Conservative Party Candidate Promises to fight against UNDRIP. Derek Sloan said “UNDRIP does not respect provincial Authority
During the leadership debate of the Conservative party of Canada, MP and candidate Derek Sloan raised the issue of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as be against the interests of Indigenous peoples. It would complicate the approval process for resource projects and make it harder for Indigenous peoples to gain good paying jobs.
In 2018 the House of Commons passed C-262 a Private Members Bill which would require the implementation of UNDRIP. It was passed on recommendation of the Liberal Indigenous Caucus, but this Bill was eventually defeated in the Senate by the Conservative party.
UNDRIP has a long history in Canada. For nearly a decade, Canada refused to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The country, under former prime minister Stephen Harper, was one of four in the world to hold back — 144 other nations accepted it.
The UN declaration, which was eventually adopted by the Trudeau government in 2016, is still considered controversial in Canada. The main point of concern is a clause that calls for “free, prior and informed consent” of Indigenous communities in matters that impact them — pipeline projects, for example.
Trudeau pledged during the 2015 election campaign that he would endorse the declaration. In May 2016, the Trudeau government officially adopted it, promising to implement it within Canada’s laws.
UNDRIP also reaffirms what the Supreme Court of Canada has already said — that governments must consult Indigenous groups prior to making decisions that might impact their lives.
The declaration is also in line with Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, which states: “The existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.
” Derek Sloan has the courage to say exactly what the members of the Conservative party actually think. These short comments are a window into the continuing battle over what Canada will be. A nation of cooperation or domination.
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