The UNDRIP Act and Action Plan

On June 21, 2021, Bill C-15 or An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the UNDRIP Act) became law in Canada.

The UNDRIP Act provides that the Government of Canada must take every measure necessary to ensure that the laws in Canada are consistent with UNDRIP through the preparation and implementation of an action plan.

While NWAC believes that the UNDRIP Act represents an important step toward reconciliation and the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, we believe that it is of critical importance that Indigenous women, youth, and gender-diverse people are equally and thoroughly engaged throughout the consultation process for the implementation, and creation, of a UNDRIP action plan.

NWAC will be advocating that the action plan and the legislative amendments to existing domestic law must include a thorough gender-based analysis. We will be calling on the Canadian government to ensure that this action plan sets out measurable goals, feasible time frames, allocated funding, and programming that is specific to Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

NWAC is hopeful that in the wake of the federal election, the newly elected government will concretely address how to implement and create an UNDRIP action plan that consults and is inclusive of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.