Next Steps

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On this page

• Requirements
• Phases of the consultation and cooperation process
• Share your views on the draft action plan

Requirements

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (the Act) became law and came into force on June 21, 2021.

Work is underway, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, to implement the Act.

In consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis we are:

• Taking measures to ensure federal laws are consistent with the Declaration
• Developing an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration
• Publishing annual reports on progress

The Act requires that the action plan be developed as soon as possible and no later than two years after the coming into force of the Act, which means it needs to be completed by June 2023.

Phases of the consultation and cooperation process

Phase one (December 2021-December 2022)

Phase one focused on working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to better understand their priorities in order to shape the action plan and to begin to identify potential measures for aligning federal laws with the Declaration. It included consultations with:

• First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights holders, including modern treaty signatories, self-governing nations and historic treaty partners, as well as national and regional Indigenous representative organizations
• Indigenous women, Elders, youth, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, urban Indigenous people and other Indigenous organizations and groups

A call for proposals to support Indigenous participation in the consultation and cooperation process resulted in over $26M being allocated to 150 Indigenous governing bodies, representative organizations and groups.

Phase one generated a range of measures and recommendations from over 220 virtual sessions and 60 submissions from Indigenous partners.

Phase two (March 2023 – June 2023)

During the second phase of consultation and cooperation, Justice Canada will continue working with Indigenous partners on validating the proposed measures in the draft action plan and modifying them as necessary, identifying and filling any gaps, and including additional measures.

It proposes measures that:

• Reflect priorities and proposals identified by Indigenous partners
• Contribute to the realization of the objectives of the Declaration
• Align with specific topics covered by the Act

By working together through the next phase of the consultation and cooperation process, we will create a lasting and action-oriented framework to advance implementation of the Declaration.

Share your views on the draft action plan

First Nations, Inuit and Métis can participate in phase two by answering the following questions:

1. What do you like about the details included in the draft action plan?
2. What should be added to fill in any gaps or to make the draft more complete?
3. Do you have other comments you would like to provide regarding the draft action plan?

You can also download the draft action plan questions or the guiding questions used in phase one of the process, or submit a discussion paper or document.

A digital engagement kit is also available for your use. This kit includes resources about the Declaration and the Act. This kit can be used to learn more or at engagement sessions to guide discussions about priorities to help shape the final Action Plan.

You can submit your feedback by online form, email or mail:

Email: Declaration@Justice.gc.ca

Mailing address:

UN Declaration Act Implementation Secretariat
Department of Justice Canada
275 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0H8