Canada Told To Implement Treaties, Uphold Human Rights

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Treaties 4 & 6 Welcome UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Report
on Canada . . .

UN CERD Report Calls on Canada for Immediate Measures
to Implement Treaties & Uphold Human Rights

FORT QU'APPELLE, SASKATCHEWAN AND ALEXIS NAKOTA SIOUX NATION, ALBERTA, Mar 14, 2012

Chief Perry Bellegarde, official spokesperson for the Treaty 4 First Nations, and Chief Cameron Alexis, Grand Chief for the Treaty 6 First Nations, are in their respective Treaty territories today reacting to the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's (UN CERD's) recent review of Canada.

On February 20, 2012, Bellegarde and Alexis appeared before the UN CERD in Geneva, Switzerland as part of the Committee's review of Canada. Today, the UN CERD released its concluding observations. Bellegarde and Alexis are very pleased with the Committee's recommendations regarding treaty implementation. "The CERD's recommendation that Canada 'give serious consideration to the establishment of a Treaty Commission with a mandate to resolve treaty rights issues' is one which I urge Canada to implement," declares Bellegarde, who had formally asked the CERD to recommend that Canada implement a Treaty Commissioner appointed by and accountable to Parliament and indigenous peoples, with power and authorities much like the Auditor General.

"The CERD's recommendation that Canada 'find means and ways to establish titles over their lands, and respect their treaty rights' reinforces the present day relevance of our Treaties. And implementing our treaties is necessary for self-determination. To truly be self-governing, we need the right to consultation and to free, prior and informed consent to be implemented," states Alexis.

Informing these recommendations is the fact that Canada is rated 6th on the United Nations Human Development Index and when First Nations statistics are applied to the same index, First Nations peoples in Canada are rated 63rd. CERD specifically comments on the large socio- economic gap between First Nations people in Canada and the rest of Canadian society that still exists. "This must be addressed by our direct and full meaningful participation with governments and industry in all resource development so that we all benefit and see the socio- economic gap close. This can be done by implementing and giving full effect to the Treaties according to their spirit and intent", agree Bellegarde and Alexis.

Chief Perry Bellegarde is the official Treaty 4 Spokesperson and Chief of the Little Black Bear First Nation. Treaty 4 was entered into between the Crown and the Nahkawe, Nakota and Plains Cree Indigenous Nations in 1874 whereby it was agreed to share 75,000 square miles of traditional territory to "the depth of a plow", extending from the southeast corner of Alberta, to most of southern Saskatchewan to west central Manitoba in exchange for promises by the Queen of reserve lands, agricultural provisions, protections for hunting, trapping and fishing, schools, annuities and well-being of the children and generations to come, "as long as the sun shines and the water flows." The governing authority of the Treaty 4 First Nations Chiefs Council has a membership of 34 chiefs, representing the 34 communities of Treaty 4.

Chief Cameron Alexis is the Treaty 6 Grand Chief and Chief of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. The office of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations was created in the spring of 1993. Its purpose: to serve as the united political voice for those First Nations of Treaty Six who were involved, because they believe that there is a need for fundamental treaty and human rights of First Nations people to be protected.

BACKGROUND

The International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination is a legally binding international treaty to which Canada is a signatory. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the independent expert body that oversees compliance with that treaty. Last month, Canada's record was reviewed at a Committee meeting in Geneva. The review process is a key mechanism for ensuring that states live up to their obligations under the treaty.

More than 35 Indigenous nations, national and regional Indigenous peoples' organizations, human rights and social justice organizations filed their own alternative reports. Some 20 Indigenous Nations and organizations sent representatives to Geneva to participate in the process.

An "advanced, unedited" version of the Committee's conclusions and recommendations was released yesterday.

The Concluding Observations are posted online at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/ce ... .19-20.pdf

Submissions to the Committee are posted online at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/cerds80.htm


Contacts:
Chief Perry Bellegarde
Contact: Valerie Galley
613-293-4806
info@perrybellegarde.com

Chief Cameron Alexis
Contact: Ann Gladue-Buffalo
780-222-8976
agladuebuffalo@treatysix.org

www.treaty6.ca

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NWAC Responds
to the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

March 20, 2012 (Ottawa, ON) - The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) was pleased to see some of the recommendations made by the United Nations Committee but was disappointed by the lack of attention paid to the issues First Nations’ women continue to face regarding their membership, status and benefits, and in dealing with unrecognized and unstated paternity policies involved in birth registration.

The United Nation’s highest body for combating racism did urge Canada to take comprehensive action to end discrimination against Indigenous peoples. NWAC was hopeful to see that the Committee expressed concern over a wide range of inequalities and disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and particularly for Indigenous women in Canada, including the large numbers of Indigenous children being placed in state care, “excessive use of incarceration” in respect to Indigenous women and the law, persistent levels of poverty among Indigenous communities and inadequate access to employment, housing, drinking water, health and education, “as a result of structural discrimination.”

NWAC was encouraged to see that although the Committee took note of various measures taken by the Canada to address violence against Aboriginal women and girls, there remains concern that Aboriginal women and girls are disproportionately victims of life-threatening forms of violence, spousal homicides and disappearances.

Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada says, “We are satisfied to see that the Committee further recommended steps that will bring an end to violence against our women, so that Aboriginal women and girls can have equal protection under the law.”

Specifically, the Committee recommended that, “Canada should strengthen its efforts to eliminate violence against Aboriginal women in all its forms by implementing its legislation and reinforcing its preventive programs and strategies of protection; facilitate access to justice for Aboriginal women victims of gender-based violence, and investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible; conduct culturally-sensitive awareness-raising campaigns on this issue, including in affected communities and in consultation with them; consider adopting a national plan of action on Aboriginal gender-based violence; consult Aboriginal women and their organisations and support their participation in development, implementation and evaluation of measures taken to combat violence against them; andthat the Canada support existing databases and establish a national database on murdered and missing Aboriginal women and provide the Committee with statistical data and information on concrete results of its programs and strategies.”

Indigenous and human rights organizations, including NWAC are urging Canada to
address these recommendations and ask that they work with Indigenous women to ensure
that they are implemented, in a culturally appropriate way.

NWAC is the national voice of Aboriginal women and has been a leader in raising gender
perspectives both domestically and at the international level, such as, the United Nations
(UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS). Aboriginal issues are advocated
collectively with Indigenous peoples worldwide due to similar economic and social
experiences such as: human rights violations, education challenges, poor health,
environmental impacts from development and trade on Indigenous rights, border crossing
issues, the preservation of cultural, language and traditional knowledge and lands rights
and many other issues.

NWAC is also actively involved with partner organizations across the globe towards
internationally promoting its collective goals, and in promoting the implementation of the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, etc. NWAC welcomes the opportunity to share, support and learn from
Indigenous populations worldwide.

The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) is founded on the collective goal
to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of
First Nations and Métis women within First Nations, Métis and Canadian societies.
NWAC is an aggregate of thirteen native women's organizations from across Canada and
was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1974.

BACKGROUND
The International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination is a legally binding international treaty to which Canada is a signatory. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the independent expert body that oversees compliance with that treaty. Canada’s record was reviewed at a Committee meeting in Geneva in February 2012. The review process is a key mechanism for ensuring that states live up to their obligations under this Treaty. More than 35 Indigenous Nations, National and Regional Indigenous peoples’ Organizations, Human Rights and Social justice Organizations filed their own alternative reports.

Some 20 Indigenous Nations and organizations sent representatives to Geneva to participate in
the process.