Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the beginning of the 19th Assembly, back in the sunny days prior to Cabinet being selected and COVID chaos, those of us sitting in this Chamber sat down and determined our priorities for the next four years. Those priorities then informed the mandate of Cabinet once they were elected.
One of the priorities set in October 2019 was to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP, within the constitutional framework of Canada to advance reconciliation. On their website Executive and Indigenous Affairs, or EIA, promises to work with Indigenous governments to create and implement an action plan that identifies changes required in GNWT legislation and policies to best reflect the principles set out in UNDRIP.
Further, on the website it states that EIA will collaborate with the federal government and Indigenous governments to support Canada's efforts to implement UNDRIP.
UNDRIP is a comprehensive statement that addresses the human rights of Indigenous peoples. It took over twenty years to develop and approve and emphasizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to live in dignity; maintain and strengthen their institutions, cultures, and traditions; and pursue their self-determined development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations. The declaration addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; and rights to education, health, employment, and language as well as others.
How is this Assembly working towards these implementing these priorities? Public hearings have been held by the Special Committee on Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs, and EIA's website promises an implementation plan to be completed by the summer of 2022. The website also states that the "federal process informs the NWT action plan and implementation, including program changes."
I ask, Mr. Speaker, is this government going to wait on the federal government to tell them how to implement UNDRIP? Or, are they going to have the courage to hold the prime minister's feet to the fire on the promises he made? Will they implement their own if the federal government continues to drag its heels?
When speaking with Indigenous leaders, they tell me that whatever the GNWT does or promises, it must be recognized by Canada And that it is EIA's responsibility to ensure that Canada respects and abides by any commitments made by the GNWT. Otherwise those commitments become lip service and as worthless as the paper they're written on.
Over the last two years I've heard the Premier state several times that she views the relationship with Indigenous governments and the federal government as a triangle with three equal partners. If so, then it is time for the GNWT to step up and stand alongside their partner and push the federal government to do the right thing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.