When it comes to Indigenous issues, history is being made right now, and we are privileged witnesses to it.  

The team at the Ashukan Institute is committed to staying up to date on current events affecting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada.  

While the past year has provided us with countless opportunities for reflection and discussion, there is no doubt that 2023 will be just as rich in this regard, if not more so.  

For example, yesterday, January 31, marked the anniversary of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s ruling confirming that there was actual discrimination in the funding of the Indigenous police service in the community of Mashteuiatsh. We may therefore see other communities this year taking steps to secure adequate funding for public safety. A federal bill on this issue is also expected later this year.     

The pursuit of reconciliation through legislation 

One of the most anticipated events of 2023 is undoubtedly the submission, scheduled for June, of the national action plan for the implementation of the Act on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (LDNUDPA). This plan is intended to serve as the first milestone for measuring the concrete impact of this important legislation. 

It must be said that, after several years of discussing reconciliation at the national level, there remains significant criticism regarding the government’s genuine commitment to achieving it and, above all, the measures needed to meet its goals.  

The question remains: how can the principles enshrined in the UNDRIP be effectively aligned with Canadian law? This will undoubtedly be one of the dominant themes in Indigenous news in 2023. 

In addition to the LDNUDPA action plan, over the coming months, we will need to keep a close eye on several issues that clearly illustrate the complexity of its implementation.  

Just consider the highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Indigenous Child Welfare Act (C-92). What the justices decide has the potential to significantly alter the parameters of Indigenous governance across the country. This is a major development!  

And this is just the beginning… Many other laws, regulations, and policies need to be amended or even completely rethought so that the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada can be more firmly rooted in reality.  

It will therefore be important to closely monitor, in particular, the ongoing efforts to establish an independent body to address specific grievances—a mechanism that communities have been calling for for decades. It will also be interesting to see how discussions evolve regarding new legislation on the health of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, as well as on the essential nature of police and public safety services tailored to Indigenous communities.  

Finally, new amendments to the long-standing “Indian Act” are currently being considered, and we will need to monitor this closely. Indeed, isn’t the very fact that this law still exists today, in itself, a telling reminder of how much work remains to be done before reconciliation can truly be achieved?  

The Ashukan Institute team will therefore be closely monitoring these developments so that we can continue to provide our partners with relevant and up-to-date information.  

Happy New Year to everyone!