Minister’s message

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UN Declaration Act or the Act) provides an historic opportunity to ensure Canada is a place where the human rights of Indigenous peoples, as affirmed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration), are recognized and respected, upheld and implemented.

This third annual report tracks our progress to turn this opportunity into a reality by following our roadmap: the UN Declaration Act Action Plan. The Action Plan includes 181 measures intended to help achieve the objectives of the UN Declaration, setting out the important steps needed to advance reconciliation in a tangible way. Further, it demonstrates the federal government’s firm commitment to collaborating with Indigenous peoples to build relationships based on the recognition of rights, including self-determination.

This annual progress report outlines the work undertaken from April 2023 to March 2024, to implement the Action Plan, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), including measures taken to ensure the consistency of federal laws with the UN Declaration.

In the last year, progress has been made on many Action Plan measures, including:

  • the development of an Indigenous Justice Strategy to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system
  • advancing water and wastewater service transfer to First Nations communities, including through the introduction of Bill C-61, An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands
  • addressing border crossing challenges faced by Indigenous peoples whose traditional territories are divided by Canada’s colonial borders
  • progress on the implementation of Indigenous languages revitalization through the Indigenous Languages Act

This year’s report includes the perspectives and ideas of a significant number of Indigenous partners (First Nations, Inuit and Métis). From the start, we worked in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous partners to decide the report’s topics. We also created a questionnaire that was sent to 151 Indigenous governments, representative organizations, groups and communities, to gather feedback on our work to implement the UN Declaration Act over the last year.

The 56 responses we received from Indigenous partners, along with reporting from 43 federal government departments and agencies, are the foundation of this report.

Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) told us that the UN Declaration Act and the Action Plan represent hope, positive change, and an opportunity to right historical wrongs.

They made important suggestions, including: the need for departments to expeditiously implement Action Plan measures; implementation plans, timelines, and metrics to evaluate progress; ensuring all Indigenous voices are included when advancing Action Plan measures; and the need for stable funding to support capacity to fully participate in implementation. Timelines must be directed and set by communities, not by the federal government. They also urged us to move faster because communities that are in crisis cannot wait.

Moreover, they offered insightful recommendations to remedy these issues. Their insights and experiences will guide us as we implement the Action Plan together.

We are heartened to be undertaking this work in a country where the UN Declaration Act continues to be incorporated into laws and practices, notably being cited in the Supreme Court’s opinion this February affirming the validity of legislation that recognizes Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services.

Every step forward moves us closer to making the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a reality.

The road ahead is challenging, and there is much more work to be done. We are committed to walking it, side by side with Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), to create better outcomes for all.

The Honourable Arif Virani, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

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