43. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.
The Declaration addresses matters of cultural preservation, racism, sovereignty, health, and other aspects of challenges that indigenous peoples face in the hopes of creating better relationships between native populations and the state. Canada has been unique in its unwillingness to adopt the declaration, and the past government’s reasoning for this was that it could not support the section that asserted states must seek “free, prior and informed consent” from indigenous peoples before taking action that would infringe upon treaty rights.
The TRC recommends that Canada implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples so to solidify Canada’s commitment to reconciliation.
Further Reading:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf#45
An on-line version of The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a document which lists the rights that all indigenous peoples of participating countries would have and outlines agreements that participating countries must make to ameliorate their treatment of indigenous peoples and advance the process of reconciliation. For instance the document affirms that “indigenous peoples, in the exercise of their rights, should be free from discrimination of any kind” and states that “indigenous peoples…have the right to autonomy or self government”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/canada-sets-lowest-standard-at-world-conference-on-indigenous-peoples-1.2779590).
http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/canada-sets-lowest-standard-at-world-conference-on-indigenous-peoples-1.2779590).