Aboriginal report by UN on 'crisis' in Canada set for release today

The United Nations is set to release today its final report outlining Canada's "continuing crisis" when it comes to the treatment of aboriginal people, and recommendations on how to ensure their rights are protected.

The much-anticipated report is the culmination of a UN fact-finding mission from last October.

James Anaya, UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, spent nine days visiting aboriginal communities across Canada, as well as meeting with government representatives, to take stock of the plight of aboriginal people in the country.

In an advance unedited version released on May 7, Anaya wrote that treaty claims "remain persistently unresolved, indigenous women and girls remain vulnerable to abuse, and overall there appear to be high levels of distrust among indigenous peoples toward government at both the federal and provincial levels."

These findings are in line with preliminary observations he made in the fall.

The advance report outlines a number of recommendations to improve relations between the Canadian government and aboriginal people, including the call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Last week, the RCMP confirmed there have been more than 1,000 murdered aboriginal women over the past three decades, prompting aboriginal groups to renew calls for an inquiry — something the government has steadfastly refused to do.

The report also recommends the government get consent from aboriginal groups before moving forward with resource extraction projects on land subject to aboriginal claims. That would include pipeline projects currently in the works, such as Enbridge's controversial Northern Gateway pipeline.

"While indigenous peoples potentially have much to gain from resource development within their territories, they also face the highest risks to their health, economy, and cultural identity from any associated environmental degradation," reads the unedited version of the preliminary report.

"Perhaps more importantly, indigenous nations' efforts to protect their long-term interests in lands and resources often fit uneasily into the efforts by private non-indigenous companies, with the backing of the federal and provincial governments, to move forward with natural resource projects."

Monday's UN final report will be released at a fragile time for relations between the federal government and First Nations.

The government put "on hold" its prized but controversial First Nations education bill following the sudden resignation of Shawn Atleo as national chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

Bill C-33 will stay on hold until the AFN "clarifies" its position on the bill which it is expected to do during a special assembly of national chiefs in Ottawa on May 27.

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Aboriginal report by UN on 'crisis' in Canada set for release today

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