Fifth Anniversary of TRC Final Report: Where Are We?

December 15 marked the fifth anniversary of the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The three TRC commissioners, Senator Murray Sinclair, Chief Willie Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson, joined in a statement to express their concern for “the slow and uneven pace of implementation of the Calls to Action.”

While noting some steps forward, the commissioners also pointed to serious lags in the creation of a Council on Reconciliation, rollbacks in some provinces on developing K-12 curriculum; continuing poverty, food and housing insecurity, racism, and violence against women; and over-representation of Indigenous children in care and Indigenous peoples in the justice system.

They conclude: “This is not an anniversary for celebration, but one for national honesty, and urgent and meaningful action.”

The commissioners also hosted a public discussion, which can be viewed on Facebook.

[Photo: Marie Wilson, Senator Murray Sinclair, and Chief Wilton Littlechild Credit: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation]

Federal Government Introduces UNDRIP Legislation

On December 3, the Federal Government introduced Bill C-15, An Act Respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Built upon the foundation of former MP Romeo Saganash’s private member’s Bill C-262, which died in the Senate in 2019, Bill C-15 says Canada “must take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and must prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration.”

The Bill is currently in First Reading and is receiving a lot of discussion, with some Indigenous organizations and communities in support and others opposed. Industry and civil society are also taking positions. APTN has provided a primer on the debate thus far.

The United Church of Canada continues to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation, and will work with the church’s National Indigenous Council and National Indigenous Elders Council to discern its position on Bill C-15.

Merry Christmas from Indigenous Ministries and Justice

Merry Christmas to you all from the Indigenous Ministries and Justice Circle of The United Church of Canada. We would like to share with you this reflection from the Ref. John R. Thompson, Acting Chair of the National Indigenous Council. As John says in this very different Christmas season, “As we move forward into the unknown, knowing that Creator is with us, let us fear not. When we discover the truth of our ONENESS, we can sing and rejoice, returning to our duties of love and care for self, others, and all of life; that we might experience life in all its fullness.”

[Photo: Andreas Böhm from Pixabayn]