Report finds Newfoundland government falling short on truth and reconciliation efforts News
daryl_mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Report finds Newfoundland government falling short on truth and reconciliation efforts

Non-profit Indigenous advocacy group First Light has released a report finding that the Newfoundland and Labrador government has made limited progress on many of the calls to action set out by the National Center of Truth and Reconciliation (TRC).

The report highlights alleged shortcomings in the province’s efforts to fulfill calls to action related to education, civil oversight of policing, and the implementation of policies outlined in the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Emphasized within the report are alleged deficiencies in the province’s fulfillment of calls to action concerning education, civil oversight on policing, and the implementation of all policies proposed within the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). With a particular focus on education, the report recommends reforms, advocating for the development of a K-12 curriculum that emphasizes Indigenous history and ensuring that post-secondary institutions provide comprehensive information about Newfoundland’s Indigenous peoples. For policing, it suggests establishing a civilian oversight board and appointing an Indigenous liaison to facilitate communication between the community and law enforcement. As a signatory to UNDRIP, the Canadian government is expected to comply with its provisions and to address past injustices that conflict with its principles. Currently, there is proposed federal legislation requiring all government departments to align their actions with UNDRIP principles.

Alongside the identified deficiencies related to the calls to action, the report also found that the government had made meaningful progress in establishing local organizations that address Indigenous health and justice concerns, as well as the needs of Indigenous peoples in urban areas of Newfoundland.

Reacting to the report, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Scott Reid told local media

I appreciate that they’ve taken an overview of societal changes, and I appreciate the fact that they’ve highlighted certain areas that they see as priority areas. And those are areas that I’m willing to work with them in addressing, and work within government and advocating for change.

The TRC issued 94 calls to action since its establishment, urging various governmental and private agencies to address the harms inflicted on Indigenous peoples through multiple attempts at forced assimilation by the federal government and various religious organizations. Established after the 2007 residential school settlement with Indigenous survivors, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which has since transferred its mandate to the TRC, was tasked with formulating calls to action to initiate the reconciliation process between Canada’s diverse Indigenous communities and the federal government.

 

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