Joint Agenda: Implementing the Commitment Document
Concrete Actions: Transforming Laws, Policies, Processes and Structures
To implement the Commitment Document, and to achieve the Vision, Guiding Principles, Goals and Objectives, First Nations and British Columbia (B.C.) need to establish new institutions, processes and structures
based on recognition of Indigenous rights, to support/facilitate reconciliation efforts, enable new negotiations and dispute resolution approaches, and provide capacity and governance development support to First Nations and BC.
To enable and enact new processes and structures, the Province and First Nations will review policies, programs, and legislation to align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“Declaration”), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, and Tsilhqot’in and other case law. In addition, the Government of Canada has roles to play which must be engaged.
Simply stated, reconciliation and transformative change will occur through concrete action, not mere verbal commitments. The following concrete actions have been identified as initial priorities: Indigenous Nations & Governance Building; Legislative, Policy and Practice Review and Reform; New Approaches to Effective Negotiations and Dispute Resolution; and, Reconciliation in BC. These actions will be implemented through joint processes that are agreed to by First Nations and BC and are cogoverned by the Premier/Ministers and the First Nations Leadership Council. The First Nations Leadership Council and BC will engage Canada as appropriate and are committed to engaging and informing stakeholders and non-Indigenous communities on concrete actions. This multiyear work is focused primarily on systemic change and is laid out below with concrete outcomes proposed for the next three years of work.