Question Period Note: ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CROWN INDIGENOUS RELATIONS CANADA

We have charted a new path forward with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.

NIL

Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls & Collaborative Process (Bill S-3)

With regard to Indigenous women and girls:
• Following the publication of the Inquiry’s Final Report, our Government is working closely with Indigenous partners and provinces and territories to develop a National Action Plan to respond to the Calls for Justice.
• The Government has fully implemented Bill S-3 to address all sex-based inequities in the Indian Act registration provisions. In partnership with First Nations and Indigenous groups, we co-designed and delivered a collaborative process to ensure fairness in Indian Act registration and to accelerate First Nations self-determination.

Sixties Scoop & Federal Day Schools Settlements

With regard to the Sixties Scoop and Federal Day Schools settlements (Indigenous Childhood Claims):
• The Court has approved the terms of the Sixties Scoop settlement agreement and the process has now begun to compensate survivors. The settlement includes a $50-million Foundation for healing, commemoration, education, language and culture.
• The Federal Court approved the McLean Federal Day Schools settlement in August 2019. The settlement includes individual compensation for harms associated with the attendance at a day school and an investment of $200 million to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture and commemoration.

Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms, & TRC Calls to Action

With regard to reconciliation :
• The permanent bilateral mechanisms that we have established with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation leadership provide a forum to co-develop policy on shared priorities, and joint accountability for the results. We are making progress on shared priorities as we continue our journey towards reconciliation, as well as reducing socio-economic gaps and advancing self-determination.
• Our Government has made significant progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. To date, close to 80 per cent of the Calls to Action under the responsibility of the federal government alone or shared responsibility with provincial/territorial governments and other key partners, are completed or well underway.

Section 35 Negotiations (of the Constitution Act, 1867)-related rights

Since 2015:
• We have established more than 85 Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination tables, bringing our total to more than 145 rights-based negotiation tables.
• Through these rights-based discussions, we have reached more than 65 preliminary-type agreements, 7 Agreements-in-Principle and final agreements with the Cree Nation, Deline, and the Anishinabek Nation.
• We have settled 119 specific claims, and delivered apologies to the Ahiarmiut, Sayisi Dene and Williams Treaties First Nations.
• We also delivered a statement of exoneration for Chief Poundmaker and to the Tsilhqot’in Nation.

First Nations Land Management Act (FNLMA) & Additions to Reserve

• Since November 2015, the Government of Canada has created 316 Additions to Reserve, adding more than 227,353 acres of land to reserves.
• And we have made this process easier through the Addition of Lands to Reserves and Reserve Creation Act which was passed in 2018.
• Since 1996, 153 First Nations have become signatories to the First Nation Land Management Act, which is a government-to-government arrangement through which First Nations opt-out of 33 sections of the Indian Act related to land, environment, and resource management.