How the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations can support reconciliation

After over a year-and-a-half of lockdowns and sacrifice, Canadians are seeing the benefits of their efforts to stop COVID-19. The pandemic is not over, but we can now look beyond COVID to plan for our future. Now, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is writing “mandate letters” to members of the Cabinet with policy priorities that will support growth of the Canadian economy.

Canadians everywhere want to look past the pandemic and know what comes next. Strong and sustained economic growth is critical for our country to move beyond recovering to where we were before the pandemic began and to close the gap with our global competitors. As the engines of job creation all across the country, businesses are ready to work with government and Parliamentarians to drive forward what it will take to grow.

Government and business play a crucial role in the reconciliation process with Canada’s Indigenous people. Additionally, it is important to not lose sight of the important role of Indigenous communities across the country.

The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations should:

• Accelerate the Indigenous reconciliation process through land claims settlements and implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92.
• Clarify publicly how the government interprets all of the free, prior and informed consent provisions of UNDRIP, including any specific situations where consent may be required.