PRESS RELEASE – April 09, 2008
For Immediate Release - Hobbema

On Tuesday, April 08, 2008, the House of Commons held a vote that
Dr. Wilton Littlechild, Regional Chief of Treaties 6, 7, 8 (Alberta)
describes as historical. The House passed a Motion that the
Government endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples as adopted by the UN General Assembly on
September 13, 2007; this Motion also instructs that Parliament and
the Government of Canada fully implement the standards contained
therein. Chief Littlechild, as one of the authors of the
Declaration, has been heard stating he is literally walking on air;
and rightfully so as he has personally worked on this Declaration
for thirty years. He was bitterly disappointed at the UN when
Canada's representative to the General Assembly voted against the
adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
As a former Member of Parliament, he argued that the Declaration did
not have any legal implications that would affect the Canadian
constitution or Charter of Rights; in fact, as Chief Littlechild has
stated, this is a new framework for better relationships between the
government and the Indigenous peoples of the world, including Canada.

Chief Littlechild stated, "The opposition parties had previously
gone on record supporting the Declaration; notwithstanding the
government had continued to oppose the Declaration on grounds which
had no legal basis and were unprecedented Canadian foreign and
domestic policy.

Now with this new vote, we have a new decision in favor of the
Declaration; and the decision now also calls on the government
through the House of Commons to not only endorse the Declaration but
clearly instructs Parliament to implement standards contained in the
Declaration; standards of human rights for Indigenous peoples; to
implement the article that call upon treaty partners to honour and
respect treaties according to their original spirit and intent; and
also to implement directly the right to self-determination with
free, prior, informed consent.

I would argue this now means that when the government of Canada
designs policy or legislation, they must be guided by the UN
Declaration and in so doing will comply with other international
conventions it has agreed to; so it will be very helpful, I believe,
to bring about closer relationships between the government and
Indigenous peoples' representatives. So as we argued before, it's a
framework for better partnerships and therefore will help us find
better solutions."

His final comment was, "I must acknowledge that it was our Elders
who made the directive to be involved at the international level for
the protection of our rights; it has been our Elders who have guided
the work from the outset. It is very encouraging to see their
wisdom and guidance come into effect, this indeed is historical."
The Regional AFN of Treaties 6, 7, 8 (Alberta) is the regional
political representative to the national organization ensuring the
AFN advocates effectively on behalf of the First Nations citizens of
Treaties 6, 7, 8 (Alberta).

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Contact Info:
Regional AFN of Treaties 6, 7, 8 (Alberta)
780 585-2570