The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People or UNDRIP recognizes the individual and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples globally and sets the minimum standard for the recognition of those rights by all Governments including the right to self-determination. The weaving of this international document into Canadian laws will impact the lives of Métis citizens now and for generations to come.

In June 2021, the UNDRIP act received royal assent and Canada reached out to Indigenous communities for input. Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) immediately began working to ensure the Métis voice and perspective is represented as UNDA is implemented. To do that, the MN–S policy team engaged with citizens and stakeholders to make their voice heard and priorities clear. A summary from those early conversations (2020) is available here.

The MN–S policy team used what they heard to draft the MN–S Position Paper. The first draft of the MN–S Position Paper was presented and discussed with elected officials at the 2022 Fall MNLA. Following feedback and further engagement, the Position Paper was submitted to Canada as part of the federal process in developing the National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of UNDA and guided the priorities put forward by the MN–S. Discussions regarding UNDRIP priorities and impacts continued at the May 2023 Métis Rights Conference and engagement with MNLA members continued with virtual sessions. The MN-S Position Paper was approved and endorsed by the MNLA at the 2023 Spring sitting.

On June 21, 2023, Canada released their UNDA National Action Plan and is now moving forward with the implementation of UNDA through the action plan measures.

For information and discussion, we present the following documents:

• A copy of UNDRIP is here.
• A backgrounder on UNDRIP is here.
• Government of Canada Implementing UNDRIP here.
• The Federal Legislation is here.
• Preliminary response from MN–S is here.
• MNLA Resolution – Feb. 2021 is here.
• A slide presentation on UNDRIP is here.
• The MN-S Position Paper is here.
• Government of Canada National Action Plan, June 21, 2023, is here

MN-S will continue to inform citizens of any new developments as they pertain to the UNDRIP.

There is still time to have your say on this important initiative. Provide your feedback by emailing us at undrip@mns.work.