Canada’s new plan to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has drawn mixed reactions.
Introduced yesterday on National Indigenous Peoples Day, the plan lays out 181 measures to align Federal laws with the Declaration.
They look to advance self-determination and treaty implementation, ensure participation in decision-making, and revitalize languages and cultures.
Utilizing a distinctions-based approach, the plan aims to address the shared and individual priorities of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis residents.
Nisga’a Lisims President Eva Clayton says that by including Modern Treaties, Ottawa has finally gotten the distinctions-based approach right.
Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations says the plan is the first step in a long road to a true nation-to-nation relationship.
But, he says that the Government must ensure First Nations have the capacity and funding to participate in the implementation moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples have penned an open letter chastising the plan for excluding their input.
They say their voices were ignored, despite holding numerous meetings with the government to bring forward the concerns of their communities.
By doing so, the CAP says the Government is ignoring the input of non-status Indigenous peoples, and those living away from home.
Comments