In 2024, which of the 94 TRC Calls to Action have had the most success and where?
Press Release
Indigenous Watchdog was designed to reflect both a macro view – Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation – and a micro view – Actions and Commitments. The macro view highlights what the various governments “say they are committed to doing” and the micro view identifies “the specifics of what they are actually doing”. The resulting comparison helps to answer the question: Are the federal, provincial and territory governments living up to their commitments?
No. They are not.
In 2024, all levels of government – federal, provincial and territory combined – made 150 “Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation”: 77% were included in:
- Treaty Relationships and Indigenous Rights: 38 commitments (25%)
- Financial and Budgets: 33 commitments (22%)
- Agreements: 20 commitments (13%)
- Political: 15 commitments (10%)
- Legislation: 10 commitments (7%)
Immediate observations:
- Three of the provinces with the greatest number of Indigenous people (37% based on 2021 census) are in the bottom five with the least number of substantive commitments (6%):
- Alberta # 3 with 284,465: 3 commitments
- Saskatchewan # 5 with 187,890: 2 commitments
- Québec # 6 with 205,010: 4 commitments
- Three of the provinces with the largest number of Indigenous people (52% based on 2021 census) accounted for 29% of the 150 total commitments:
- Ontario # 1 with 406,590: 16 commitments
- BC # 2 with 290,210: 15 Commitments
- Manitoba # 4 with 237,190: 12 commitments
The following table breaks down where those commitments have been made:
2024 Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation:
| THEMES | TOTALS | CA | ON | BC | MB | YK | NL | NT | NU | NB | QC | AB | SK | ||
| TOTAL | 150 | 69 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Treaty Relationships and Indigenous Rights | 38 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Financial | 23 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Federal Budgets | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Agreements | 20 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Supreme Court | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Political | 14 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Legislation | 10 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Systemic Racism & Discrimination |
8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Justice | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 138 | 65 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
NOTE: The 138 “Total Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation” above do not include all themes . The themes above account for 92% of the total.
Observations:
- The federal government made 46% of the total number of Government Commitments and three provinces – Ontario, BC and Manitoba – accounted for another 29%. That’s 75% of the total.
- The three top themes accounting for 59% of the total
- Treaty Relationship and Indigenous Rights”: 25%
- Financial/Budget: 21%
- Agreements: 13%
Compare that with the 313 “Current Problems” raised in the 2024 “Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation” section where 79% of the problems were:
- Treaty Relationships and Indigenous Rights: 110 in every province and territory (35%)
- Systemic Racism 54 in every province and territory (17%)
- Financial and Budget: 33 problems (11%)
- Legislative and Institutional Barriers: 24 (8%)
- Political: 24 (8%)
Explore Indigenous Watchdog for full details on all of the above and all of what follows.
Highlights of 2024
Child Welfare
- Feb. 9: Supreme Court ruling affirms First Nation, Inuit and Métis self-government and jurisdiction over their child welfare services. In a unanimous decision, the court said the “The act as a whole is constitutionally valid”.
Health:
- Sept. 4: The Canadian Medical Association apologized for its role and the roles of the medical profession in past and ongoing harms to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the health system
Justice:
- Nov. 29: Bill S-13 “An Act to amend the interpretation Act” passed that clarifies and safeguards Section 35 rights across federal statutes and regulations
- Dec. 2: Manitoba government begins searching the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women after previous conservative government and Winnipeg police opposed it
- Dec. 4: First Nations Chiefs voted in support of an inquiry into systemic racism and police deaths in Canada.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
- Oct. 9: BC introduces legislation as a “blueprint for decolonization” involving re-writing laws to conform to UNDRIP
- Oct. 22: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is “discussing implementation of UNDRIP”
National Council for Reconciliation
- April 30: Bill C-29 “An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation” receives Royal Assent. The National Council is the formal, Indigenous-led oversight body to hold ALL stakeholders accountable for their reconciliation activities and report through Parliament to the Canadian people on how reconciliation is progressing
Missing Children and Burial Information
- October 29: Kimberly Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor releases Final Report with 42 obligations, concluding “there is ‘an urgent need’ to establish a Commission of Investigation into the Enforced Disappearance of Indigenous children in Canada“
Treaties and Land Claims
- Jan. 17: PM Trudeau signs long-awaited devolution agreement to transfer more authority to Nunavut over Crown lands and water. See also Devolution in Nunavut: Is this Really Namminiqsurniq (Self-Government)?
- March 28: BC Government affirms Haida Nation title over all of Haida Gwaii in draft agreement
- Jan-Dec: 12 Indigenous victories either through courts or settlements
The following analysis is based on the federal, provincial and territory governments who are directly accountable for 78 of the 94 Calls to Action plus University and College Faculties and Schools who are accountable for another 4 Calls to Action. (87% of the 94 C2A)
2024 Positive “Actions and Commitments” plus all “Government Commitments”
ILR5
