Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act

The provincial government passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) into law in November 2019.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) as the Province’s framework for reconciliation, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

The Declaration Act aims to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous Peoples while introducing better transparency and predictability in the work we do together.

There are four key areas of the legislation:

• Section 3 mandates the government to bring provincial laws into alignment with the UN Declaration,

• Section 4 requires the Province to develop and implement an action plan, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, to meet the objectives of the UN Declaration,

• Section 5 requires regular reporting to the legislature to monitor progress on the alignment of laws and implementation of the action plan, including tabling annual reports by June 30 of each year, and

• Sections 6 and 7 allow for flexibility for the Province to enter into agreements with a broader range of Indigenous governments and to exercise statutory decision-making authority together.​

  • View guidance on the Province's approach to Indigenous governing bodies in the Declaration Act.

To support the implementation of Section 3, the Province has established the Declaration Act Secretariat, led by Deputy Minister Jessica Wood/Si Sityaawks. Announced in Budget 2022, the Secretariat is a central agency within government that was created to guide and assist the Province to ensure provincial laws align with the UN Declaration and are developed in consultation and co-operation with Indigenous Peoples.