Canadian Aboriginal Action Plan
The Canadian Aboriginal Action Plan, also known as Gathering Strength, was launched in 1998 as a response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, aiming to address the historical injustices faced by Aboriginal communities in Canada. The plan emphasizes reconciliation, self-governance, and partnership development, focusing on improving the living conditions of Aboriginal Canadians, particularly youth. It outlines four key objectives: renewing partnerships, strengthening Aboriginal governance, establishing a new fiscal relationship, and supporting strong communities and economies.
Specific initiatives include public education about Aboriginal cultures, enhancing treaty relationships, promoting self-reliance through improved financial practices, and addressing essential services like housing and health care. Additionally, the plan aligns with global human rights standards, particularly after Canada's adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2016. A more recent 2023-2028 Action Plan emerged from collaborative efforts between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples, aiming to create a comprehensive framework that reflects Indigenous insights and priorities. This ongoing initiative represents a significant step towards healing and empowerment for Aboriginal communities in Canada.
Canadian Aboriginal Action Plan
The Canadian Aboriginal Action Plan, also known as Gathering Strength, was originally released on January 7, 1998, and focused on Aboriginal communities and the tasks of reconciliation and renewal as recommended by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. These tasks were to be accomplished primarily through an emphasis on partnerships, Aboriginal self-government, and other recommendations of the Royal Commission. They included recognition of, apologies for, and reconciliation over past injustices and abuses suffered by many Aboriginal Canadians, often at the hands of the federal government. The action plan sought to improve living conditions for Aboriginal Canadians, particularly the young.
The plan had four main objectives: renewing partnerships, strengthening aboriginal governance, developing a new fiscal relationship, and supporting strong communities, people, and economies. The first objective, the renewal of partnerships, included a statement of reconciliation, community-based healing of sexual and physical abuse in the residential schools, public education to help non-Aboriginals better appreciate Aboriginal peoples, and a coordinated approach to addressing the problems of Aboriginals living in urban settings. The second objective was strengthening Aboriginal governance through such steps as affirming treaty relationships, commemoration of the historic treaties, a new independent claims body, cost-shared Metis enumeration, funding for Aboriginal women’s organizations, establishment of an Aboriginal center of excellence to assist groups in promoting self-government, and professional development strategies in lawmaking, environmental stewardship, and resource management. The third objective was developing a new fiscal relationship through a more stable, accountable relationship that promotes greater self-reliance, new financial standards for governments to comply with generally accepted accounting procedures, support for development of First Nations sources of revenue including taxation, statistical training for Aboriginal groups to promote data collection and information exchanges, as well as an Aboriginal peoples survey following the 2001 national census. The fourth objective was supporting strong communities, people, and economies through a five-year strategy to develop Aboriginal human resources, providing for an increase in the number of houses on reserves and a remedy for the shortage of water and sewer facilities.
Other specific goals of the strategy included expanded aboriginal policing services, an Aboriginal Head Start program available on reserves, reduced welfare dependence, increased access of Aboriginal businesses to capital and markets, the creation of urban Aboriginal youth centers, education reform, and greater focus on prevention, treatment, and care of diabetes.
In 2007, the United Nations Generally Assembly approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was a global human rights initiative. Canada adopted the initiative in 2016 and in 2021 implemented the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act in Canada. Following these measures, the Canadian government worked with Indigenous peoples in Canada to gain their personal insight and develop a more comprehensive plan for the nation. The 2023–2028 Action Plan, released in 2023, was a result of this collaboration between the Canadian government and the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
Bibliography
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