A new private member’s bill that creates a framework for progress on Indigenous issues has earned the attention of Alberta’s UCP government, the Indigenous relations ministry confirmed.
The ministry also acknowledged the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, saying the calls “set out a path toward reconciliation by providing meaningful targets for governments, organizations and individuals.”
The Reconciliation Implementation Act, introduced earlier this month, would require the province’s executive council to consider reconciliation in all decisions. The Indigenous relations ministry would have to consult with Indigenous communities to develop and publish a truth and reconciliation action plan. And it would have to publish an annual progress report.
“We are currently analyzing this bill in more detail,” the ministry said in a statement responding to inquiries from The Macleod Gazette.
Partnerships with Indigenous peoples are part of the government’s approach to truth and reconciliation, the statement said.
The statement continued: “We are actively involving Indigenous peoples in decision-making, ensuring their voices are not just heard but respected and acted upon. We are making progress in economic reconciliation, education, justice, health and more.”
Brooks Arcand-Paul, the NDP’s shadow minister for Indigenous relations and the bill’s sponsor, called the proposed legislation the first of its kind developed in consultation and collaboration with Indigenous nations. “They were at the helm the entire way,” he told The Gazette before introducing the bill on Nov. 4 for first reading.
Truth and reconciliation in Canada is tied to the 94 calls to action in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which ran from 2008 to 2015 to document the history and impact of the residential school system. The TRC spent six years traversing the country to hear testimony from survivors and others whose lives were affected by residential schools.
At least three provinces or territories already have legislation in place connected to truth and reconciliation — British Columbia, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. In Nova Scotia, a bill called the Truth and Reconciliation Commitment Act was introduced to the legislature in 2021 as a private member’s bill.
A reconciliation status update in 2023 from the Yellowhead Institute classified 81 of the 94 calls to action as unfulfilled in Canada. The Indigenous-led research and education centre checked no calls off the list during its reporting year.
Said the ministry statement: “Alberta’s government is committed to working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to find and implement Indigenous-led ideas for programs and services that make a difference and advance us in our reconciliation journey, ensuring a bright future where Indigenous peoples share in the prosperity of this province.”
Private member’s bills – bills proposed by MLAs who are not part of cabinet – rarely become law in Alberta or other Canadian legislatures. They tend to have a better chance of passing and earning royal assent, however, when introduced by someone within the governing party’s caucus.
Arcand-Paul, the member for Edmonton-West Henday, said the proposed law gives the UCP an opportunity to see the value of Indigenous consultation. “I would love to see the other side recognize the value of including Indigenous leadership in this type of legislation,” he said.
But with no legislated reporting structure in place, the government can’t be held to account, said Arcand-Paul.
Alberta’s government has made progress on 20 calls to action, it says at the web address alberta.ca/reconciliation-in-alberta. The page “highlights meaningful steps the province is taking across government to advance reconciliation,” said the ministry statement.
“This cross-ministry work is ongoing and active and continues to be a priority for the province,” the statement said.
