Parliamentary Committee Notes: Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Calls to Action

Proposed Response:

Public Safety Canada and its portfolio organizations are committed to supporting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, including through the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

If pressed on call to action #30:

• Public Safety’s Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative seeks to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples within the Canadian criminal justice system by supporting alternative measures to incarceration and reintegration projects for Indigenous offenders.
• The Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative program was renewed with an expanded program scope and additional support to create tailored opportunities for Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ peoples.
  • This includes $56 million starting in 2023-24 over five years to fund projects that provide culturally-relevant services and activities.
• Correctional Services Canada also responds to Call to Action #30 by working with and funding Indigenous organizations and communities to ensure federally-sentenced Indigenous peoples have access to culturally responsive programming and supports to expedite their safe return to the community.

If pressed on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s response to calls to action #41:

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been engaging with national and local First Nations, and Métis leaders. It has been formalizing working relationships that will strengthen information sharing, and how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police collaborates with Indigenous partners on the work they do. Efforts are also implemented within the organization to support the over 1,900 Indigenous employees and to inspire a culturally engaged, trauma-informed workforce.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is committed to supporting and acting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls final report, Reclaiming Power and Place.
• Public Safety Canada supports the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s efforts to modernize by using a trauma-informed approach to co-develop reconciliation strategies with communities, employees, and advocates.

If pressed: Calls to Action #43 #44:

• Public Safety Canada continues to support Calls to Action #43 and #44 on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and its associated Action Plan. This includes supporting Action Plan Measure #28 to finalize a federal Indigenous Justice Strategy.
• Public Safety Canada continues to support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Actions, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. Together, they provide the Department with a roadmap to reconciliation.

If pressed United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act action plan measure #28:

• Public Safety Canada will continue to support Action Plan measure #28, led by the Department of Justice Canada, to support efforts in addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system.
• This includes participating through Interdepartmental Working Groups to advance the federal Indigenous Justice Strategy.

Background:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was created through a legal settlement between residential school survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. Its mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded its mandate in 2015 and issued its Final Report which includes 94 Calls to Action. These 94 Calls to Action are organized into two key themes: Legacy, and Reconciliation.

The three that are most relevant to the Public Safety portfolio fall within “Legacy” under justice and they are:

• Call to Action #25  – “We call upon the federal government to establish a written policy that reaffirms the independence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate crimes in which the government has its own interest as a potential or real party in civil litigation”.
• Call to Action #30 – “We call upon federal, provincial, and territorial government to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade, and to issue detailed annual reports that monitor and evaluate progress in doing so”.
• Call to Action #41 – “We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal organizations, to appoint a public inquiry into the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionate victimization of Aboriginal women and girls. The inquiry’s mandate would include:
  1. Investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.
  2. Links to the intergenerational legacy of residential schools”.

Public Safety support for the implementation of Calls to Action #30 includes the Aboriginal Community Safety Development Contribution Program. The Aboriginal Community Safety Development Contribution Program provides contributions to Indigenous organizations (on and off-reserve), Indigenous governments and municipalities in collaboration with Indigenous organizations and/or communities to develop tailored approaches to community safety that are responsive to the concerns, priorities and unique circumstances of Indigenous communities through two initiatives: 1) Aboriginal community Safety Planning Initiative (Aboriginal Community Safety Development Contribution Program); and 2) the Indigenous Community Correction Initiative (ICCI).

The Indigenous Community Correction Initiative is embedded within the Implementation Plan of the Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism which identifies crucial factors that influence recidivism rates and how to support safe and successful reintegration into the community. As part of this Implementation Plan, the ICCI is identified as an important initiative that provides culturally relevant supports to help address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.

Not all 94 Calls to Action fall under the purview of the federal government and their implementation will require collaboration between other jurisdictions as well as significant long term investment by all implicated partners and organizations. There are several Federal Provincial Territorial tables engaged in discussions with respect to how to better respond to service gaps for Indigenous Peoples, such as the Aboriginal Justice Working Group.

In addition to the three Calls to Action above, Call to Action #43 calls upon all levels of Canadian government “to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation”, and Call to Action #44 calls upon “the Government of Canada to develop a national action plan, strategies, and other concrete measures to achieve the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan (the “Action Plan”) and its Action Plan measures also reflect First Nations, Inuit, and Métis priorities and provide a roadmap of actions Canada needs to take in partnership with Indigenous peoples to implement the rights and principles set out in the United Nations Declaration and to further advance reconciliation in a tangible way. The Shared Priority Action Plan measure #28 relates to the administration of justice or public safety that would benefit from continued collaboration with portfolio partners, provinces and territories, and Indigenous partners and organizations.

Date modified:

2024-09-26