Implement TRC calls and UNDRIP

Official petition

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA Whereas: Canada has committed harm toward Indigenous people and communities through historical and ongoing colonization and genocide; Indigenous people continue to face systemic racism, including within health care, education, housing, child welfare, and the criminal justice system; Legal and social change is needed to address high rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people; The 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) laid out 94 Calls to Action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation; The federal government is jointly or directly accountable for 76 of the TRC calls to action, but it has only acted on 13 to date. We, the undersigned call upon the Government of Canada to: Implement all 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Urgently act on the 231 Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; Fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation; Prioritize funding and policies that advance the process of Canadian reconciliation and justice.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Indigenous Services Signed by GINETTE LAVACK Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is committed to the goals of reconciliation, supporting self-determination, and reducing the socio-economic gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. The department’s key social programming and related initiatives are aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In keeping with these reports and recommendations, the department’s services support individuals and communities affected by health challenges, colonialism, gender-based violence, and other issues. For example, ISC’s Assisted Living program funds non-medical, social support services (i.e., in-home, group-home and institutional care supports) for seniors and individuals living with chronic illnesses and mental and/or physical disabilities on reserve and for Status First Nations in Yukon. The program provides daily living supports that help people maintain their independence and stay in their homes and communities. Assisted Living estimates that it supported approximately 16,500 individuals and families in 2024-25, including about 850 living in long-term and continuing care facilities, and demand continues to grow. The program aligns with the Calls for Justice in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, particularly Call 7.4, which looks to all governments to provide necessary resources, including funding, to support, among other measures, Elder care and care homes to keep Elders in their home communities as valued Knowledge Keepers. The purpose and objectives of the on-reserve Income Assistance program align with Canada’s efforts to implement Articles 21, 22(1) and 23 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by respecting Indigenous Peoples’ right to the improvement of their economic and social conditions by providing needs-based assistance; with particular attention on the special needs of First Nations women, youth, children and persons with disabilities; and, action on resourcing to encourage the transfer of control of social assistance programming to First Nation communities. This program also supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty). Additionally, investments and activities to make the Income Assistance program more responsive to the needs of First Nations, such as recent Budget 2024 investments, demonstrate the Government of Canada’s commitment to responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the Calls for Justice in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The two Calls for Justice that are relevant to Income Assistance are for all governments to “provide supports and resources for education, training and employment opportunities for all Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people” (4.4); and, “establish a guaranteed annual livable income for all Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples, to meet all their social and economic needs” (4.5). Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples is an ISC program specifically focused on supporting Indigenous Peoples’ access to services in urban centres. Funding to Friendship Centres under the program enables these organizations to provide holistic and culturally appropriate activities and services. Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples and its funding streams specifically address Action Plan Measure 84 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to “continue to support Friendship Centres and other urban Indigenous organizations and coalitions in their work to identify and address local needs and priorities of urban/off-reserve Indigenous Peoples in a manner that is safe, secure, accessible and culturally relevant”. In addition, the Family Violence Prevention Program is guided by the findings of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Métis-specific calls for Miskotahâ. The Family Violence Prevention Program works to end systemic violence against Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada dedicated $724.1 million over five years for the implementation of a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy to expand access to a continuum of culturally relevant supports for Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQI+ people facing gender-based violence. In direct response to the strategy, in November 2021, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation launched the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative in collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention Program. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will allocate $420 million to support construction of emergency shelters and transition homes. ISC will allocate $304.1 million over five years and $96.6 million ongoing toward operational costs and community supports. Access to safe and affordable housing is critical to improving health and social outcomes, and to ensure a better future for Indigenous communities. To support this goal, since 2016, ISC has committed over $5.9 billion for on-reserve housing through 2029-2030. Of this amount, and as of December 31, 2025, $4.3 billion has been invested to support 7,403 projects, which will result in 32,169 units renovated/constructed and lots acquired/serviced. Since 2016, these investments have contributed to reducing the number of First Nations households living in homes on reserve that are overcrowded and in needs of major repair. Budget 2022 included a $300 million commitment to co-develop and launch an Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy with Indigenous partners to address the urgent, unmet housing needs in urban, rural and northern communities. Building on this, Budget 2023 committed $4 billion over seven years, starting in 2024-2025, to implement the Strategy, with ISC playing a key role alongside other federal departments. Budget 2025 reaffirmed this commitment by confirming $2.8 billion for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing, as part of the funding announced in Budget 2023. Budget 2025 also committed to developing an Indigenous Housing Strategy, led by ISC, for First Nations on reserve, Inuit Treaty Organizations, Métis governments, and Modern Treaty holders and Self-Governing Indigenous Governments. This funding initiative supports the Government of Canada's commitment to addressing the social determinants of health and advancing self-determination in alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Articles 21 and 23. The Government of Canada remains committed to implementing the education-specific Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 6-12 and addressing the national tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG). This includes responding to the Calls for Justice from the MMIWG Inquiry, notably Call for Justice 4.4, which urges all governments to provide supports and resources for educational, training, and employment opportunities for all Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The Government of Canada recognizes that the effective and full implementation of policies that support and advance Indigenous control and self-determination efforts are an integral component of the drive towards reconciliation and bridging socio-economic gaps between Indigenous and other Canadian communities. To support these commitments, ISC is making consistent efforts to prioritize policies that advance the principle of Indigenous control and enables Indigenous partners to exercise their right to self-determination in education. ISC’s Elementary and Secondary Education Program supports the delivery of kindergarten to grade 12 education for eligible First Nations students who are ordinarily resident on reserve by providing funding directly to First Nations recipients and education organizations designated by First Nations partners. Funding is delivered through a co-developed approach that improves access to core funding via regional funding formulas, helping to ensure stable, predictable and sustainable funding that is comparable to provincial systems across the country. This approach also supports the development of regional education agreements that are tailored to local or regional contexts, which set out First Nations-led design, implementation and management plans for their education systems. Recognizing that First Nations are best placed to determine their education priorities, communities have the flexibility to allocate resources in ways that address the unique needs of their students and support all elementary and secondary education programming. In 2024-2025, ISC’s Elementary and Secondary Education Program provided funding to support approximately 120,000 students ordinarily resident on reserve to attend First Nations-administered schools, as well as provincial, private and federal schools. This funding supported 535 First Nations-administered education programs across the country. Over the past fiscal year, ISC continued to work with First Nations partners to maintain stable and predictable funding for elementary and secondary education services. Since 2016-2017, enrollment in First Nations-administered full-day kindergarten has increased by 119%. In addition, in 2024-2025, 94% of students attending First Nations-administered schools were taught at least one subject in a First Nations language. ISC further supports First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation control over education through their respective distinctions-based post-secondary education strategies, based on investments announced in Budget 2019. These strategies provide funding and supports to Indigenous partners and organizations, including financial assistance for eligible students, and programs and services determined by First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners in accordance with community priorities and needs. Results for these programs are as follows: In 2020-2021, based on reported data, more than 22,360 First Nations students received funding through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. In the same year, over 3,360 funded First Nations students graduated with a post-secondary education certificate.[1] Between its launch in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023, the Inuit Post-Secondary Education Strategy provided funding to 2,130 Inuit students, significantly surpassing its annual target of supporting 200 students. Since the implementation of the Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategy in 2019-2020, participating recipients consistently exceeded their annual target of supporting 733 students. Between 2019-2020 & 2022-2023, the number of Métis Nation students reported to have received post-secondary education funding through the Strategy increased from 1,025 to 4,645 – a 353% increase. There are approximately 40 Indigenous post-secondary institutions in Canada, which vary widely in terms of size and program offerings. The majority are First Nations institutions that receive their mandate from Indigenous communities or organizations and are accountable to their membership. The First Nations Post-Secondary Education Strategy provides direct financial assistance to First Nations Post-Secondary Institutions through the Post-Secondary Partnerships Program, which funded a total of 104 projects. Updates on federal responses to education-related Calls to Action, and the most recent data and reporting at the Government of Canada’s interactive progress report is available at https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524494530110/1557511412801. The Government of Canada tracks the progress made on implementing the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. Information is available at https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1617731561423/1617731691291#cp3. To learn how the Government of Canada is implementing the UN Declaration please visit: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/index.html. [1] Notes: 1. Source: EIS, Current as of October 28, 2025 2. Annual Register of Post-Secondary Education Students (#462572) 3. Filters Applied: Filters Applied: Fiscal Year (2023-2024), Date of Birth ( = 15 years of age) Total Annual Funding per Student (= 10 and = 90,000. (i.e., $10 or greater and $90,000 or less for a fiscal year per student)), Accepted (Final), Funded. Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007 and was endorsed by Canada without qualification in 2016. The UN Declaration is a comprehensive international human rights instrument that sets out minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples worldwide. On June 21, 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA), received Royal Assent and immediately came into force. The UNDA creates a domestic legislative framework to advance the implementation of the UN Declaration at the federal level in Canada. The UNDA affirms the Declaration as a universal international human rights instrument with application in Canadian law and as a framework for the Government of Canada’s implementation of the Declaration. In its preamble, the UNDA acknowledges the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and enacts that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) be fully adopted and implemented as a framework for reconciliation. Consistent with the statutory requirement in section 6 of the UNDA, our Government worked in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples to a federal Action Plan, which was tabled in June 2023. The Action Plan serves as an ambitious, whole-of-government roadmap and guide to advancing the objectives of the UN Declaration in Canada from 2023-2028, as well as providing measures relating to the review and updating of the Action Plan over time. Across 181 measures and five chapters reflecting shared, First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Modern Treaty partner priorities for implementation of the UN Declaration, the Action Plan specifically identifies 28 government departments and agencies as leads for actions and implicates all others in whole of government actions. The Government of Canada has now tabled four Annual Reports to Parliament on progress achieved towards the implementation of the UN Declaration in Canada including the 2024-25 Annual Report that provides early updates on implementation of action plan measures including (but not limited to), measures to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation`s Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice. Since 2015-16, the Government of Canada has increased investments in Indigenous priorities from just over $11 billion (2015-16) to approximately $32 billion (2024-25). Additionally, work to advance reconciliation and support Indigenous self-determination has increased the federal government's total financial obligations from $11 billion in 2015-16 to $76 billion in 2022-23, as noted in the 2023 Fall Economic Statement. Of this amount, the vast majority relate to Indigenous claims, providing compensation for past harms of colonialism. With respect to the UN Declaration specifically, an initial $26.3 million in federal funding was provided to develop the UNDA Action Plan in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, and additional funding under Budget 2022 of $37 million over five years was provided to implement the Action Plan also in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples. To date, Justice Canada has allocated $33 million to support 133 Indigenous partners to contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the UNDA. The priorities, perspectives and recommendations of Indigenous partners across distinctions, regions, and diversity groups helped to inform the development of the Action Plan and will continue to inform implementation of its 181 measures. These investments in implementing the UN Declaration in Canada in collaboration with Indigenous peoples represent a significant contribution to advancing reconciliation and justice for all Indigenous peoples across the country. In addition to the work undertaken towards the adoption and implementation of the UN Declaration, Justice Canada has been working with Indigenous partners to develop the Indigenous Justice Strategy (IJS). The IJS also directly addresses Shared Priority Action Plan Measure 28(1) of the UNDA. In January 2021, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada received a mandate to develop an IJS in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories, to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the justice system. With resources of $24.2 million from Budget 2021, Justice Canada provided support to 38 Indigenous organizations to lead regionally and distinctions-based engagements on this initiative. In addition, Justice Canada coordinated complementary engagement initiatives on the IJS to expand distinctions-based and regional Indigenous participation and enable provincial and territorial government participation in the development of the IJS. Budget 2024 included $25.1 million over three years to renew funding for capacity building and engagement throughout the development and initial implementation of the IJS. Intensive work took place from June to December 2024 on a co-development process to finalize the IJS with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners. The IJS and its three distinctions-based chapters were publicly released on March 10, 2025. Over the next two years, Justice Canada will take a phased approach to early implementation of the IJS by utilizing existing trilateral collaborative tables and processes with Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories. The IJS will advance reconciliation with Indigenous people and communities by addressing issues of systemic discrimination and overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Canadian justice system; and among other actions, supporting Indigenous peoples’ exercise and full enjoyment of their rights to self-determination and self-government, including by increasing their involvement in developing, maintaining and implementing their own jurisdiction, laws, governing bodies, programs and services in the areas of justice and public safety. In addition, the IJS helps advance Canada’s response to the following Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 42, 50 and the following Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: 1.4 5.1-5.25, 9.1, 9.2.

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