Information on this page relates most to Idle No More Manitoba themes:
We called this page “Road Maps” because the information we link to is all about solutions for the future. Indigenous peoples have been speaking and writing about ways to live good lives for many, many years. The information on this page just happens to go back to 1970.
Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples worked in the 1990s on a nation-wide consultation and study into a large list of issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada. In 1996 they published their final report which is still referred to today as having many answers and suggestions for improving the Canadian state’s relationship with Indigenous peoples, and for improving their lives.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007
The United Nations adopted this declaration in 2007. The goal of the declaration was to create a standard for the treatment of Indigenous peoples around the world. It took the Government of Canada 3 years to endorse the Declaration.
The United Nations has even made a version of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples just for youth! Check it out. It breaks down for Indigenous youth all of their rights as asserted by the Declaration.
Citizens Plus aka “The Red Paper”, 1970
In 1970 the Indian Chiefs of Alberta wrote a reply to the federal government’s White Paper, 1969 (at the time the Minister responsible for the Indian Affairs department was future Prime Minister Jean Chretien). The White Paper had laid out a plan for assimilating First Nations peoples, including eliminating the Indian Act.
The Red Paper argued for many things, but a main argument was that the rights of “Indians” should stay as they were until any changes were agreed upon through meaningful negotiation and consent.
This page provides a list of key points in the Red Paper.
Idle No More Manitoba 