Pjila’si, maajii, way’, mi ce:p kʷetxʷiləm, introduction

This year was a year of change. It began with the election of a new government that took place under geopolitical conditions that continue to shape our daily lives. The Government of Canada established its priorities to adapt to these changing circumstances while committing to ensuring the UN Declaration is upheld federally.

In preparing this year’s Annual Report, two central themes emerged: the first related to the nature of progress achieved during a year impacted by transition and adaptation to external events beyond the government’s control and a second theme focused on the inherent challenges of implementing a highly ambitious Action Plan made up of 181 measures, many of which require multi-departmental collaboration and intensive consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples.

According to some Indigenous partners, progress continues to be slower than anticipated, including due to structural barriers, such as fragmented funding and insufficient oversight or coordination. However, there are many positive lessons to be drawn from the work that is happening between Indigenous peoples and the Government of Canada. Despite ongoing challenges, shared understandings about the meaning of economic and environmental partnership, among others, are emerging through ongoing collaboration.

We extend our gratitude to the 71 Indigenous governments and representative organizations that contributed to this report. Throughout this report we refer to these contributors as “Indigenous partners”. These partners include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments and representative organizations; urban and off-reserve Indigenous people; Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ people; Indigenous youth and Elders; and Indigenous persons with disabilities. There is much to learn from what they have shared. A complete list of Indigenous partners that have contributed to this report can be found in Annex A: List of Indigenous governments and representative organizations that provided input into the development of the Annual Report.

We recognize that 71 is only a small number of the governments and representative organizations of Indigenous peoples contributing to the work of implementing the UN Declaration Act in Canada. While the partners who contributed to this report reflect only a sample of the perspectives of the many Indigenous governments and representative organizations within Canada, the aim is to provide as broad of a range of partner perspectives as possible.

Justice Canada continues to seek out and build relationships with Indigenous governments and representative organizations to engage them in the annual reporting process and on implementation more broadly. To that end, readers are invited to share their perspectives on this report or the process used to create it by contacting UNDeclarationNU@justice.gc.ca.

We invite readers to approach this report with the understanding that everyone involved brings their best intentions, guided by honesty, respect, and a commitment to transparency. Our aim is to accurately reflect the voices and perspectives of both the Indigenous partners who generously shared their time, knowledge, and experiences with us and the government departments and agencies who are working on Action Plan implementation.

We encourage reading this report with an open mind and humility to listen deeply.

Wela’lioq, Marsi, Nanaskomowin, Phidámayaye, Chi-miigwetch, ciθamə cen, Woliwon, Nakurmiik, Gunalcheésh, Mahsi’ Cho, Shawnithan, Soga senla, Tiawenhk, Tshinashkumitnau, ʔimot, Limlәmt (thank you) from the Justice Canada UN Declaration Act Implementation Secretariat.