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Today I rose in the House to respond to the Ministerial Statement on the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
Normally, I would not have been allowed this opportunity as this honour is reserved for recognized official Party’s. Only they are able to respond to Ministerial Statements, but I stood and requested the leave of the House and was unanimously granted the opportunity to make a statement.
I would like to thank my colleagues in both the BC NDP and BC Liberal Caucuses who offered their support!
[Transcript]
Thank you to the minister for his statement. Thank you to the member opposite for his as well. Actually, not the member opposite.
I’m honoured to stand in this House today and say a few words to mark the tenth anniversary of the United Nations declaration of the rights of Indigenous people.
It’s an historic moment for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in British Columbia. Today is a day to celebrate the fact that we have finally reached the point where we are beyond debating whether the minimum standards of UNDRIP should be endorsed. Instead, we are seeking to work together in partnership to identify how to implement and operationalize those standards.
This is a fundamental and necessary shift. By saying that we endorse UNDRIP and that we’re going to work together to implement it, we are turning the page on denial of Indigenous peoples and their rights. We are affirming that recognition of Indigenous rights is our starting point for building our future together and that our work is to implement those rights together.
For the first time, there is a real possibility for true government-to-governments relationships based on recognition and respect. Today is also the day to mark the tremendous and that our work together is to implement those rights together.
For the first time, there is a real possibility for true government-to-governments relationships based on recognition and respect. Today is also the day to mark the tremendous journey that it has been to get here to where we are today. We have a deep and recent history of colonialization, with of all the injustices and the wrongs that that term entails. If we are going to find a path forward, we must be honest about this reality, and we must be honest about our history.
Today is a day to recognize that this journey is not over. As we mark ten years since the adoption of UNDRIP, the hard work of reconciliation has just begun. We must counter the misconceptions that exist in some of the aspects of UNDRIP. With UNDRIP, no new rights are created. It is consistent with section 35, and consent does not mean veto. Consent is about distinct governments, jurisdictions and authorities finding mechanisms to work together, not one trumping the other. It recognizes that no one’s power is absolute, that we must work together to craft our collective future.
The work of shifting from denial to recognition of Indigenous rights will be one of the greatest legacies our generation has for our province, British Columbia. We can show our children and our grandchildren how we can at once create a more just society, address the historic wrongs and build prosperity for the future of all British Columbians. HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM.
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