The Declaration Act is used as the framework for each of the BC provincial ministries to advance reconciliation with First Nations in a collective effort. Three key sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) that will help guide the recommendations in this policy proposal are as follows:
- Section 3: In consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples in British Columbia, the government must take all measures necessary to ensure the laws of British Columbia are consistent with the Declaration.
- Section 4 (1): The government must prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration.
- Section 5 (1): Each year the minister must prepare a report for the 12-month period ending on March 31.
On July 30, 2024, the fifth Annual Report was published. The first three Annual Reports do provide a detailed account of co-developed programming, funding initiatives, economic agreements, and advancement of infrastructure projects, but are not transparent about the completion of action items that each ministry in the provincial government is accountable to. The previous Annual Reports were met with feedback from First Nations and the Province of BC has implemented the recommendations to improve the measuring progress by developing a new website that includes a comprehensive and accessible report that describes the levels of transformation, complexity, risks and management, and engagement.
Each of the Annual Reports highlights the various procedures used to measure progress, which include consulting and cooperating with Indigenous peoples to determine the indicators for monitoring, accessing, and reporting on progress.
A co-developed Action Plan Indicator Framework was announced in the latest Annual Report as being a new mechanism that will effectively measure change based on shared priorities and standards of success. The new framework will be created in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, but an Indigenous-led system and institution is required for a paradigm shift from Indigenous compliance to self-reliance.
In addition to the Declaration Act Annual Report and Action Plan Indicator Framework, the government of Canada and the Government of BC must co-develop a new fiscal framework that will support the First Nations Leadership Council during the creation and implementation of a Declaration Act Annual Shadow Report (Shadow Report). The development of a Shadow Report, as a concrete measure, will prioritize self-determination, Indigenous data sovereignty, transparency, and accountability. To fulfill Section 5 of the Declaration Act, transformative change is required by the Government of BC to allow space for First Nations to provide adequate responses and recommendations to the progress towards achieving the goals of the action plan.
Watch Katisha’s policy presentation: