New report details B.C.’s progress in implementing objectives of UN Indigenous rights declaration – Law360 Canada
July 10, 2023
British Columbia has released a report which provides detailed information about progress achieved on implementing the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which follows up on a detailed action plan which was revealed last year.
In 2019, the province unanimously passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act), making the province the first jurisdiction in Canada to have passed legislation to formally adopt the internationally recognized standards of UNDRIP. The Act mandates government to bring provincial laws into alignment with UNDRIP, which defines the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, including ownership rights to cultural and ceremonial expression, identity and language, and to develop and implement an action plan to achieve its objectives in consultation and co-operation with Indigenous peoples.
The province followed up on its commitment last year with the Declaration Act Action Plan, which outlines 89 action items in the areas of self-determination and self-government, rights and title, ending anti-Indigenous racism, and enhancing social, cultural and economic well-being for Indigenous peoples.
