Other priority training topics for public servants

“Public servants must understand their role in reconciliation and the impact of colonialism on their jobs. It is critical that they have a baseline of understanding on broader Indigenous issues and realities before they dive into UNDRIP and the UN Declaration Act”.

Native Women’s Association of Canada

Treaty education

While somewhat beyond the scope of this specific consultation exercises, we acknowledge that most Indigenous partners said that to create reform and change, the public needs to be educated on the meaning of treaties and Indigenous rights as well as their history. This would include the history, spirit, and intent of a treaty, the self-determination aspect and differences in interpretations in the numbered treaties (Treaties 1-11). An Indigenous partner recommended that addressing the relationship between treaty, Indigenous, and inherent rights would help prevent overly narrow or transactional understandings of rights and support more consistent, rights-based decision-making by public servants across regions.

Many Indigenous-led resources exist to support this training. Indigenous partners suggested these should be made more easily available for the public, the media, educators, and for public servants. Training related to the Cabinet Directive on Modern Treaties is also viewed as important.

ITK mentioned that educational materials on Inuit-Crown treaties need to address federalism. Many relations are tri-partite and variable, and the implications are significant. For example, the story of the Nunavut and Labrador land claims agreements negotiation is important and unique. Positive stories such as this should be highlighted.

Partners identified the different levels of training potentially required or encouraged for public servants depending on the regions in which they work and the nature of their interactions with Indigenous peoples. For example, training on W8banaki histories, treaties, and rights could be delivered for those working in Québec and Eastern Canada; specific training for federal public servants working in the Maritime region or with partners in the region should include Nation-specific modules. Partners emphasized treaty education delivered should be regionally specific, especially for public servants living in other treaty lands. As Maritime partners noted, it is important for public servants who live in a different part of the country to understand the context specific to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as distinct from Central Canada and the Prairies or BC. Similarly, public servants with experience working on Modern Treaties may not understand the contextual differences in relation to the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed several centuries ago. Treaty education by Indigenous partners can mitigate this gap in knowledge.

Depending on their type of work, federal public servants could also benefit from community-level focused training. Partners noted that communities prioritize different rights to be exercised—some may focus on exercising fishing rights, while others on forestry; some may also focus on the exercise of their self-determination rights through economic development and self-sufficiency. These differences are informative for the federal government’s work in a particular region.

Truth of relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown

Many Indigenous partners emphasized that learning cannot begin without truth. In understanding the history and realities of Indigenous peoples across Canada, public servants need to learn about the truth of Canada’s colonial past, including the origins and purpose of the Indian Act, Indian Residential and Day schools, the treatment of Indigenous children within child and family services systems, and many more. Many of these histories are acknowledged in the preamble of the UN Declaration Act, but more needs to be done in the way of truth telling and for public servants to learn, in further depth, about the colonial history of Canada. As with other training, examples and stories are important to help people understand we are speaking to something real. One example raised was stories of forced relocation of Inuit into settlements to be more efficiently colonized and to alter people’s culture and way of life.

Indigenous laws, Indigenous governance

Indigenous partners spoke to the importance of public servants being aware of different governance structures and ways of doing things in different regions and communities when talking about the UN Declaration Act or the UN Declaration Act Action Plan. Several Indigenous partners suggested that regional approaches would work best for UN Declaration Act implementation and that this should be reflected in training and approaches to training as well. While they recognized it will be slower and could be more complicated to deal with different approaches, doing so will lead to more appropriate rights recognition and collaboration, reflecting what the UN Declaration is trying to advance. For instance, there are 11 self-government agreements for First Nations in the Yukon. Yukon First Nations are generally having to react to a national approach to First Nations. They often aren’t involved early enough to influence federal government initiatives, and this leads to conflict and a breakdown in trust.

A few Indigenous partners indicated that Indigenous knowledge needs to be better understood, including through a Two-Eyed Seeing approach. Training aimed at helping public servants understand Indigenous knowledge should be referenced in training materials equitably alongside western science in decision making. They also noted that Indigenous knowledge is often tied to land and place and therefore regional approaches should again be applied in relation to Indigenous knowledge.

Indigenous cultures and ways of life

“The most impactful thing the government of Canada could do to eliminate violence, racism, and discrimination against Indigenous peoples is to support education, including funding anti-racism education for non-Indigenous people, such as cultural competency.”

Indigenous Youth Roots program participant

Many Indigenous partners spoke about the need for public servants to understand Indigenous culture and traditions, through training delivered directly by First Nations, Inuit and Métis. A few Indigenous partners stated that learning about who the Métis are is important as the formation and development of communities varies.