Shared Priorities 18

We acknowledge and appreciate the work already done by Indigenous partners and organizations on training and education related to the UN Declaration and the UN Declaration Act outside of the federal government. Although not comprehensive, we include a list of materials in the public realm on the UN Declaration and the UN Declaration Act in Annex B to this report for reference.

For example, between 2022 and 2024, Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR) held various engagements with Indigenous youth focused on implementing the UN Declaration and the UN Declaration Act Action Plan in ways that are meaningful to them. During a December 2022 policy hackathon focused on the UN Declaration Act Action Plan, one team focused on improving education for non-Indigenous Canadians, attributing racism and discrimination against Indigenous people to a lack of expertise and awareness about Indigenous issues at the local, provincial and federal levels. They recommend a national strategy that would empower Indigenous people to share their knowledge and build relationships. This would include building an advisory council from every region, distributing grants and subsidies to participating organizations and educational institutions, and collaborating with public education, public servants, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Other Indigenous partners noted a lack of understanding of Indigenous rights by non-Indigenous peoples causes conflict in communities, for example, fishing and hunting and treaty rights. Indigenous peoples also want people to know their rights are not limited to ancestral rights, such as fishing and hunting, and that Indigenous peoples are taking control of participation in decision-making and have the right to economic development. Some noted that most in the general public are not aware of Indigenous peoples’ daily struggles and experiences of systemic racism and how rules are applied differently to Indigenous people across Canada. Many Indigenous partners mentioned that newcomers to Canada are a key group to educate and want to know what topics and information they learn about Indigenous peoples. They emphasized the importance of Indigenous people speaking to the materials and materials being founded on Indigenous-produced knowledge. The Assembly of First Nations indicated they had worked on a related project with IRCC in the past.

Children and youth are amazing learners. Partners recommended that materials for children and youth seek to make topics fun, impactful and memorable without being traumatic. Indigenous communities mentioned they want to adapt materials to their own community, and in some cases have done so. Anishinabek Nation, for instance, developed a book on the UN Declaration for children.

Indigenous partners praised post-secondary institutions that have made credits in Indigenous history mandatory for graduation. They also acknowledged the best approach would be to incorporate Indigenous contexts and realities into broader curriculum. It was suggested that most efforts to date have focused on responding to the TRC’s Calls to Action rather than the UN Declaration and that a focus on the UN Declaration and the rights enumerated within it would require a more introspective reflection on the obligations of university leadership. While recognizing that many universities already have developed extensive educational materials and programs on Indigenous rightsFootnote 4, broadening out UN Declaration training could be useful at all universities for the administration, professors and students, namely, to explore the question “what does the UN Declaration mean to me and our organization?” One topic mentioned was about identity issues as it comes up in hiring and scholarshipsFootnote 5. An Indigenous partner recommended SP18 education initiatives include specific learning on Indigenous identity beyond the Indian Act and land-based frameworks.

We heard that it is important to use different ways to communicate with different audiences. What does a visitor to a museum need to know? What is digestible for kids and youth of different ages? How do we make sure people remember the key points in different contexts of complex and layered subject matter?

Indigenous youth suggest that knowledge mobilization is key. Awareness and education programs should leverage technology and social media to educate the Canadian public on the rights contained in the UN Declaration, Indigenous histories and realities, colonization, and concerning systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous people. Education and engagement materials should be written in plain language to ensure that everyone can be involved in the conversation and stay informed about the progress, regardless of personal, professional and educational backgrounds.

A few Indigenous partners suggested an indicator of successful implementation of the UN Declaration in Canada would be a growth in understanding of Indigenous rights and realities among the general public; also, an increase in positive portrayals of Indigenous people in media.