During a news conference about the disappearance of Lily and Jack Sullivan in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, RCMP focused on land and cultural acknowledgements instead of search updates, prompting concerns that woke culture was prioritized over the children's well-being.

With time being of the essence, the media officer spent 40 seconds at the top of her briefing to acknowledge Indigenous and black Nova Scotians.

"I acknowledge we are in Mi'kma'ki, the traditional and unceded ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaw people," RCMP Cpl. Carlie McCann said, reading aloud a land acknowledgment. "I also recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi'kma'ki known as Nova Scotia for 400 years."

The extensive six-day search for two missing Nova Scotia children, Lily and Jack Sullivan, aged six and four, was scaled back Wednesday due to the "low probability" of them being alive. 

The two siblings were reported missing on May 2, from their rural trailer home near New Glasgow. They had not attended school the week before their mother and stepfather reported their disappearance via 911.

The RCMP press conference announced the end of the large-scale search, transitioning to a smaller, more focused effort. Experts factored in the weather, time elapsed, and the children's ages when making the decision. 

"It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, using every available resource and tool," Staff-Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, district commander for Pictou County District RCMP, said in a news release. "We're transitioning from a full-scale search to searches in smaller, more specific areas; we'll be retracing our steps to ensure all clues have been found."

MacKinnon informed reporters that their thoughts are with the family and loved ones, as well as those who have worked tirelessly on the search since the initial 911 call, which triggered a round-the-clock, multi-agency effort.

The RCMP Major Crime Unit is involved and pursuing all leads, including interviewing family and community members. 

The children's stepfather, Daniel Martell, told Global News he and his family are cooperating fully with the investigation, while the children's mother has been advised not to speak to the media. 

Authorities initially believed the children wandered away and continue to explore all possibilities in their effort to bring Lily and Jack home.

Meanwhile, the unexplained land acknowledgment has sparked public criticism on social media. 

"A police service’s job is not to deliver political agendas but to protect the citizenry it serves. But they should be given a chance to explain why these acknowledgments were offered ahead of the update," said Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington.

A Mountie source told the Sun that officers investigating the missing children would never prioritize a land acknowledgment over finding them, stating that field personnel will disregard "wokeness" and remain focused on their primary goal.

There are no federal laws mandating land acknowledgements for police, politicians, or other groups.

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