UN envoy to assess status of First Nations in Canada
OT TAWA • A United Nations factfinder is set to take stock of the plight of aboriginal Peoples in Canada.
The UN has dispatched law professor James Anaya to speak to First Nations representatives and government officials as he drafts a report for the world body.
“The idea is to get a first-hand view of the situation of aboriginal peoples in Canada by hearing directly from as many as I can,” he said in a telephone interview.
Mr. Anaya’s fact-finding trip has been a long time coming. He first requested permission to make an official visit to Canada in February 2012.
As the UN’s special rapporteur on indigenous rights, Mr. Anaya is responsible for promoting laws and policies that support indigenous peoples around the world. He will also look at their living conditions and issue reports and recommendations.
The rapporteur has no binding authority. Rather, he aims to shame governments into action by bringing unacceptable conditions to light.
The federal government will get a chance to respond to Mr. Anaya’s findings before a final report is circulated and presented next year to the UN Human Rights Council.
The report will include recommendations for the federal government, First Nations and possibly other groups.
The nine-day trip — which begins Monday and ends Oct. 15 — will see Mr. Anaya visit both small rural communities and big cities. He will also spend time in Ottawa meeting federal representatives from several government departments and agencies.
One issue bound to come up in his discussions is resource development on First Nations land.
Without talking specifically about Canada, Mr. Anaya said companies and governments are starting to realize that major energy projects need the co-operation of First Nations.
“On a global scale, yes, absolutely we’ve seen a clear trend in that direction among the major mining and oil companies in particular,” he said.
That trend is seemingly being borne out in Canada with the recent trip to British Columbia by a cadre of senior government officials to listen to First Nations concerns over the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and other energy projects.