(Image credit: ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS in Maan Alhmidi, “Reconciliation delayed and anti-Indigenous racism rising: TRC commissioners | The Star”, The Toronto Star (15 December 2020), online: <https://www.thestar.com/politics/2020/12/15/reconciliation-delayed-and-anti-indigenous-racism-rising-trc-commissioners.html>.)
Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Today our post is closely related to last Friday's post about National Council for Reconciliation Reporting. We will be discussing Calls to Action #53 and #54, which call for legislation that establishes the National Council in the first place, as well as a commitment to multi-year funding to adequately resource this Council to carry out its work.[1]
Call #53 additionally sets out several requisite responsibilities that would form the mandate of the committee. These include monitoring and reporting on reconciliation progress between Indigenous people and the crown, and progress across all levels and sectors in Canadian society.[2] This committee would also establish a multi-year action plan for reconciliation that would include policy development, education and resources, and promoting public discussion and initiatives related to reconciliation. [3]
Our readers may or may not be shocked to discover that this Council remains unestablished 5 years after these calls at this stage in our evaluations. A reading of Calls #53 through #56 shows that the intent was for this Council to be formed very quickly and begin an ongoing exchange of data and information with the government and the public.[4] As we noted last week, an Interim Board was formed to determine and propose the National Council's scope and funding needs. This committee produced its report in 2017 and concluded that data and adequate funding must exist for this Council to carry out any reporting function.[5] We will pause here to take in your absolute astonishment (Hey Alexa: Is there a font to show sarcasm?)
Of course, a lack of data has become a common theme in this year's evaluation of the TRC Calls to Action. Some data specific to Indigenous issues and reconciliation was collected in the 2016 census, particularly concerning incarceration and child welfare statistics.[6] However, limiting the data collection to census years will severely limit the progress that can come from evaluating and reporting on that data, which is why annual data is requested in Call to Action #55. As we enter a new census year, we should not be surprised if we learn that the issues in child welfare; the justice system; language and culture; and health that continue to plague Indigenous people have not improved. We should not be surprised if we perhaps learn that conditions have worsened in the five years since the TRC released its final report. The TRC Commissioners recently re-convened for the first time since the release of the final report. One of the specific grievances noted by Senator Murray Sinclair was the failure to even establish the National Council.[7]
(Metaphorical image of Call to Action #53 & 54: Adobe Stock Photos)
As far as a commitment to funding the National Council that has yet to be established, we are happy to say that funding was promised for the 2020-21 fiscal year to establish the National Council.[8] Unfortunately, we are forced to temper that happy news with the note that this funding was a one-time allocation and was nearly $900M less than what was recommended by the Interim Board.[9] Beyond this one time funding, no further funding has been allocated, and the government has deleted the statement from their official website promising a "commitment to acting quickly to implement the recommendations, including funding and resource commitments."[10] The Council that could be a driving force in propelling reconciliation work forward has formed a skin and is crusting over on one of the government backburners. It is a far cry from resembling the original recipe submitted by the TRC. For that reason, we have assigned a grade of F for Call to Action #53, and a grade of D- for Call to Action #54.
Stay tuned tomorrow, when we will further discuss church apologies and reconciliation.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction
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[1] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (Ottawa: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015) at 328.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, “National Council for Reconciliation”, (23 April 2018), online: <https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524503926054/1557514163015>.
[6] Statistics Canada, Adult and youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2017/2018, by Jamil Malakieh, Catalogue no. 85-002-X (Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2019); Statistics Canada, The housing conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada: census of population, 2016., Census in Brief (Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2017); Government of Canada; Indigenous Services Canada, “Reducing the number of Indigenous children in care”, (2 November 2018), online: <https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1541187352297/1541187392851>.
[7] Maan Alhmidi, “Reconciliation delayed and anti-Indigenous racism rising: TRC commissioners | The Star”, The Toronto Star (15 December 2020), online: <https://www.thestar.com/politics/2020/12/15/reconciliation-delayed-and-anti-indigenous-racism-rising-trc-commissioners.html>.
[8] Canada, supra note 5.
[9] “Call to Action # 54”, (9 February 2020), online: Indigenous Watchdog <https://indigenouswatchdog.org/call-to-action-54/>.
[10] Ibid.
