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Keeping up with
Calls to Action
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released a six-volume final report along with 94 Calls to Action, meant to remedy the ongoing structural legacy of Canada's Residential Schools and advance the process of reconciliation in Canada. Read and download the full report here.
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For a more detailed analysis of Canada's progress we encourage you to explore CBC's Beyond94.
Calls to Action Categories
Child Welfare (1-5)
Health (18-24)
Education (6-12)
Justice (25-42)
Language and Culture (13-17)
Reconciliation (43-94)
01
Commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care.
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05
Develop culturally appropriate parenting programs for Aboriginal families.
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09
Publish annual reports comparing funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves.
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13
Acknowledge that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights.
June 2017
17
Enable residential school survivors and their families to reclaim names changed by the residential school system by waiving admin costs.
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21
Provide sustainable funding for existing and new Aboriginal healing centres.
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25
Establish a written policy that reaffirms the independence of the RCMP to investigate crimes in which the government has its own interest as a potential or real party in civil litigation.
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29
Work collaboratively with plaintiffs not included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement to have disputed legal issues determined expeditiously on an agreed set of facts.
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33
Recognize as a high priority the need to address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and develop preventative programs that can be delivered in a culturally appropriate manner.
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37
Provide more supports for Aboriginal programming in halfway houses and parole services.
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41
Appoint a public inquiry into the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionate victimization of Aboriginal women and girls.
June 3, 2019
45
Jointly develop with Aboriginal peoples a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation to be issued by the Crown.
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49
Have religious denominations and faith groups repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples.
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53
Enact legislation to establish a National Council for Reconciliation. The legislation would establish the council as an independent, national, oversight body with membership jointly appointed by the Government of Canada and national Aboriginal organizations, and consisting of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members.
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57
Provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights and anti-racism.
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61
Establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects, culture and language revitalization projects, education and relationship-building projects, and regional dialogues for Indigenous spiritual leaders and youth to discuss Indigenous spirituality, self determination, and reconciliation.
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65
Establish a national research program with multi-year funding to advance understanding of reconciliation.
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69
Library and Archives Canada fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ensure that its record holdings related to residential schools are accessible to the public, and commit more resources to its public education materials and programming on residential schools.
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73
Work with churches, Aboriginal communities, and former residential school students to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries.
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77
Identify and collect copies of all records relevant to the history and legacy of the residential school system, and provide these to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
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81
Commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools National Monument in the city of Ottawa.
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85
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network to support reconciliation by providing leadership in programming and developing media initiatives that inform and educate the Canadian public.
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89
Amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.
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93
Revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship tests to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal peoples of Canada.
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02
Publish annual reports on the number of Aboriginal children who are in care compared with non-Aboriginal children.
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06
Repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
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10
Draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples.
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14
Enact an Aboriginal Languages Act.
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18
Acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health in Canada is a direct result of previous government policies and implement the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified by law and under the treaties.
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22
Recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients when requested.
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26
Review and amend statutes of limitations to ensure they conform to the principle that governments and other entities cannot rely on limitation defences to defend legal actions of historical abuse brought by Aboriginal people.
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30
Commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade and issue detailed annual reports.
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34
Undertake reforms to the criminal justice system to better address the needs of offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
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38
Commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in custody over the next decade.
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42
Commit to the recognition and implementation of Aboriginal justice systems.
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46
Develop and sign a Covenant of Reconciliation to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement that would identify principles for working collaboratively to advance reconciliation in Canadian society.
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50
Fund the establishment of Indigenous law institutes for the development, use, and understanding of Indigenous laws and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
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54
Provide multi-year funding for the National Council for Reconciliation, including the endowment of a National Reconciliation Trust to advance the cause of reconciliation.
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58
Have the Pope issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church's role in abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children in Catholic-run residential schools.
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62
Make age appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada mandatory for K-12 students. Provide funding to post-secondary institutions and Aboriginal schools to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods in the classroom. Assign a government official at senior-level dedicated to Aboriginal content in education.
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66
Establish multi-year funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation, and establish a national network to share information and best practices.
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70
Provide funding to the Canadian Association of Archivists to undertake a national review of archival policies and best practices to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to make recommendations.
2020
74
Inform the families of children who died at residential schools of the child's burial location, and respond to families' wishes for appropriate commemoration ceremonies, markers, and reburial.
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78
Commit to making a funding contribution of $10 million over seven years to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, plus an additional amount to assist community research.
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82
Commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city.
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86
Require education for all journalism and media students on the history of Aboriginal peoples.
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90
Ensure that national sports policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.
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94
Replace the Oath of Citizenship to include"...I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including Treaties with Indigenous Peoples..."
June 21, 2021
03
Implement Jordan's Principle.
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07
Develop a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
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11
Provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education.
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15
Appoint an Aboriginal Languages Commissioner.
June 14, 2021
19
Establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities and publish annual progress reports and assess long-term trends.
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23
Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health-care field. Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal communities. Provide cultural competency training for all health-care professionals.
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27
Ensure lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training.
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31
Provide sufficient and stable funding to implement and evaluate community sanctions that will provide realistic alternatives to imprisonment for Aboriginal offenders and respond to the underlying causes of offending.
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35
Eliminate barriers to the creation of additional Aboriginal healing lodges within the federal correctional system.
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39
Develop a national plan to collect and publish data on the criminal victimization of Aboriginal people.
2016, every 5 years
43
Have federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.
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47
Repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands and reform those laws, government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.
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51
Develop a policy of transparency by publishing legal opinions it develops and upon which it acts or intends to act, in regard to the scope and extent Aboriginal and Treaty rights.
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55
Provide annual reports or any current data requested by the National Council for Reconciliation so that it can report on the progress towards reconciliation.
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59
Develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that church parties to the Settlement Agreement learn about their church's role in colonization, residential schools, and why apologies are necessary.
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63
Commit to annually developing and implementing K-12 curriculum on Aboriginal peoples, sharing information and best practices on teaching said curriculum, building student capacity for intercultural understanding, and identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
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67
Provide funding to the Canadian Museums Association to undertake a national review of museum policies and best practices to determine the level of compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to make recommendations.
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71
Chief coroners and provincial vital statistics agencies provide their records on the deaths of Aboriginal children in the care of residential school authorities to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
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75
Develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried.
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79
Develop a reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration.
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83
Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process.
2017
87
Provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.
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91
Officials and host countries of international sporting events to ensure that Indigenous peoples' territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events.
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04
Enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases.
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08
Eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves versus off reserves.
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12
Develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families.
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16
Create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal languages.
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20
Recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Metis, Inuit, and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples.
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24
Require all medical and nursing students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues.
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28
Require all law students to take a course in Aboriginal people and the law.
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32
Amend the Criminal Code to allow trial judges, upon giving reasons, to depart from mandatory minimum sentences and restrictions on the use of conditional sentences.
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36
Work with Aboriginal communities to provide culturally relevant services to inmates.
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40
Create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginal-specific victim programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms.
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44
Develop a national action plan, strategies, and other concrete measures to achieve the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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48
Have church parties, faith groups, and interfaith social justice groups formally adopt and comply with the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.
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52
Adopt the following legal principles: Aboriginal title claims are accepted once the Aboriginal clamant has established occupation over a particular territory at a particular point in time. Once Aboriginal title has been established, the burden of proving any limitation on any rights arising from the existence of that title shifts to the party asserting such a limitation.
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56
Have the Prime Minister issue an annual "State of Aboriginal Peoples" report, which would outline the government's plans for advancing the cause of reconciliation.
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60
Develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right.
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64
Denominational schools provide an education on comparative religious studies, including a segment on Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices.
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68
Mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017 by establishing a dedicated national funding program for commemoration projects on the theme of reconciliation.
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72
Allocate sufficient resources to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to allow it to develop and maintain the National Residential School Student Death Register established by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
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76
The parties engaged in the work of documenting, maintaining, commemorating, and protecting residential school cemeteries adopt the following strategies: the Aboriginal community most affected shall lead the development of such strategies, information shall be sought from residential school survivors and knowledge keepers, Aboriginal protocols shall be respected before invasive investigation of a cemetery site.
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80
Establish a statutory holiday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
June 3, 2021
84
Restore and increase funding to the CBC/Radio-Canada, to enable Canada's national public broadcaster to support reconciliation, and be properly reflective of the diverse cultures, languages, and perspectives of Aboriginal peoples.
2016
88
Ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and growth, and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games.
April, 2017
92
Corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.
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How many completed actions did
you count?
13
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