NUPGE sends letter to ministers and premiers about lack of action on reconciliation

“Poverty, food insecurity, unsafe drinking water, lack of education, unsafe housing conditions, poor health, substance abuse, and over incarceration—these problems feed into each other and create a web of inequality for Indigenous people.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President

Ottawa (10 Dec. 2021) — In November 2021 Larry Brown, President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), sent a letter to Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Patty Hadju, Minister of Indigenous Services, and all Premiers regarding the lack of progress or slow progress on the 94 Calls to Action laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Letter focuses on 6 priority issues

In his letter Brown highlighted 6 priority issues: access to safe drinking water, child welfare, the justice system, education, health care, and poverty and substandard living conditions. The letter also stressed that nation-to-nation discussions and collaborations are the cornerstone of returning social services to Indigenous jurisdiction. Indigenous people must be involved in every step of the process and have the final say over the decisions that will impact their lives. And governments must allocate funding and resources to ensure change is made and is sustainable.

“Poverty, food insecurity, unsafe drinking water, lack of education, unsafe housing conditions, poor health, substance abuse, and over incarceration—these problems feed into each other and create a web of inequality for Indigenous people,” said Brown. “We recognize that current governments do not share all the blame; this is the legacy of Canadian colonialism. But it’s the job of current governments to end the cycle here.”

NUPGE endorses Spirit Bear Plan

In the letter, NUPGE endorsed the Spirit Bear Plan created by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (also known as The Caring Society). The Caring Society is the organization that filed a complaint against the government of Canada in 2007 that stated First Nations children and families living on reserves were not receiving the same level of child welfare services as other families in Canada. In 2016 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a verdict that the complaint was substantiated and that the federal government is guilty of discrimination against First Nations children (2016 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Ruling on First Nations Child Welfare). In the 14 years since the complaint was filed, The Caring Society has been engaged in litigation against the federal government over, compensation for discrimination against Indigenous children in the welfare system.

The Spirit Bear Plan is a 5-point plan to end underfunding of public services on reserves. The plan calls on:

1. CANADA to immediately comply with all rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering it to immediately cease its discriminatory funding of First Nations child and family services. The order further requires Canada to fully and properly implement Jordan's Principle (www.jordansprinciple.ca).
2. PARLIAMENT to ask the Parliamentary Budget Officer to publicly cost out the shortfalls in all federally funded public services provided to First Nations children, youth and families (education, health, water, child welfare, etc.) and propose solutions to fix it.
3. GOVERNMENT to consult with First Nations to co-create a holistic Spirit Bear Plan to end all of the inequalities (with dates and confirmed investments) in a short period of time sensitive to children's best interests, development and distinct community needs.
4. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS providing services to First Nations children and families to undergo a thorough and independent 360° evaluation to identify any ongoing discriminatory ideologies, policies or practices and address them. These evaluation must be publicly available.
5. ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS including those at a senior level, to receive mandatory training to identify and address government ideology, policies and practices that fetter the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.

NUPGE has a long history of supporting The Caring Society. In 2009 and 2013, NUPGE donated funds to help The Caring Society in their litigation against the government of Canada. The Caring Society has also been invited to speak at NUPGE's Leadership Development School several times, including the virtual school held in November 2021. NUPGE endorses the Spirit Bear Plan and calls on other unions and organizations to do the same.