One of the discussions on Day 3 of the Association of First Nations annual General Assembly was the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government’s reaction to that. The keynote speaker was Jody Wilson-Raybould, who is a former Attorney General and Justice Minister for the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

She told the Assembly that the action plan for Canada’s United Nations Declaration Act says all the right things, but there hasn’t been any movement. “There is lots of lofty rhetoric but it hasn’t resulted in one piece of land given back or Treaty promises being upheld.” Wilson-Raybould believes all the right things are being said, but it the action plan talks more about process than actually making any change.
She says the legislation has not yet fulfilled the promise of the U.N. Declaration.