canada; International Relations; Indigenous Peoples' Day