The permutation is an act of reconciliation it attempts to wash away the links through a negotiated settlement this recreates settler colonialism because it absolves settlers of responsibility, allowing ongoing colonial violence to occur.

Reconciliation without meaningful restitution merely reinscribes the status quo without holding anyone accountable for ongoing injustices. At its core, reconciliation has a religious connotation premised on restoring one’s relationship with God. In fact, most Indigenous nations don’t have words for reconciliation in their languages, which is the truest test of its lack of relevance to communities. When put into practice, whether through a truth and reconciliation commission or another forum (in Canada, for example, the B.C. Treaty Process as well as in the proposed “New Relationship” legislation utilize this terminology), reconciliation in practice tends “…to relegate 94 J. Corntassel all committed injustices to the past while attempting to legitimate the status quo” (Corntassel, et al, 2009, p. 145). As Taiaiake Alfred (2005) points out, “The logic of reconciliation as justice is clear: without massive restitution, including land, financial transfers and other forms of assistance to compensate for past harms and continuing injustices committed against our peoples, reconciliation would permanently enshrine colonial injustices and is itself a further injustice” (p. 152). The permanence of these injustices becomes more apparent as the language of reconciliation is used to promote “certainty” of land title, which in turn attracts more foreign direct investment opportunities. Given an overwhelming desire to secure a stable land base to promote more corporate investment, the Government of Canada, as well as certain provinces, including British Columbia, have begun to use the language of reconciliation in negotiations with Indigenous peoples (for example, the B.C. Treaty Process) to establish the “certainty” of a land claim in such a way as to facilitate the extinguishment of original Indigenous title to the land (Alfred, 2005; Blackburn, 2005).