Distinctions-based Approach
Last updated on January 8, 2024Through the Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act), the Province has adopted a distinctions-based approach to advancing reconciliation and implementing the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A distinction-based approach means that the Province’s work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people will be conducted in a manner that acknowledges the specific rights, interests, priorities and concerns of each, while respecting and acknowledging these distinct Peoples with unique cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.
Indigenous Peoples' rights are recognized and affirmed in Section 35 (1) of the federal Constitution Act, 1982. However, not all rights are uniform or the same among or between all Indigenous Peoples.
A distinctions-based approach may require that the Province’s relations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit include different approaches or actions and result in different outcomes.
A distinctions-based approach primer has been developed to assist the provincial government in building an understanding of the legal basis for, and core elements of, a distinctions-based approach in all of the Province’s relations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in what is now British Columbia.
According to the Statistics Canada, the following people in B.C. have self-identified as:
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First Nations - 180,085
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Métis - 97,860
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Inuit - 1,720
The Declaration Act Action Plan is an 89-point plan that includes goals, outcomes, and tangible actions needed for meaningful progress in reconciliation over the next five years.
More information can be found on the Declaration Act homepage.
Métis people emerged as a distinct nation in North America during the late 1700s.