THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND RECONCILIATION EFFORTS TODAY

Where does a National Council for Reconciliation fit in next to these ongoing reconciliation efforts? Note: this list is an overview and is not representative of all ongoing reconciliation efforts!

UNDRIP Implementation + UNDA: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) received Royal Assent and came into force in June 2021 This Act requires that laws in Canada become aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) It also requires that Justice Canada create an Action Plan on how UNDRIP will be implemented into Canadian laws. As of May 2023, Justice Canada has completed a draft Action Plan, after consultations with Indigenous partners

MMIWG Calls to Justice: In 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released a final report which outlines 231 Calls to Justice aimed at governments, service providers, instituions and individuals to combat violence against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people.

TRC Calls to Action: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released their 94 Calls to Action in 2015, outlining specific steps that need to be taken in order to advance reconciliation and redress the legacy of residential schools. According to Indigenous Watchdog, as of April 2023, 13 CTAs have been completed, 21 are stalled, 14 have not been started, leaving 48 CTAs ‘in progress ’ .

Indigenous Rights, Recognition, and Implementation Framework: In 2018, the Government of Canada introduced the Indigenous Rights, Recognition, and Implementation Framework to restructure and “ renew ” the basis of all interactions between the Government of Canada and Indigenous peoples. Ultimately, the stated goal of the framework is to create a basis for self-governance outside of the Indian Act.

National Council for Reconciliation: The overall purpose of the council is to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. In fufilling this purpose, the Council is tasked with developing an action plan on reconciliation, educating the public about Indigenous realities, monitoring federal policies and programs that affect Indigenous peoples, conducting research on reconciliation, and generally monitoring reconciliation efforts from all sectors. The Council must also develop an annual report to submit to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations outlining the state of reconciliation and their recommendations for measures to promote and advance reconciliation.