Dear Reader:

This Proposal is being circulated widely after much consultation with many – Indigenous and Settler folks – who often asked, “what can we do?”. We hope that Proposal may start conversations in your personal and professional circles or organizations and lead to action. Action might include:  feedback to our Group; sharing the Proposal in educational events; endorse and commend the direction and goals of the Proposal to public leaders; correspondence with leaders in society, including MPs, MLA/MPPs, municipal councillors; conversations with neighbours – Settler and Indigenous, etc. We encourage you to read the Proposal and some of the resources pointed to in the document.

Responses to the Proposal can be sent either to a Group member listed below or to “administration” (see below). Your interest in and support for the Proposal is welcome. Thank you!

Action Group for the 1% Indigenous Peoples Human Development Fund: 

Stan Beardy – stanbeardy@yahoo.ca Muskrat Dam First Nation, NW Ontario, where he learned to hunt, fish, live and work in the ways of Oji-Cree ancestors. A life-long leader and strong advocate for First Nation rights at local, regional, and national levels, Stan has served as Chief of Muskrat Dam for a total of 15 years, Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Grand Chief for 12 years, and Ontario Regional Chief for 3 years. He has represented First Nation interests at the United Nations and in other international forums.  Now retired, he is an advisor to many First Nation and non-First Nation entities. His diverse accomplishments in politics, social justice, education, and business, were recognized with an Honorary PhD from the University of South Florida at a conference on ancient cultures and traditions in Haridwar, India in 2012. Nipissing University conferred an Honorary PhD in Education in 2011. 

Laverne Jacobs – vbjacobs@gmail.com Walpole Island First Nation on Bkejwanong Territory, ON. Anglican priest, Laverne has served Walpole Island’s United and Anglican parishes in shared ministry for 12 years. For 9 years he was coordinator of Native Ministries in the Anglican General Synod office and for 7 years as coordinator of Aboriginal Ministries for the United Church of Canada General Council.

  Maggie Dieter – mldieter2018@gmail.com  Kitchener, ON. Resides in the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples; Cree nation from the Treaty 4 Area (Peepeekisis First Nation, SK); mother, grandmother, and a United Church of Canada (UCC) minister currently serving in New Hamburg, ON and formerly, as Executive Minister for Indigenous Ministries and Justice (UCC).

A H Harry Oussoren – ahharryo370@gmail.com  ("administration") Ottawa, resides in unceded Algonquin territory. Dutch-Canadian settler; father & grandfather; retired ordained pastor of faith & mission communities in Vancouver, Toronto, Mississauga; former Executive Minister in the General Council of The UCC; Co-initiator of community InterFaith Organizations and Fests. Blog: Pilgrim Praxis at www.minister.ca

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Transforming Canada’s Indigenous / Settler Relationship

Toward Just and Peaceful Coexistence:  A Proposal

A.   A Story –– Two-Row Wampum – Gä•sweñta’

[thanks to the Onondaga Nation for this account, slightly edited: https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/wampum/two-row-wampum-belt-guswenta/]

Among Turtle Island’s many stories, this Onondaga parable offers keys to energize all in Canada into action creating a relationship of fairness between Indigenous and Settler peoples.

In the early 17^th century, the Haudenosaunee peoples and Dutch settlers discovered much about each other.  An agreement was made as to how they were to treat each other and live together. Each of their ways would be shown in the purple rows running the length of a wampum* belt. “In one row is a ship with our White Brothers’ ways: in the other a canoe with our ways. Each will travel down the river of life side by side. Neither will attempt to steer the other’s vessel.” [*”Wampum” — comes from a Narragansett (Algonquian language family) word meaning a string of shell beads.]

The Haudenosaunee and the Settlers agreed on three principles to make this treaty last. The first was friendship; the Haudenosaunee and their white brothers will live in friendship. The second principle is peace; there will be peace between their two peoples. The final principle is forever; that this agreement will last forever.

The Settlers recorded this agreement on paper with three silver chains. Iron chains would not do because iron rusts and breaks over time. Silver, on the other hand, can be polished and renewed when the siblings meet. The Haudenosaunee and the Settlers agreed to call this the Silver Covenant Chain of Friendship.

The Haudenosaunee explained to the Settlers that they did not use paper to record their history. They would make belts made of white and purple wampum shells. The Haudenosaunee made a belt to record this agreement. The belt has two purple rows running alongside each other representing two boats. One boat is the canoe with the Haudenosaunee way of life, laws, and people. The other is the Settler ship with their laws, religion, and people in it. The boats will travel side by side down the river of life. Each nation will respect the ways of each other and will not interfere with the other. “Together we will travel in Friendship and in Peace Forever; as long as the grass is green, as long as the water runs downhill, as long as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, and as long as our Mother Earth will last.”

Importance of Gä•sweñta’ Today

The Haudenosaunee see the Two Row Wampum as a living treaty; a way that they have established for people to live together in peace; that each nation will respect the ways of the other as they meet to discuss solutions to the issues that come before them.

B.  Vision

The time has come to transform the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Settler Peoples:

-       A past dominated by racist superiority, disrespect, dispossession, exploitation, failed treaties, impoverishment, subjugation, dependency, suppression of rights, attempted cultural genocide, conflict, and litigation; 

-       A future where new, fairer ways of side-by-side living are implemented.  A new spirit - awakened by truths shared and suffering acknowledged, by apologies offered and calls for justice heeded, by false doctrines repudiated and degrading assumptions rejected, by inherent rights and legal judgements honoured, treaties renewed and observed - has created a new lasting friendship and peace.

-       A transformed relationship, modeled upon ancestors’ wisdom, motivating Settler and Indigenous Peoples to actively embrace just and peaceful co-existence, implement respectful distribution of resources and wealth creating prosperity, and foster the growth of a more whole Canadian society – a relationship transformed, benefitting the global human family and Mother Earth herself – all our relations.  Indigenous Peoples, “steering their own vessel”, access previously denied resources to foster self-determination, human development, and quality of life as full participants in the new society.

C.  Concept Proposal to Strengthen Indigenous Communities

The Proposal includes three key actions contributing to full Indigenous participation in an emerging new society:

1.    A one percent tax on the sale of all properties in Canada – The Indigenous Peoples Fund (IPF). 

In 2019, a total of 488,093 residential units valued at $245 billion were sold, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.  With the recent surge in prices and by combining that with commercial, industrial, and institutional property sales, $500 billion would be a reasonable base number for annual real estate sales. One percent of this amount could generate about $5 billion per year. Further research to verify numbers, especially for non-residential sales will be required.

Article 28 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) declares: “Indigenous peoples have the right to redress, by means that can include restitution or, when this is not possible, just, fair and equitable compensation, for the land, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used, and which have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used or damaged without their free, prior, and informed consent.” 

This Proposal is not recommending restitution to replace the immense value of properties the Crown illegitimately appropriated to itself for Settler society. What is proposed is a special symbolic levy related to the vast lands of which Indigenous Peoples were dispossessed. 

The 1% tax takes seriously Colonial Settler governments’ persisting failure fairly  fund Indigenous needs.   [For a critical analysis of simplistic claims by Fraser Institute about federal funding for Indigenous Peoples see: https://www.oktlaw.com/fraser-institute-first-nations-just-glad-not-1947 .]

The metrics are clear. While Canada ranked number one out of 78 countries in 2021 for quality of life reflecting political and economic stability, public safety and a good job market – and social purpose including social justice, human and animal rights, racial equity, gender equality and religious free, its track record for Indigenous peoples’ quality of life is shocking. [2021 Best Countries Report from US News & World Report. https://www.ucanwest.ca/blog/business-management/Canada-ranked-best-country-in-the-world.

One in four indigenous people live in poverty as do 4 in 10 or 40% of Canada’s Indigenous children. Consequences include poorer health, lower educational levels, low quality housing with crowded living conditions, and high rates of suicide. [see https://borgenproject.org/indigenous-poverty-in-Canada/.] 

Similarly. the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that Canada’s Indigenous population is younger, growing faster, and is mainly rural, but the pace of improvement lags well behind the Settler population and gaps in well-being have increased. [https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/e6cc8722-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/e6cc8722-en]. 

Even the Canadian government, while claiming some improvement, admits its overall dismal record in Indigenous human development:

While overall Canada ranked 12th internationally in 2016, the Registered Indian population would have ranked 52nd among countries with "very high" human development, compared to a ranking of 63rd in 2006. The off-reserve Registered Indian population ranked 42nd in 2016 among countries with "high" human development, compared to 47th in 2006. The 2016 on-reserve Registered Indian population ranked 78th, while the 2006 on-reserve population ranked 89th among those with "high" human development.

[https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1579883155069/1607442298277.]

These statistics reveal the brutal reality, but little of the personal loss and missed personal and social development opportunities oppressing the lives of Indigenous People. Reality demands action to end colonialism’s brutal impacts.

In his book “The Inconvenient Indian” Thomas King states: “Land. If you understand nothing else about the history of Indians in North America, you need to understand that the question that really matters is the question of land.  Land has always been a defining element of Aboriginal culture. Land contains the languages, the stories, and the histories of a people. It provides water, air, shelter, and food. Land participates in the ceremonies and the songs. And land is home.”  (p. 218)  

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its detailed report on economic development for Indigenous communities makes very clear that “Land is a fundamental asset for sustainable economic development for Indigenous Peoples, and land rights are critical for self-determination.”  Deprived of land, far more than economic development and self-determination is lost; human development and cultural identity is threatened – consistent with colonial intent.

(https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/fc2b28b3-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/fc2b28b3-en)

History shows that as the Crown removed Indigenous Peoples from vast traditional lands into reserves, they were deprived of control and responsibility for the lands and were left with only a tiny, fragmented land base that harvested poverty and dependency. Seeking restitution, restoration, and reclaiming lands of which they were dispossessed has been and continues to be a lengthy, ongoing litigious nightmare for Indigenous Peoples. Litigation has served as a costly quest attesting to governments’ lack of will to recognize Indigenous rights and claims – notwithstanding legal judgements affirming their inherent rights. Federal and provincial Crown governments must end strategies which seek to extinguish inherent and treaty land rights. 

The proposed one percent tax is a land-related, limited, but significant action step that has three important benefits, concurrent with its intended beneficial impact on Indigenous society (see c. below):

First, the tax would serve as a sign of good faith and an encouraging act revealing the federal government’s decision to validate and honour Indigenous traditional land rights, and to implement the consequences inherent in legal judgements and understandings about Indigenous land rights. 

Second, the one percent tax does not replace current federal government treaty and other fiduciary funding responsibilities but marks the first step toward providing Indigenous Peoples direct, ongoing revenue sources rooted in land rights. 

This initial action would signal the intent to eventually free Indigenous Peoples from reliance on the humiliating, paternalistic special request “hand-outs” regime which federal governments have employed as legislated by the Indian Act.

A new, respectful fiscal regime based on Indigenous self-determination waits to be developed. Excessive staffing and litigation costs incurred by administering the Indian Act must be curbed and redirected to more effective social and economic goals. 

Third, the 1% revenue related to Indigenous land heritage would serve as a liberating stimulus for self-determined Indigenous objectives.  Substantial revenue sources can break through the blockade preventing new and imaginative initiatives to enhance Indigenous community development capacities.

To create the IPF, Parliament mandates the one percent tax and supplies the IPF with the revenue. The one percent tax might be an excise tax, analogous to the Goods & Services/Harmonized Sales Tax, on all real estate sales in Canada. Efficient ways and means of collecting the tax would require careful study and negotiation.

Control and stewardship of the IPF would not be lodged with the government of Canada, but the government would mandate standards and best practices to ensure public accountability and transparency in the management and disbursement of the IPF moneys. 

We – the Citizens Group - understand and share the concern that a 1% tax on property sales has an adverse impact on the price of housing – especially for lower income Canadians both off-reserve Indigenous and Settler. We also recognize that vendors and sales agents of increasingly expensive urban and rural properties are reaping huge financial benefits from properties sales. Motivated by the urgent need of just relations with Indigenous Peoples, governments will want to adopt measures to mitigate causes widening the gap between higher income Canadians and those of modest incomes and means.

2.    A Representative Pan-Canadian Indigenous Authority (PCIA) governing the use and management of the Indigenous Peoples Fund.

“Indigenous Peoples” as a concept and reality is as diverse and varied as “Settler Peoples”.  The diverse interests of the totality of Canadian population and communities are considered in the one Parliament of Canada. 

At this point, there is no single forum where the interests of all Indigenous Peoples can be weighed and addressed.  There are numerous Indigenous organizations which represent First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. This variety and the large number of organizations risk Indigenous agendas falling prey to the “divide and conquer” strategies. 

Unity among Indigenous Peoples is an essential factor for any process seeking to transform current societal patterns of Settler paternalism and injustice hobbling Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination. These debilitating conditions must be addressed together and transcended if Indigenous Peoples are to be fully participating members of the body politic and society as a whole. Creating the PCIA or its equivalent is a major step in this direction calling forth much Indigenous leadership talent and deeply rooted wisdom for its implementation.

The proposed one percent tax is meant to benefit the widely scattered and diverse communities of people that compose “Indigenous Peoples” – First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. To achieve this objective, the PCIA, representative nationally of the Indigenous reality, would assess needs to be appropriately funded by the IPF, establish priorities and standards for administration, and decide on the disbursement of IPF resources. 

Regional expressions of the PCIA would likely evolve as experience is gained. 

The PCIA would be ratified by Act of Parliament to be a self-determining organization of, for, and by Indigenous Peoples.

3.     Human Development as the priority goal of the IPF.

Human Development is an over-arching need among Indigenous Peoples. Current educational and human development capacities have been unable to maximize Indigenous potentials nor achieve goals that compare favourably with those in Settler society. Hence the primary goal of the IPF is the implementation of human development objectives, with education as primary means for achieving them.

Indigenization of education is a high priority.  Indigenous Peoples have a long history of effectively transmitting Indigenous knowledge and wisdom. This “system” must be maintained and strengthened.  Settler educational systems must validate and learn from Indigenous knowledge.  They must respond to Indigenous needs and younger generation Indigenous people must be afforded the opportunity to excel in addressing those needs. Elders sharing wisdom, knowledge, and traditions particular to Indigenous communities are a key resource. Settler domination and evaluation of Indigenous education must be curtailed so that culturally relevant learning can thrive. Educational programs, institutions, and curricula in both Indigenous and public educational institutions must find ways to bridge and complement the diverse worldviews.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reported how destructively Indigenous Peoples were served by federal government policies and the churches-operated “Indian Residential Schools” system.  In its recommendations - Calls to Action - numbers 6 to 12, the TRC summarizes areas of need for more effective Indigenous education. 

[Number 6, based on the brutal experiences of children in Residential Schools, calls for the repeal of Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada – use of force in the classroom.] [Other calls to action include enhancing Indigenous (and Settler) professional competencies: e.g. 23 & 24 (health-care); 28 (legal); 55 research re comparability in services; clergy education; 62, 63, & 65 education for reconciliation; 64 comparative religious education; etc.]

Numbers 7 to 12 and 16 are reproduced here to indicate the TRC’s analysis of the importance and scope of educational reforms and improvements required by Indigenous Peoples.  Economic and social gaps that separate Settler and Indigenous communities must be closed by substantial investments in Indigenous human development – cradle to grave.

“We [The TRC] call upon the federal government

7. to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians;

8. to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves;

9. to prepare and publish annual reports comparing funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves, as well as educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people.

10. to draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples. The new legislation would include a commitment to sufficient funding and would incorporate the following principles:

i. Providing sufficient funding to close identified education achievement gaps within one generation;

ii. Improving education attainment levels and success rates;

iii. Developing culturally appropriate curricula;

iv. Protecting the right to Aboriginal languages, including the teaching of Aboriginal languages as credit courses;

v. Enabling parental and community responsibility, control, and accountability, similar to what parents enjoy in public school systems;

vi. Enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children;

vii. Respecting and honouring Treaty relationships.

11. to provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking post-secondary education;

12. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families. …

16. We call upon post-secondary institutions to create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal languages.”

We - the Citizens’ Group - regard the concern for more intentional resourcing of human development initiatives as an essential ingredient for the empowerment of Indigenous people. Equipping learners and leaders for analysis of, engagement with, and sharing in the dominant Settler culture, while growing and retaining their awareness and knowledge of Indigenous heritages and cultures is crucial for renewal. 

What is needed above all is the will to implement these calls to action and the resources to make it happen. Governments already have far too many reports and studies gathering dust on shelves. We propose that human development be the primary purpose of the IPF as a key initiative to remedy the centuries of neglect, under-funding, and disdain for Indigenous ways and cultures. Pride of heritage and informed identity awareness are essential aspects of human development and personal wholeness that can be strengthened by education.   

Settler society is incapable of addressing these qualities on its own, but education with, by, and for Indigenous Peoples can and must. Among the diverse gifts to share, Indigenous Peoples’ careful respect for and stewardship of nature’s gifts is an area of learning that has great potential for benefitting not only economies, but also domestic and international efforts to live peaceably with respect for Creation. 

The primary means toward Indigenous human development is education, ensuring that all ages – from cradle to grave – have access to diverse learning opportunities to equip them for the full and varied life that gives Indigenous Peoples meaning and purpose, while also contributing to the well-being of the entire society.  The IPF would help make this level of investment possible and would, we believe, reap benefits far beyond the actual dollars collected – for all Canadians.

D. Transcending Past and Present Realities

Today and for the past several hundred years, reality has fallen far short of a vision that  motivates and inspires. 

Based on the illegitimate Doctrine of Discovery and the concept of terrae nullius (no one’s land), Colonial Settler governments claimed sovereignty over land and people.  Taking that legal fiction as fact, governments negotiated treaties and legislated race-based policies, subjugating Indigenous Peoples generally regarded as less than fully human.   The Indian Act (1876) was proclaimed to control all aspects of indigenous life enforced by Indian Agents and armed RCMP officers. [See “21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act” by Bob Joseph.]  Claiming the resource-based wealth of northern Turtle Island and restricting Indigenous use of their lands were crucial goals in the federal government’s pursuit of becoming a Settler nation and economy. 

The over-arching Indigenous policy goal was to erase “inconvenient Indigenous” land titles and claims, governance, economies, culture, languages, values, and spirituality.  Genocidal assimilation of Indigenous Peoples into the Euro-Settler mainstream was how the illegitimate expropriation of land and resources might finally be rendered moot. Residential Schools run by Churches were brutal and unhealthy re-education centres to erase “Indian”.   Subsequent social policies forcibly “scooped” Indigenous children into Settler homes and culture – uprooting them from their Indigenous families and heritage.

Dispossessed of lands and resources by mandated settlement on scattered Reserves, Indigenous economic opportunities were limited.  Dependency on federal funding and provisioning undermined economic development and possibilities of self-determination.  Meanwhile the Crown, in the Dominion Lands Act of 1872, created the framework to sell, lease, give away, and retain land without consent or benefit to Indigenous Peoples.  The wealth of the lands was vested in Settler society, while Indigenous Peoples were impoverished. 

Revenues from land sales by Indigenous people to the Crown were to be held in the Indian Trust*, but this Trust was used for various government purposes and bore no resemblance to the actual value of the lands taken by the Crown. Indigenous Peoples’ loss of land and resources can be calculated in many trillions of dollars. The wealth gained by Settler society exceeds even this incomprehensible amount.  [*See the Yellowstone Institute’s “Land Back” and “Cash Back” Red Papers at www.yellowheadinstitute.org .   For more on the Indian Trust Fund visit:  https://cashback.yellowheadinstitute.org/indiantrustfund/ ]

Dispossession has resulted in Indigenous poverty and loss of financial resources to carry on the struggle for justice effectively. Governments and corporate interests continue to seek policies and strategies that lead to extinguishment of land titles and resource wealth, while Indigenous Peoples are forced to litigate against every infringement - small and large - of their rights and claims. Federal advances of cash to finance Indigenous litigation to seek justice become liabilities undermining Indigenous ability to pursue claims. Indigenous Peoples need revenue sources giving them the freedom to pursue their right to real “law and order” and to implement policies that strengthen Indigenous communities.

E. Signs of Hope

Canadian Settler society appears to be moving towards a better understanding of its dehumanizing and subjugating ways with Indigenous Peoples. 

Various studies, investigations, and Supreme Court judgements based on the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Charter of Rights & Freedoms and the Constitution Act (1982) have contributed to moving the needle of public opinion from ignorance and apathy towards awareness of and empathy for the oppression experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples. It has not yet created a popular movement for justice.

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015), the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007; ratified by Parliament 2021) (UNDRIP), the ongoing discovery of remains of children at Residential School properties (2021), etc. – all these and many other findings have confirmed that the unjust and racist policies and laws imposed upon Indigenous Peoples by Settler society breached universal standards of “law and order”. The need for a new legal framework informed by Indigenous rights is obvious.

Apologies by churches (United, 1986 and 1998), Anglican (1993), Presbyterian (1994) and the federal government itself (2008) have also confirmed the unjust situation for Indigenous Peoples. They acknowledge the part all these institutions have played in oppression. They make clear Settler society’s need to embrace new, more respectful and just ways of relating.   

The attitudinal shift in Settler society is modestly symbolized by the now familiar “acknowledgement of Indigenous territories” declared by various persons and organizations at public meetings – secular and religious.

Unfortunately, there have been far more good words than substantial implementing actions.  Little has really changed. The statistics cited above reflect the urgent need for large scale renewal, but words and numbers have not triggered transformative action. The day-to-day lives of Indigenous Peoples have seen very few improvements. Too many still have long standing “boil water” warnings – a symptom of government neglect or inability to address the necessities of Indigenous life.  What Settler society can take for granted is still a distant objective for Indigenous Peoples. 

Underlying this reality is the fact that there have been no acknowledgements by official bodies and governments of their reliance on the core colonial mandate. The false Doctrine of Discovery and the terrae nullius heresy remain at the heart of our national malaise.  When its entire legal framework continues to be embedded in edicts issued in the name of God by the 15^th century Vatican, then Canada has clearly not come far enough on the way toward renewal, let alone toward the vision of reconciliation.

True words must trigger actions to change unacceptable realities.  To be sure, Settlers cannot be sent back to “where they came from.” Indigenous peoples will not easily return to their less settled lives prior to treaties and reserves.  And the entire Canadian legal structure – Settler and Indigenous - cannot simply be jettisoned for a new constitution and legal framework. Nor can Indigenous voices be inserted after the fact into proceedings to develop the Constitution Act of 1982. Now is the time to undertake radical change and to ensure that Indigenous voices are heard and taken seriously.

Some meaningful action, as reported in the media, is, nevertheless, underway. Frequently it is the result of persistent Indigenous energies, actions, and litigation.  The social care of children and youth is finally being addressed by restitution for past failures and by remedial planning for future successes; an apology from the Pope of the  Roman Catholic Church is being pursued and restitution related to Residential School abuses is demanded; boil-water advisories are too slowly being phased out as embarrassing injustice; various social and environmental justice organizations connect climate change with loss of respect for Creation; Church denominations, having apologized, now require that a portion of proceeds from sale of church properties must contribute to Indigenous governed renewal work; hereditary governance models are beginning to be honoured, while band council governance is clarified. Voluntary local tax contributions to local Indigenous communities are being proposed in experiments like that of “Reciprocity” based in Victoria. [www.reciprocityconnects.ca]

Of potentially great significance is Bill C-15 proclaimed by the federal Crown in 2021. This legislation requires a review of all federal legislation to ensure alignment with UNDRIP articles. It includes government responsibility to ensure that “free, prior, and informed consent” of Indigenous peoples (Articles 28/1, 32/2) is obtained when dealing with their land, territories, and resources traditionally owned, occupied, used, or acquired.

UNDRIP now lays responsibility on the federal government to deal justly, potentially freeing Indigenous Peoples from the demoralizing burden of self-justification and costly litigation to claim land, resources, and human rights that are universally declared to be theirs.  Governments must now acknowledge their liability when Indigenous Peoples seek to rectify the unjust and illegal actions affecting their lands and resources and that have deprived Indigenous Peoples of huge amounts of money and much more. Will governments take these responsibilities seriously?  Will citizens’ awareness prod governments into action?

The goal of renewal could be aided by a formally mandated all-party Parliamentary Task Force working closely with Indigenous leadership to guide processes leading toward actions building an honourable relationship between Settler and Indigenous Peoples. Abolition of the Indian Act and creating a new governance framework recognizing the Indigenous reality and Crown fiduciary responsibilities is unavoidable.   Creating such a Task Force would be another strong indicator of Settler intent to work towards friendship and peace that last.

A cadre of courageous and effective Indigenous professionals, leaders, scholars, and elders has persevered with limited resources and in trying circumstances to seek justice for their peoples. Statistics reveal that much needs to be done to increase the pools of informed and effective Indigenous leadership.  Experience indicates that with heart and mind Indigenous leaders will pursue the Vision for strong Indigenous presence in a new relationship between Indigenous and Settler peoples.

F.    Action to Implement a Transformed Relationship

 We – the Citizens’ Group – believe that it is time to transcend the painful past and welcome the emerging spirit for nurturing a transformed relationship between Indigenous and Settler Peoples – friends on a common quest for justice-based peace to benefit all Canadians. We believe our Proposal merits implementation as a contribution to this Vision.                                                                                   

End.