The City of Vancouver gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre to commemorate a plan to implement dozens of calls to action from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
An emblem from Squamish Nation artist, Tawx’sin Yexwulla Aaron Nelson Moody (Splash) was unveiled for the commemoration.
In a release Monday, the city says the UNDRIP Action Plan is a “major milestone” for its path to Reconciliation.
The chief of the Musqueam Indian Band, Wayne Sparrow, tells CityNews that while the city is taking a step in the right direction, more work must be done.
“There are about 80 calls to action in the UNDRIP…Let’s not fool ourselves,” he said. “Our goal is to get as many of [the calls to action] knocked off as possible, but then there’ll be another call after the five years.”
He says it will be a work-in-progress and will take time.
The plan includes 18 “action groups,” with one or more deliverables that need implementing under five themes. Those themes include Relationship Foundations, Redress, Housing and Land, Cultural Presence, Stewardship and Addressing Environmental Racism and Communication and Accountability.
The city says the UNDRIP Task Force is working with a diverse group of Indigenous residents on their priorities.
“[The task force] will continue to ensure their priorities are reflected throughout the implementation of the action plan,” it said. “The City of Vancouver looks forward to continuing working alongside the Nations to move the UNDRIP Action Plan forward.”
Sparrow says the smallest things make the biggest differences, and it’s important to educate the city.
“People are getting nervous and scared about the rights of Indigenous people,” he said. “It’s our job to educate and show by working together some of the things we can accomplish.”
Sparrow says he is pleased to see that the fight that past leaders of Indigenous bands have put forward is slowly being accomplished.
“The vision of not just our leaders [but] our community members, right from the outset of contact is what I get excited about,” he said. “Looking at our declaration in Musqueam, and seeing some of those wishes and demands put in place are now going to be acted on.”
In the last ten years, Sparrow says, land acknowledgements have stood out as an accomplishment.
“It may seem small to some people, but it’s huge at our community level,” he said. “To start off council meetings, press conferences, city announcements, province announcements acknowledging whose territory they’re on.”
He says if the provincial and federal governments work the way the city works with its community, the goals would be accomplished quickly.
“I can’t stress enough how well it works with the city, trying to achieve these goals and I think that the federal and provincial governments could really learn from the city of Vancouver.”
The city says, the UNDRIP Action Plan will be presented to the Vancouver City Council at the council meeting on June 25, and the implementation of the plan will follow once the council and partners have approved them.
“While 10 years of Reconciliation has been a time of progress, the City knows that there is much more work to do and that Reconciliation is an ongoing process,” the city said.