Summary:
In April 2022, the federal government committed $65.8 million over five years, and $11 million ongoing, to bring Canadian law into alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
The Call to Action:
We call upon the Government of Canada to develop a national plan, strategies and other concrete measures to achieve the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Analysis:
In April 2022, the federal government committed $65.8 million over five years, and $11 million ongoing, to help implement Bill C-15, legislation that would begin the process of bringing Canadian law into alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
The Liberal government passed Bill C-15 in June 2021.
The bill requires the federal government to prepare an action plan within two years of the bill’s passage to achieve the declaration’s objectives, and to table an annual report detailing progress made.
In its December 2019 throne speech, the Trudeau government had promised to introduce legislation within a year to implement UNDRIP.
A previous private member’s bill to ensure Canadian laws are consistent with UNDRIP failed to pass the Senate before the 42nd Parliament sessions ended in 2019.
Bill C-262 was to ensure all Canadian laws are consistent with UNDRIP and called for the creation of a national action plan that would ensure implementation across all jurisdictions.
Bill C-262 passed third reading in the House of Commons in May 2018 and moved on to the Senate, where it stalled.