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Carolyn Bennett

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Ottawa Unveils MMIWG Action Plan

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The Trudeau government has unveiled its action plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

The plan comes two years after the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

It features seven goals, and short-term priorities to help end violence against marginalized communities and improve human rights in Canada.

The action plan cites $2.2 billion in the 2021 federal budget to “respond to the national tragedy” of violence against Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Canadians, in addition to funds earmarked for Indigenous communities.

“We proposed a historic investment: over $18 billion over the next five years to improve the quality of life and create new opportunities for people living in Indigenous communities,” said Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

Bennett and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared on a livestream announcement of the action plan, hosted by co-chairs Gina Wilson and Valerie Roy.

Trudeau said the report follows years of activism and calls for federal assistance.

“To truly heal these wounds, we must first acknowledge the truth,” he said. “Not only about residential schools, but about so many injustices both past and present that Indigenous peoples faced.”

The prime minister said they accepted the findings of the MMIWG inquiry, including that the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada amounted to genocide.

Bennett says with the discovery of 215 children in a mass grave at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., the entire country is grieving with First Nation communities this week.

“Once you know the truth, you can’t unknow the truth,” she said. “It compels all of us to be part of the essential work of decolonization, healing, and reconciliation.”

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. The toll-free line can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-866-925-4419.

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Canada To Implement UN Declaration

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Canada is moving to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The bill to make it happen has been introduced in the House of Commons.

If passed, it would require the government to ensure future laws recognize the rights of Indigenous people.

Justice Minister David Lametti says it’s a statement that Canada values, respects, and promotes the rights of all people, not just some.

“The legislation is a significant step forward on the shared past to reconciliation for Indigenous and non-indigenous people alike. It has the potential to be transformational,” says Lametti.

Assembly of First Nation National Chief Perry Bellegarde calls it an important day for Indigenous people.

“The Assembly First Nation has long championed the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We view the Declaration as an essential foundation for protecting and realizing inherent rights and title of First Nations, and for building a better relationship with Canada,” says Bellegarde.

Bellegarde adds the Declaration doesn’t give Indigenous people anything new but recognizes and reaffirms their rights in federal law.

He’s encouraging all parties to support the bill.

The Declaration was approved by the UN in 2007. Initially, Canada voted against it but reversed its position in 2016, a few months after the federal Liberals were elected to power.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett says it should not be seen as being scary.

“It provides Canada with a road map to truly legislate the honour of the Crown. Already, there are nine federal laws that refer to and were drafted in the spirit of the Declaration,” says Bennett.

The Declaration includes 46 articles that affirm a broad range of collective and individual Indigenous rights, including rights related to self-determination and self-government, equality and non-discrimination, culture, language and identity, lands, territories and resources, and Indigenous institutions and legal systems, among other rights.

Implementing the Declaration were recommendations from both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.