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- Develop measures necessary to ensure the consistency of federal laws with the Declaration
- Develop an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration
- Develop annual reports on progress and submit to, or table in, Parliament
As a first step, the Government of Canada will be working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to implement the UN Declaration Act. There will be two engagement phases.
Phase one focuses on working in partnership with Indigenous peoples to better understand their priorities to help shape the initial draft of an action plan and to begin to identify potential measures for aligning federal laws with the Declaration. Consistent with the Act’s requirements, this process will include:
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights holders, including modern treaty signatories, self-governing nations and historic treaty partners, as well as with national and regional Indigenous representative organizations
- Indigenous women, Elders, youth, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, urban Indigenous people and other Indigenous organizations and groups
Phase two focuses on continued engagement with Indigenous peoples to validate the draft action plan. The draft action plan will be informed by the priorities identified in phase one. This phase also includes opportunities for broader engagement, including with provinces and territories and industry. This phase is anticipated to start in the fall of 2022/winter of 2023.
- Indigenous-led engagement sessions
- A number of virtual sessions organized by Justice Canada
- Online submission tool, email or mail
An online submission portal to help identify First Nations, Inuit and Métis priorities for the action plan is now open.
This tool complements nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown and government-to-government engagement processes underway. Indigenous people are also encouraged to share their perspectives with their governing bodies and representative organizations.
Hearing from a wide-range of Indigenous individuals, groups and organizations will support a broad and inclusive engagement process.
To submit your feedback, we invite First Nations, Inuit and Métis to fill out the following online submission tool. The series of questions and themes are designed to help the Government successfully meet the requirements of the Act and ensure that Indigenous priorities are identified.
- Read the Privacy statement and Terms of reference related to this online submission tool.
Feedback and comments can also be submitted via email or mail.
We welcome all views and perspectives on key priorities for the action plan, and measures to ensure the consistency of federal laws with the Declaration and annual reporting on progress.
The Act requires the action plan to include measures:
- to address injustices, combat prejudice and eliminate all forms of violence, racism and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, including elders, youth, children, persons with disabilities, women, men and gender-diverse and two-spirit persons
- to promote mutual respect and understanding, as well as good relations, including through human rights education
- related to the monitoring, oversight, follow up, recourse or remedy or other accountability with respect to the implementation of the Declaration
- for monitoring the implementation of the plan itself and for reviewing and amending the plan
The Act specifically outlines key areas that the Government of Canada must consult on and cooperate with Indigenous peoples in order to meet the requirements of the Act.
To assist, there are a series of questions, a list of themes of the Declaration, and an engagement kit available to help guide discussions and input related to each of the legal obligations contained in the Act.
This collaborative work will complement other initiatives underway across Canada with Indigenous partners to close socio-economic gaps, advance reconciliation and renew relationships based on the affirmation of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.
- PROGRESS TIMELINE
- Spring-Fall 2022 – Phase I engagement: Indigenous priorities
- Fall 2022 – Policy period and development of draft action plan
- Fall 2022-Winter 2023 – Phase 2 engagement: Validation of draft action plan
- June 2023 – Second annual report
- June 2023 – Action plan completed, then tabled in Parliament as soon as practicable and publicly released
The Department of Justice Canada works to ensure that Canada’s justice system is as fair, accessible and efficient as possible. The Department helps the federal government to develop policy and to draft and reform laws as needed. At the same time, it acts as the government’s legal adviser, providing legal counsel and support, and representing the Government of Canada in court.
