March 18, 2019
Senators of Canada
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4

OPEN LETTER RE: Support for the Immediate Passing of Bill C-262

Dear Senators,

The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is calling on each Senator of Canada to support the passage of Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, without delay.

March 14, 2019

Senators of Canada
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4

OPEN LETTER RE. Support for the Immediate Passing of Bill C-262

Dear Senators,

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is calling on each Senator of Canada to pass Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, without delay.

How the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples can be implemented in BC law, policy and practices — new report

(Coast Salish Territories/ Vancouver) A report released today outlines for the first time what implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples could and should look like in BC law, policy and practices; the BC government has explicitly committed to adopt and implement the UN Declaration. 

(Unceded Coast Salish Territory / Vancouver, B.C. – December 10, 2017)  December 10 is the day 70 years ago in 1948 when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights officially recognizing that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” In 2007 144 states voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration). The Harper Government was one of four states to vote against the UN Declaration. The Trudeau Government formally endorsed the UN Declaration in 2016. 

PUBLIC STATEMENT
5 December 2017

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a consensus international human rights instrument elaborating standards for the survival, dignity, security and well-being of Indigenous peoples of the world. Today, MP Romeo Saganash’s private members bill on implementation of the UN Declaration, Bill C-262, will begin debate at second reading in Parliament.

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver) On November 20, 2017, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, addressed the Symposium on Implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Priorities, Partnerships, and Next Steps, formally announcing Canada’s support of Private Member’s Bill C-262.

(Coast Salish Territory / Vancouver, B.C. – May 17, 2016)  At the 15th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Canada publicly stated it would be a full supporter of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Declaration) without qualification and then immediately qualified the statement by adding “to adopt and implement the declaration in accordance with the Canadian Constitution.”

In many ways, Canada waged war against Indigenous peoples through Law, and many of today’s laws reflect that intent. ... The full adoption and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will not undo the War of Law, but it will begin to address that war’s legacies.

Senator Murray Sinclair, Truth and Reconciliation Chair, April 2016

Joint Statement

UN human rights report shows that Canada is failing Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples and human rights groups say that a new United Nations report on Canada’s human rights record should be a wake-up call for all Canadians.