Learning strategy or learning policy

Although we did not present material about Indigenous learning policies for federal public servants, we were interested to hear Indigenous partners’ thoughts about this topic. Several recommended mandatory education for public servants at all levels on various Indigenous topics. Indigenous history was mentioned most frequently, followed by treaty and status rights, and workplace anti-racism training. Maritime partners providing input were in consensus that a mandatory one-day course for public servants who work in the region would provide an opportunity to make more explicit the UN Declaration’s broader implications on the implementation of treaty rights.

Some Indigenous partners suggested evaluation of the success of SP14 should include a mandated baseline of Indigenous learning for all public servants. Other partners spoke to the fact that public servants may have different levels of learning needs depending on their role and functions. For instance, ITK recommended mandatory ongoing cultural safety training for non-Inuit professionals working in health care, education and law enforcement professionals in Inuit Nunangat. Indigenous partners recommend senior officials receive a significant level of training on Indigenous topics as they are decision-makers with a high impact on government programs, policies and legislation.

A few Indigenous partners recommended Indigenous training as part of onboarding. Onboarding is an important opportunity to lay out expectations managers have for federal employees in the exercise of their functions.

In addition, “Learning must be repetitive and by seeing others in work environments working in a good way” (Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak). In other words, learning has to go beyond reading and workshops and incorporate practical ways to learn. As some Indigenous partners have stated, teaching continues until you see someone can do the tasks associated with the assignment, for instance, with moose hunting or fishing.

Next steps

We acknowledge the importance of sincerely reflecting on the information and views shared through this consultation and cooperation process and taking action accordingly. This report will inform the ongoing updating of Justice Canada’s foundational UN Declaration and UN Declaration Act training materials. The detailed feedback and input on the training materials has also been provided to federal departments and agencies, including the CSPS, Indigenous Services Canada and CIRNAC to inform their training strategies and products.

Co-creation with Indigenous subject matter experts of additional training and educational materials by Justice Canada will depend on the extent to which dedicated resources and funding can be secured. To date, Justice Canada has relied on existing internal resources for this initiative; additional resources would likely be needed for continued consultation and cooperation with Indigenous partners and organizations on SP14 and 18 and co-creation of training with Indigenous subject matter experts.

We sincerely want to thank all of those who took the time to meet with us and write to us to express their thoughts on UN Declaration and UN Declaration Act training, SP14 and 18 more generally, and educational materials. This report is written with the understanding that new issues may emerge that will require updates or modifications to training and educational materials on the UN Declaration, the UN Declaration Act, and other Indigenous topics outlined in SP14.