In 1986, at its 31st General Council, The United Church of Canada responded to the request of Indigenous Peoples that it apologize to them for its part in colonization. In 1988, at the 32nd General Council, the Indigenous church acknowledged the apology, expressing its hope that the church would live into its words. In 1998, the church apologized specifically for its role in Indian Residential Schools. At the 41st General Council meeting in August 2012, the United Church revised its crest to acknowledge the presence and spirituality
of Indigenous Peoples in the church. The changes in the crest also denote that the church was built on Indigenous land.