Brief Regarding Bill C-15: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On Monday, May 31, Katherine Wheatley and Mark Sevestre represented the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative in a presentation to the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, regarding Bill C-15.

Bill C-15 “provides that the Government of Canada must take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and must prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration.”

RRII spoke to the importance of company and investor engagement when implementing Bill C-15, and highlighted the current lack of domestic guidance on the roles of non-state actors in respecting Indigenous rights. The presentation called on the government to better clarify the the role of companies, and those that finance them, in upholding UNDRIP.

Watch the full presentation from the RRII on the Senate website, or view the PDF of the written statement shared with the committee.