Our statement on the 10th anniversary of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

B.C. Green caucus statement on the 10th anniversary of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
For immediate release
September 13, 2017

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green caucus, and Adam Olsen, B.C. Green caucus spokesperson for the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, issued the following statement in recognition of the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).

“UNDRIP is a landmark acknowledgement of the rights of Indigenous people across the world,” Weaver said.

“I am proud that the commitment to adopt UNDRIP is a foundational piece of our Confidence and Supply Agreement with the B.C. NDP and our caucus looks forward to supporting measures to establish a true government-to-government relationship with B.C.’s Indigenous peoples.”

“Today is a day to celebrate the fact that we have finally reached the point where we are beyond debating whether the minimum standards of UNDRIP should be endorsed,” Olsen said.

“By endorsing UNDRIP and pledging to work together to implement it, we are turning the page on denial of Indigenous peoples and their rights. We must now work together, in partnership, to identify how to implement and operationalize these standards. Doing so will require honesty about our deep and recent history of colonization, with all of the injustices and wrongs that term entails.

“Through working together we can show our children and grandchildren how we can at once create a more just society, address historic wrongs, and build prosperity for the future.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca