What are the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada 94 Calls to Action?
These calls to action were created and published in 2015 to acknowledge the devastating legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. The calls to action are divided into various categories. Within the ‘legacy’ section, 5 categories exist, and within the ‘reconciliation’ section, there are 17 headings.
Legacy
Child Welfare (1-5)
Education (6-12)
Language and Culture (13-17)
Health (18-24)
Justice (25-42)
Reconciliation
Canadian Governments and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (43-44)
Royal Proclamation and Covenant of Reconciliation (45-47)
Settlement Agreement Parties and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (48-49)
Equity for Aboriginal People in the Legal System (50-52)
National Council for Reconciliation (53-56)
Professional Development and Training for Public Servants (57)
Church Apologies and Reconciliation (58-61)
Education for Reconciliation (62-65)
Youth Programs (66)
Museums and Archives (67-70)
Missing Children and Burial Information (71-76)
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (77-78)
Commemoration (79-83)
Media and Reconciliation (84-86)
Sports and Reconciliation (87-91)
Business and Reconciliation (92)
Newcomers to Canada (93-94)
I encourage you to read the calls in full at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf |
CBC News launched a website in 2018 to monitor the progress made towards the TRC calls to action. As of June 8, 2022, this is where we are:
13 calls have been completed
62 calls are in progress (32 projects proposed, 30 projects underway)
19 calls have not been started
Complete (13)
Language and culture – 13, 15, 16
Justice – 39, 41
Reconciliation – 59, 70, 80, 83, 84, 85, 88, 94
Projects Underway (30)
Child welfare – 3, 4
Education – 7, 12
Language and culture – 14, 17
Health – 20, 21, 22
Justice – 36, 40
Reconciliation – 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 66, 67, 72, 77, 78, 79, 87, 90, 93
Projects Proposed (32)
Child welfare – 1, 5
Education – 8, 10, 11
Health – 18, 19, 23, 24
Justice – 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37
Reconciliation – 50, 53, 63, 65, 69, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 81, 82, 86
Not Started (19)
Child welfare – 2
Education – 6, 9
Justice – 26, 33, 38, 42
Reconciliation – 45, 46, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 64, 68, 89, 91, 92
Which calls have not been started?
2 – Neither the federal government, provinces or territories have prepared and published annual reports on the number of Aboriginal children in care
6 – Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada has not been repealed (the ‘spanking law’)
9 – The federal government (or arms of the government) has not published annual reports on education funding and educational and income attainments. Versions of these reports have been published, but they’re not annual, nor are they complete.
26 – There have been no amendments to provincial or territorial statutes of limitation acts specifically regarding historical abuse against Indigenous peoples.
33 – FASD preventative programs that can be delivered in a culturally appropriate manner have yet to be developed. In May 2017, federal Minister of Health Jane Philpott announced $3.6 million in federal funding for five projects “aimed at preventing and screening for alcohol use in pregnancy,” according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). But the funding is not new, nor is it an increase.
38 – Amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2019 were supposed to help reduce youth over-incarceration, but critics say they did not address the root causes of over-incarceration.
42 – No Indigenous justice systems have yet been fully implemented either federally, provincially or in the territories.
45 – The federal government has not created a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation, issued by the Crown, nor has it formally repudiated the concepts of the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius.
46 – No Covenant of Reconciliation has been developed and signed.
51 – Government of Canada has yet to develop any policy of transparency on legal opinions upon which it acts in regard to Aboriginal and Treaty rights
52 – The governments and the courts have not yet adopted legal principles on Aboriginal title claims.
54-56 – The National Council for Reconciliation has not yet been created.
Funding was pledged to establish the council in the 2020-21 fiscal year but it was not multi-year.
Governments have not provided data or annual reports to the council regarding the progress of reconciliation.
No report released to which the prime minister could respond
64 – Publicly-funded denominational schools are not yet required to teach comparative religious studies including Aboriginal spiritual beliefs. Some offer Indigenous history or cultural courses, but not all are mandatory and few were developed in collaboration with Indigenous elders.
68 – The 150th anniversary of Confederation was not marked with a funding program for commemoration projects on theme of reconciliation. A national funding program was created to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary. But it was created in May 2015 by the prior federal government, not in collaboration with Indigenous peoples and not exclusively to fund projects on the theme of reconciliation.
89 – There has been no amendment to the Physical Activity and Sport Act to ensure policies are inclusive to Aboriginal Peoples.
91 – Indigenous Peoples’ territorial protocols are not ensured to be respected by officials and host countries of international sporting events. While there has been some acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples at some international sporting events, it’s been minimal, and with little consultation from local Indigenous communities.
92 – The corporate sector has not collectively adopted UNDRIP, nor formally committed to management level training of UNDRIP and the legacy of residential schools.
The Canadian government has work to do, but so do we:
Call on your MP to support the dismantling of the Indian Act
Learn the Indigenous names for where you live and work
Call out cultural appropriation and discriminatory language
Support Indigenous-owned businesses
Read books by Indigenous authors
Until next time,
Raquel
References
CBC. (2022). Beyond 94: Truth and reconciliation in Canada. Retrieved from https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=1
Government of Canada. (2022). Delivering on truth and reconciliation commission calls to action. Retrieved from https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524494530110/1557511412801
Joseph, B. (2018). 21 Things you may not know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians make reconciliation with Indigenous peoples a reality. Indigenous Relations Press.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and reconciliation commission of Canada: Calls to action. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf
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