Who’s doing what to advance reconciliation? And who isn’t? Status updates May 13, 2022

Read the one line descriptions below and feel the pulse of reconciliation – currently weak and getting weaker.

Read the 44 “Current Problems” across 13 “Themes” in multiple jurisdictions across Canada: Federal, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Nfld and Lab., Nunavut, Ontario – including court cases that are national in scope and ask yourself: why are 37% of the 94 Calls to Action either “Stalled” or “Not Started”

That’s not exactly a strong testament to how reconciliation is advancing across the country.

Call to Action Status as of May 13, 2022

Not Started	Stalled	In Progress	Complete
15	20	48	11
16%	21.3%	51.0%	11.7%

Status Change

The following Call to Action has changed its status since the last update on Feb. 11, 2022

C2A	Description	Status Change	Why has the status changed?
70	National review of archival policies	From IN PROGRESS to COMPLETE	“Reconciliation Framework: The Response to the Report of the TRC Taskforce” released

The following represents a year-to-date statistical snapshot of stakeholder actions within various “Themes” that are either advancing reconciliation or creating roadblocks:

Section	2020	2021	Feb. 14, 2022	May 13, 2022
Current Reality	26	47	7	12
Current Problems	189	213	15	44
Legacy C2As	96	159	20	27
Reconciliation C2As	55	88	8	20
Government Commitments to Tr & Rec.				8
Total	366	507	50	111
Other Issues	–	–	–	8
Indigenous Success Stories				17

Notes:

1. Current Reality only includes the specific 94 Calls to Action
2. Current Problems includes all “Calls to Action” plus “Other Issues” and “Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation” sections
3. “Other Issues” represents Actions and Commitments by stakeholders in each of those “Theme” areas

What follows is a snapshot of what has been updated on the Indigenous Watchdog website since the last Status Update posted on Feb. 11, 2022. See the relevant Themes for full details.

Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation

Government Commitments

Government	Date	Description of Action or Commitment
Federal	Mar 3	Commitment to legislation to eliminate legacy of enfranchisement
	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments of $11B on reconciliation initiatives
	Apr 21	Canada and ITK sign Inuit Nunangat Policy recognizing Inuit homeland
Federal, Manitoba	Apr 25	Donation and funding of HBC store in Winnipeg to Southern Chiefs organization
Federal, BC	May 11	22nd anniversary of Nisga’a Agreement, Canada’s first Modern Treaty
BC	Mar 11	Reconciliation Agreement with Sts’ailes First Nation
BC	Apr 21	Civil Litigation Directives uphold Indigenous Rights
Nunavut	Mar 25	Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Partnership Committee

Current Problems with Government Commitments

Government	Date	Description of Problem
Manitoba	Mar 4	Supreme Court won’t hear Métis appeal of MB government lawsuit
	Apr 22	Auditor-General states MB fails to implement Path to Reconciliation Act
Québec	Apr 1	QC govt. reneges on commitments to eliminate systemic racism

Background Information

Government	Date	Description
Ontario	Apr 26	Chiefs of Ontario Election Priorities 2022

Current Problems across all Calls to Action

C2A Theme	Date	Description of Problem
Child Welfare	Feb 11	Québec Court of Appeal finds sections of Bill C-92 unconstitutional
	Mar 17	AFN supports Indigenous challenge to Québec’s opposition to Bill C-92
	Mar 17	Class Action lawsuit for using Birth Alerts to apprehend Indigenous children
	Mar 29	Representative for Children and Youth finds child welfare funding in BC is discriminatory
	Apr 4	CHRT: Univ. of Ott to conduct independent review of govt. FN Child Protection program
	Apr 6	CHRT: AFN comments on reform of FN Child & Family Services Program
	Apr 19	Systemic racism at Batshaw Youth and Family Centre in Montreal
	Apr 29	Commission of Inquiry into treatment of Innu children in Nfld. And Lab. begins
	May 6	All funding for at-risk Indigenous families awarded to non-Indigenous agency in AB
Education	Apr 27	Ryerson University changes name to Toronto Metropolitan University
Lang. & Culture	Mar 1	Anishinabeg artist refused entry to festival due to lack of French in his program
	Apr 14	Nunavut Tungavit says that Nunavut Education Policy is an existential threat
	Apr 25	Nunavut Govt. claims Inuit children have no rights to be taught in Inuktuk
Health	Feb 17	COVID issues on northern Ontario vs southern Ontario
	Feb 23	“Remembering Keegan”: A B.C First Nation Case Study for Reflection
	Apr 29	Update on search under Bill 79 in Québec to find information on 55 missing children
Justice	Feb 15	Concerns raised on “Broken Trust” process in Thunder Bay ignoring FN families
	Feb 17	Canada uses AB statute of limitations at Supreme Court case with Blood Tribe
	Mar 2	Investigation of Prince Albert Police Services over death of baby
	Mar 7	Call for reinvestigation after discovery of additional 14 deaths of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay
	Mar 28	Supreme Court to decide if denial of conditional sentences for Indigenous people is systemic racism
	Apr 6	VPD professional misconduct for arrest of FN grandfather and his 14 yr-old grand-daughter
	Apr 28	RCMP Reconciliation Plan released in response to recommendations from Inuit Tapariit Kanatami
UNDRIP	May 3	Dept. of Justice states that UNDRIP is “Interpretive only” and under jurisdiction  of Cdn. Law
National Centre	Mar 19	Missionary Oblates to open up Rome archives to National Centre
Church Apologies	Apr 1	Pope Francis offers “partial apology” to residential school survivors at Rome meeting
Missing Children	Feb 15	54 unmarked graves discovered at Keeseekoose FN in SK (St. Philips/Fort Kelly IRS)
	Mar 1	169 unmarked graves discovered Kapawe’no FN AB (Grouard Mission/St. Bernard’s IRS)
	Apr 21	14 unmarked graves discovered at Gordon FN in SK (Gordon’s IRS)
Bus & Recon.	Mar 15	Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion budget increases 4x to $21.4B
	May 12	Federal Impact Assessment Act ruled unconstitutional in Alberta
Housing	Feb 25	Supreme Court rules against City of Prince George on Indigenous homeless camp
Environment	Feb 22	Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion budget increases 4x to $21B
	April 9	“Colonization” listed as a cause of climate crisis in UN Report on Climate Change
	Apr 18	DFO withheld critical science data on fish farming threats to Pacific Salmon Fishery
Treat & Land Claims	Feb 23	Matawa First Nation Management oppose Regional Assessment for Ring of Fire
	Feb 25	Essipit and Pekuakamiulnuatsh FN launch Québec lawsuit over Duty to Consult failure over lack of Caribou protection
	Mar 8	Nuchatlaht Nation Aboriginal Title case advances to BC Supreme Court
	Mar 16	Coalition opposition to Ottawa’s Ring of Fire Environmental Assessment
	Apr 20	Robinson-Huron & Superior Treaties, 1850 enter negotiations with Canada and Ontario
	May 8	Legacy of 1907 illegal land transfer leaves Peguis FN struggling with recurring flooding

Current Reality Across all Calls to Action

C2A Theme	Date	Description of Action or Commitment
Child Welfare	Feb 11	Québec Court of Appeal finds section of Bill C-92 unconstitutional
	Apr 4	CHRT: University of Ottawa to conduct independent review of ISC Child Protection
	Apr 7	Budget 2022 Child Welfare funding of $4,280M over 5 years
Education	Apr 7	Budget 2022 Education investments of $310.6M over 5 years
Lang. & Culture	Jan 12	Canada represents NA and Western Europe on UNESCO Task Force on Indigenous languages
UNDRIP	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments in UNDRIP of $75M  over 5 years to implement Bill C-15
	Mar 30	Status Update on release of BC UNDRIP Action Plan 2022-2027
Church Apologies	Apr 1	Pope issues “qualified” apology in Rome to residential school survivors
	May 13	Pope Francis to visit Edmonton, Québec City and Iqaluit on Canada tour July 24-30
Missing Children	Feb 15	Update Residential School Deaths table: Keeseekoose FN in SK – 54 unmarked graves
	Mar 2	Update Residential School Deaths table: Kapawe’no FN in AB – 169 unmarked graves
	Apr 21	Update Residential School Deaths table: Gordon FN in SK – 14 unmarked graves

Legacy Calls to Action

Call to Action	Date	Description of Action or Commitment
Child Welfare
C2A # 1	Apr 7	Budget 2022 Child Welfare funding of $4B over 6 yrs, $341M over 10 yrs and $87.3M over 5 yrs
C2A # 3	Apr 7	Budget 2022 Child Welfare funding of $4B for Jordan’s Principle
C2A # 4	Mar 11	Wabaseemong Independent Nations in ON sign Tri-Partite Child Welfare Agreement
C2A # 4	Apr 5	NWT to amend Child and Family Services Act to align with Bill C-92
C2A # 4	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments of $340.8M over 10 years + $87.3M over 5 years
Education
C2A # 7	Apr 7	Budget 2022 Education investments of  $310.6M over 5 years
C2A # 7	Mar 30	Northern Voices, Northern Solutions: Task Force of Northern Post- Secondary Education
C2A # 12	Mar 4	Ontario invests $1M in Ste. Ste. Marie daycare to promote Anishinabek culture and language
C2A # 62	Apr 29	AMC response to Manitoba update on Indigenous Education Policy Framework
Language and Culture
C2A # 17	Feb 17	Manitoba Vital Statistics Act doesn’t allow Indigenous characters in traditional names
Health
C2A # 18	Feb 22	Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in SK creates FN Ombudsman Office with Canada
C2A # 18	Apr 7	Budget 2022 health investments of $270M over 5 years
C2A # 23	May 4	Program to train Inuit doctors at the University of Ottawa
C2A # 23	May 12	NS universities partner on medical education pilot to deliver services to remote parts of NS
Justice
C2A # 26	Feb 17	Canada use AB statute of limitations at Supreme Court case with Blood Tribe
	Apr 29	Canada uses Statute of Limitations to restrict claims in Drinking Water Class Action lawsuit
C2A # 30	Feb 10	Correctional Investigator 2020-2021 Annual Report recommendations
	Mar 23	Dept. of Justice funds Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab at Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University
C2A # 31	Mar 14	Dept. of Justice funds Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab at Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University
C2A # 36	Feb 10	Correctional Investigator 2020-2021 Annual Report recommendations
C2A # 41	Feb 18	Manitoba action to address Pillar 4 of Action Plan to prevent gender-based violence
	Apr 7	University of Winnipeg hosts conference on MMIWG2S – The University Responds Conference
	May 6	Federal Pathways funds programs to reduce violence against Indigenous women
C2A # 50	Mar 17	Fed. Govt. supports Mistissini Governance project to revitalize Cree legal principles and traditions
Back. Cont.	Feb 15	Concerns raised on Broken Trust process in Thunder Bay ignoring FN families
	Feb 25	Thunder Bay OPP announce criminal investigation into members of Thunder Bay Police Services
	Mar 7	Calls for reinvestigation after the discovery of additional 14 deaths of Indigenous people in TB

Reconciliation Calls to Action

C2A Theme	Date	Description
UNDRIP
C2A # 43	Mar 30	Status Update on release of BC UNDRIP Action Plan 2022 Calls-2027 with 89 Calls to Action
C2A # 44	April 7	Budget 2022 investments in UNDRIP of $75M over 5 years to implement Bill C-15
PD & for Civil Servants
C2A # 57	Feb 11	NWT plans to increases Indigenous representation in government
	Mar 15	Public Service Alliance of Canada supports Class Action lawsuit against Federal Indigenous Ministries
	Apr 5	Yukon policy on hiring Indigenous civil servants extended to 2029
NCTR
C2A # 55	Feb 15	Reconciliation Barometer Final Report measures progress towards Reconciliation
Church Apologies
C2A # 58	Mar 28	Inuit Tapariit Kanatami requests of Pope Francis in Rome meetings
	Apr 1	Pope Francis offers partial apology in Rome for Church individuals but not the Catholic Church itself
	May 13	Pope Francis to visit Edmonton, Québec City and Iqaluit on Canada tour July 24-30
	Apr 1	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Assembly of First Nations
	Apr 3	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
	Apr 3	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
	Apr 3	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: BC Assembly of First Nations
	Apr 3	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Métis
	Apr 4	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Nishnawbe Aski Nation
	Apr 7	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Residential School survivors
	Apr 16	Indigenous responses to Pope Francis apology: Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Community in Kamloops
Museums and Archives
C2A # 70	Feb 24	Reconciliation Framework Final Report released. C2A COMPLETE
Missing Children
C2A # 75	Feb 15	54 unmarked graves discovered at Keeseekoose FN in SK (St. Philips/Fort Kelly IRS)
	Mar 2	169 unmarked graves discovered Kapawe’no FN in AB (Grouard Mission/St. Bernard’s IRS)
	Apr 21	14 unmarked graves discovered at Gordon FN in SK (Gordon’s IRS)
	Feb 18	Federal ($699,574) and Ontario ($ 900K) government 2021-2024 disbursements: Spanish IRS in ON
	Mar 29	Federal government disbursements: Williams Lake FN, BC $2.9M
	Apr 20	Federal government disbursements: Sipekne’katik FN, NS $326,700
	Apr 4	Federal and Ontario government disbursements: Lac Seul FN, ON$8,743,763
	May 3	Federal government disbursements: Big Stone Cree Nation, AB $2,009,322 2021-24
	May 4	Federal government disbursements: Sagkeeng FN, MB $610,093
	Mar 13	Manitoba commits $2.5M funding to Indigenous communities for help finding unmarked graves
	Mar 19	Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate to open residential school archives in Rome to NCTR
	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments of $275M
Commemoration
C2A # 81	Apr 29	Steering Committee for new Ottawa memorial will hold first meeting in May
Sports & Reconciliation
C2A # 90	Mar 22	Aboriginal Sports Council funding to select coaches for 2023 Apprentice Coach Program

Other Issues

Other Issue	Date	Description of Action or Commitment
Suicide Prev.	May 9	Update on 2nd anniversary of SK “Pillars for Life” Suicide Prevention Plan
Drinking Water	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments oif $398M over 2 years
	Apr 25	Update Infographic on Drinking Water Advisories
	Apr 28	Update on Class Action lawsuit claims process
Treat. Land Claims	Apr 11	Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation settles Treaty Land Entitlement Claim
Housing	Apr 7	Budget 2022 investments of $4B over 7 years
Urban Commit.	Mar 23	Toronto releases Reconciliation Action Plan guiding city’s actions from 2022 – 23
Environment	May 11	ITK, Canada and UK partner on Climate Change projects in Inuit Nunangat

Indigenous Success Stories

Theme	Date	Description
Child Welfare	Mar 11	Wabaseemoong Independent Nations sign Child Welfare Coordination Agreement
Education	Mar 15	Association of Iroqouis and Allied and Indians tripartite agreement
	May 11	Ben Switzer Bnesi, 2022 Debwewin Citation for excellence in journalism and storytelling
Lang. & Culture	Mar 4	Indigenous kokum scarves legacy of relationship with Ukrainian immigrants
Health	May 4	USask researchers provide Indig. leadership for national heart failure research
Missing Children	Apr 8	2022 World Press Photo of the Year: Kamloops IRS
Bus & Rec.	Jan 31	Nasittuq Corporation: Inuit company managing the Northern Warning System
	Feb 3	Victoria Kakuktinniq and Canada Gooses’s Project Atigi
	Mar 23	Bank of Canada assumes Chair of Central Bank Network of Indigenous Inclusion
Treat. & Lnd Cl	Apr 22	Cree, Inuit and Naskapi Forum established in northern Québec
	Apr 29	Williams Lake FN wins $135M settlement 160 years after land theft by settlers
Environment	Feb 11	Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Climate Change Strategy
	Feb 23	Imappivut Marine Planning Initiative: Indigenous Protected Area
	Mar 15	Indigenous component of Climate Atlas of Canada
	Apr 9	Colonization listed as a cause for climate crisis in UN report
	Apr 20	Inuit Circumpolar Council and Royal Cdn Geological Society collaboration project
	May 11	Inuit Tapariit Kanatami partners with Canada and UK on 13 Climate Change projects