Indigenous peoples’ organizations and human rights groups welcome yesterday’s
decision by the Canadian Parliament to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007 in a
historic vote by an overwhelming majority of member states. Canada was one of only
four states to oppose the Declaration. The government of Stephen Harper has since
claimed that the Declaration is not applicable in Canada. This claim has no legal basis
and is unprecedented in Canada’s foreign and domestic policy.