Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the signing and adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The declaration was adopted by the General Assembly on September 13th, 2007.
144 states voted in favour, but Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US voted against the declaration.
Fortunately, in May of last year, under the Trudeau government, Canada removed its objector status.
Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus said the declaration has brought improvements.
“UNDRIP came into force 10 years ago and it has definitely helped us.”
He added: “There is still a long way to go. The Crown has made a solid commitment to endorse and implement it; we also need the provinces and territories to do the same.”
