Today’s public release of the United Nations Declaration Act Draft Action Plan was created through consultation and cooperation between the Government of Canada and Indigenous Governing bodies. Over the past nine months, MNBC has actively participated in multilateral tables alongside the Assembly of First Nations, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, as well as at bilateral tables with the Métis National Council and other Métis Governing Members.
MNBC has been working to further shared priorities, such as health and wellness, language revitalization and education. We have also been advancing Métis and MNBC-specific priorities, including continued advocacy to work towards a self-government agreement with Canada. MNBC was represented at this announcement by President Lissa Dawn Smith, and Vice President Walter Mineault as well as staff members from our Ministry of Justice.
The release of the UNDA Action Plan creates opportunities for MNBC to engage with the federal government in new ways and provides a path forward to meaningful, distinctions-based reconciliation, through a government-to-government relationship.
MNBC is looking forward to working collaboratively with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNA) and partnering departments, to ensure that Métis Citizens in BC are able to access the services and supports they need.