Podcasters Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz recently expressed their confusion regarding Canada’s practice of Indigenous land acknowledgements. These acknowledgements are often seen as a crucial part of reconciliation efforts, but some critics, including Indigenous leaders and scholars, argue they are merely performative gestures.

During an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" on October 18, Schulz raised the topic while discussing a Columbus Day message from former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Rogan noted that Harris encouraged people to remember the atrocities committed by Europeans during the colonization of North America. Schulz shared his experience of being asked to perform land acknowledgements during his stand-up comedy shows in Canada. He recalled his surprise at the request and his subsequent conversation with an Indigenous person. "I remember telling it to the chief of the tribe, I’m like, ‘Brother, that kind of seems like I’m bragging,’" Schulz said. He added, "I’m going up there and be like, ‘Yo, this used to be yours, but the boys came in, got y’all the f— out of here.’ You really want me to go and remind everybody what happened before the comedy show?"

Rogan responded by suggesting that land acknowledgements imply, "We’re not giving it back. We stole it, but it’s ours now," questioning the purpose of such statements.

Land acknowledgements gained traction in Canada in the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) efforts to promote public recognition of colonial dispossession. The TRC's Calls to Action were adopted by the federal government in 2015, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was endorsed in 2016, later becoming law in 2021. These acknowledgements aim to recognize Indigenous peoples as the original caretakers of the land and to remind settler Canadians of their responsibilities under existing treaties.

However, some Indigenous voices have criticized the practice. Devon Saulis, a member of the Tobique First Nation, described the acknowledgements as "performative," stating, "Actions speak louder than words." Quebec Algonquin elder Claudetta Commanda echoed this sentiment, asking, "Are they ready to give us back our land? There has to be absolute action behind it."

In May, King Charles III recited a land acknowledgement during his speech to open Canada’s parliament. Karen Restoule, a senior fellow and director of Indigenous affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, pointed out the irony of the monarch using the term "unceded territory." She stated, "The King isn’t just a symbolic figure of the Crown — like our Governor General — he is the Crown," and noted that the acknowledgment "rings hollow with the lack of action to back the words."

A recent poll by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies revealed that 52% of respondents do not believe they live on stolen Indigenous land, while 27% do. The remaining 21% were unsure or declined to answer. Jack Jedwab, president of the ACS, commented on the findings, stating, "The survey results suggest that requiring Canadians to publicly acknowledge they live on stolen Indigenous lands would imply that the majority does so without conviction."