APTN National News
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said Thursday the Liberal government is in the process of developing a “Canadian definition” of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
However, Carr did not say how this Canadian definition would be implemented or whether it would be contained in possible legislation on UNDRIP and its application to federal laws.
“I would say the government is in the process of providing a Canadian definition of the declaration,” said Carr, during testimony before the Commons Aboriginal affairs committee.
Carr said the result of the process would be “comprehensive” and would provide greater clarity “of these definitions,” in reference to the UNDRIP principle of “free, prior and informed consent.”
Carr’s appearance before the committee occurred hours after NDP MP Romeo Saganash introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons to harmonize Canada’s laws with UNDRIP.
UNDRIP was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007 and enshrined rights that “constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world,” according to the document.
While Saganash’s bill received an endorsement from Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett was non-committal about her government’s support for the proposed law.
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