There’s a new progress report out this week on The Truth and Reconciliation commission’s 94 recommendations and the authors Say it’ll be their last because they’re losing hope they’ll ever be met in the eight years since the calls to action were released 13 of 94 have been completed at least according to the
Yellowhead Institute it says this year zero calls to action were completed the report estimates that this at this rate the 94 calls to action won’t be completed until 2018 81 joining me now is the co-author of this report and research director for the Yellowhead Institute Eva juel Eva
Welcome to the show thank you for having me so your report found the federal government didn’t complete a single call to action this year what’s what’s standing in the way of progress well we identify five different barriers to uh the completion of the calls to action I think one of the one
That one of the challenges that um seems to be an ongoing roadblock is the paternalism from the government so we see an often times um overbearing kind of approach to getting any kind of um movement on the calls to action on the part of the government in that in
Terms of roadblocks I want to read one line of the report back to you you write in this study most of the calls to action remain incomplete as bureaucratic roadblocks endless debate in nearly every excuse imaginable delay progress those are the words of someone who’s clearly frustrated with the State of
Affairs yeah I mean we’ve been doing this for five years um my co-author Ian Mosby has been doing it in formally for three years before that so I would say you know frustrated is kind of the um uh an appropriate way to put it a polite
Way perhaps yes uh you suggest it will take another 58 years to complete the remaining calls to action at the the government’s current Pace what does that mean for all the communities all the activists who are who are demanding change and Reconciliation a lot sooner than
That I mean I I think it means ongoing systems of harm that continue to create conditions of inequity for indigenous peoples um and keep in mind this is the uh all of the calls to action being completed at a rate of 1.625 a year um
The most progress we saw was in one year and that was in 2021 following the cam loops uh Indian residential schools Graves um the revelations of those Graves outside of the schools and at that point uh Canada completed three calls to action in 3 weeks Alone um and
Even at a pace of three calls to action per year we’re still looking at three decades of calls to action completed so you know do with those numbers what you will but we need to see a lot quicker action and more substantial action on the part of the federal government if we
Want to relieve the conditions of inequity that indigenous peoples continue to face yeah it seems like the things they’ve moved on so far have been largely symbolic I don’t want to take way they are important certainly there there is something to be said for having a statutory holiday to Mark Truth and
Reconciliation but a lot of them maybe not the meat and potato issues that a lot of communities are really concerned about can you speak to that yeah so the first 42 calls to action are those that um are in the Legacy calls to action and they are uh
On the part of they’re meant to redress the systems of harm that continue to exist um in indigenous people’s experience and that’s in child welfare and education and health culture and language and Justice and so those um structures are ongoing they’re contributing to ongoing harm that indigenous peoples are experiencing
Particularly children as we see in the first five calls to action deal with child welfare and we haven’t seen much movement um and the movement we have seen has been because Canada has been forced um by the Canadian Human Rights tribunal in order to actually move on
Those calls to action so we’re we might see some action on those in the coming years particularly because there’s a$2 billion settlement um uh sorry 20 billion of the $40 billion settlement that was recently settled is going to system reform of child welfare system so we’re cautiously hopeful but we have a
Lot of reason to be skeptical of the federal government’s inaction the government did come close to finishing at least one call to action this year and that’s the creation of a National Council the body designed to track Canada’s progress on reconciliation but I understand you have some concerns
About how the council will be structure can you tell me about that yeah we’re worried that there might not be enough um investigative Powers uh provided to the council to summon the data that is needed to um give us a better idea of what inequities indigenous peoples are facing I mean we
Can tell you as indigenous peoples uh First Nations specifically can tell you um the funding inequities are rampant and racism within the health uh within all the systems of healthcare Justice and education are are rampant but until we have have a clear picture of exactly how wide those gaps are on an annual
Basis we’re not really going to be sure how to address or or exactly what the best measure is um to address those concerns and so the council might not have those investigative Powers we’re also concerned about the funding of the council um one of the Senators had said
That they’re um concerned about the council only having a shoestring budget and another reason we’re concerned is that Canada has an outsize role we call it um in that they select more members of the National Council than any of the indigenous groups and so um there’s just those are some kind of outstanding
Concerns the National Council is also tasked with uh following up on the calls to action every year kind of like doing the job that we’ve been doing over the past five years and we’re concerned that they might not be properly resourced to actually um produce you know an in-depth
Analysis to give us a an update about how the calls to action are going yeah the government set aside 126 million for the council but it was just like a onetime uh pile of cash I mean it’s not a consistent funding Arrangement and I know that’s been an issue do you think
The Prime Minister gave indigenous people’s a false sense of hope when he promised to implement all the calls to action without really having much of a plan to do it I think so I think there was a lot of you know there was a lot of Hope and a
Lot of people really believed him when he said um you know tearfully that he was going to promise to implement all the calls to action and in fact you know his track record showed that he actually slowed the calls to action with the several lawsuits and the um the
Obstruction to justice for first nation’s children specifically in the Child Welfare case um you know it’s it is very disappointing because I think a lot of indigenous people had hope uh for a change in this country’s um leadership and it’s just disappointing to say the least okay let’s leave it there thank
You Eva juel director of the Yellowhead Institute appreciate your time thank you for having me for the federal government’s response to this report we turn now to the minister of crown indigenous relations Gary Anan and Sanger Minister welcome to the show glad to be here JP so the Yellowhead Institute found the
Government hasn’t completed a single call to action this year they claimed the Machinery of government just doesn’t really care about getting this work done what’s your response to them um I I can assure you since 2015 since the TRC calls to action were released U our government’s been working
On implementing uh the issues that are of strictly federal perview or that is are shared responsibly with the federal government and and um every day we’re working towards advancing many of the calls to action but often times some of these calls to action can um last years
So for example uh in 2021 we passed a United Nations declaration um on indigenous people people’s act uh this year we released the action plan to implement the ACT which involves a whole of government approach now this requires a review of laws um and and it will take
Time to implement just this one uh call to action which is number 43 and we have many examples where it it will take longer um it is not just a exercise in taking a box it’s about making sure we have substantive changes um in government in the way we operate in the
Way we engage uh we brought forward legislation bill c61 which is the first co-developed uh piece of legislation that we’ve uh We’ve brought forward since Andre uh and it’s a critical um sign that that we are moving in the right direction um I too am sometimes frustrated at the pace uh of progress
But but I believe we’re in the right direction we’re working uh diligently to ensure that all the calls to action are uh implemented and we work uh with the first nations in andm to that effect I know it’s not just about ticking a box but sometimes just getting a few of the
Simpler ones done might signal to people that you care about this issue I mean not some of them are complex as you say but some of them are really not I mean I’m looking at number five develop culturally appropriate parenting programs for abigal families number uh number six repeal the spanking law
Section 43 of the criminal code I mean some of these things could be done relatively easily they wouldn’t need years of uh consultation with indigenous folks you can just have some Goodwill that you are actually acting on some of the things that might not take as long
Why haven’t you taken that approach well JP like for example the spanking law is now coming through the Senate as as you may know already so it is something that that is in the process of of of being implemented uh we have many other pieces of legislation that that are a lot more
Complicated so you know c92 for example um is it’s a child welfare legislation again it it we brought into force uh we are we are funding it now we’re in the process of of developing uh Partnerships um and and ensuring and enabling uh uh Nations to to take on that jurisdiction
Uh if and when when they want to and when they’re ready uh but all of that takes time and and I think you know I get your point that some of them are much easier than others but there are many more that are multi-jurisdictional that requires a lot more um development
And and and consultation and and actual partnership with indigenous people and that’s something that we simply cannot Rush uh and I believe that on on virtually every single call to action we are on the right track uh and we are committed to to uh to to bring this
Forward um while this year um you know we have seen so many different things that have been brought forward um by government so c29 for example is is a piece of legislation that covers four calls to action uh that’s the National Council on reconciliation um you know we
Have this is now pass the House pass the Senate the Senate has come back with amendments and we look forward to its passage early in the new year um and and that is just one example of of the work that we have done this year just because
We may not have completed it does not mean that we haven’t worked on it we have um spent a great deal of time and and and uh great deal of of effort with um indigenous Partners to get to this point and and and like this there are many
Um calls to action that we’re working towards implementing and forward to implementing them as soon as possible like you say there has been some progress on the calls to action we have the statutory holiday now to Mark Truth and Reconciliation we’ve changed the citizenship oath or at least the
Government has you’ve given money to some archists for example these are the things that the Yellowhead Institute concedes you’ve done but a lot of these are not issues that will affect people’s lives directly do you understand why there is this frustration out there amongst indigenous communities and Advocates that you know you’ve done
Things that are reasonably easy to do but you might not have done the hard work to actually initiate some systemic change um and and and look I I I share in the frustration and and I share that that you know we should uh really aim to
Do things faster but let’s look at for example the the work around c92 this is the critical child welfare legislation that has for many years uh disenfranchised many uh indigenous children from their communities now this is a piece of legislation that came into Force several years ago we are um in the
Process of implementing it which requires us to enter into agreements with different communities who are ready to draw down this jurisdiction um it requires us to build uh systems Within These communities which requires training which requires um support from a like a fiscal management uh perspective and we while we have the fun
Funding for it we also need to get into you know to to ensure that the community is able to uh uh to discharge that Duty um and then it’s it’s about in every step of the way co-developing these processes with indigenous people so this is a substantive issue that we’re
Working on and it’s not a a single year um uh uh completion uh point it is one that’s going to take multiple years but at the end of it we’re we have made systemic change this is the type of substantive change that I think the TRC calls on and and we are absolutely
Working towards that end and yes of course we want to do it faster but in some cases um it may not be possible and and we’re not going to take shortcuts on something that’s so critical uh and it’s been um you know identified as one of the most important things that
Indigenous people are looking for which is self-determination uh over their children um and we look forward to implementing uh those things I don’t have much time left but I want to squeeze this in I know you say it takes more than a single year I think everyone concedes that point but the Yellowhead
Institute projects it will take another 58 years to actually Implement all the calls to action that takes us to 2081 is that the government’s timeline absolutely not uh our timeline is uh is immediate um and we will continue to work in a sustained manner you know whole of government approach to
Ensure that we address uh these critical needs this is not reconciliation um is not going to happen overnight I mean that’s one thing that I’m I’m mindful of but it doesn’t mean that we need to wait 50 years it means that we need to do everything we we can uh and that’s what
I’m doing each and every day as well as my department as well as uh our government to ensure that we are on this path towards reconciliation um and and we look forward to ensuring not just the calls to action 92 94 calls to action but also ensuring that we have
Self-governing agreements we have um government recognition we have modern treaties that are established um while we uh are are implementing these 94 calls to action okay let’s leave it there thank you to the minister of crown indigenous relations Gary Anan and sangary thank you Minister thank you JP and happy holidays
A new progress report on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action shows little progress has been made. In the eight years since the final report was released, 13 of 94 actions have been completed — including none in 2023. Eva Jewel, research director at the Yellowhead Institute, and Gary Anandasangaree, minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, weigh in.
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