133. Priority: Respecting Aboriginal Rights
WHEREAS aboriginal peoples have been living for at least ten thousand years on land that is now Canada, and some of this territory is the subject of land claims which have yet to be settled;
WHEREAS many aboriginal communities in Canada lack sufficient housing and basic amenities, and this situation has been a subject of concern in United Nations reports;
WHEREAS these living conditions contribute to high levels of substance abuse, suicide, infant mortality, child neglect, and violence — particularly domestic and sexual abuse of aboriginal women and children;
WHEREAS aboriginal women face systematic and institutional stereotyping and discrimination that prevent their access to empowering services and programs;
WHEREAS recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) remain to be implemented;
WHEREAS the Kelowna Accord to improve the education, employment and living condition of Aboriginal peoples has not been implemented;
WHEREAS Canada adheres to, but has not yet implemented, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the next Liberal government of Canada to:
- settle, within a time-bound framework, all outstanding aboriginal land claims;
- implement the recommendations of i) the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), especially those highlighted in the Assembly of First Nations’ ten-year Report Card, and ii) relevant United Nations reports;
- reinstate the Aboriginal languages programme and implement all provisions of the Kelowna accord;
- implement, emphasizing Aboriginal women’s and children’s rights, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec)