The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act[a] (French: Loi sur la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones, also known as UNDA or formerly Bill C-15) is a law enacted by the Parliament of Canada and introduced during the second session of the 43rd Canadian Parliament in 2020.
[1] The legislation establishes a legal framework and timeline to bring Canadian law into alignment with the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
[9] In November 2010, the Conservative government publicly reversed its position, asserting its support for the declaration as an "aspirational document"[10] In May 2016, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett officially removed Canada's objector status to UNDRIP at the United Nations.
[14] In December 2019, the Liberal Party of Canada's throne speech following the 2019 federal election promised to implement UNDRIP within a year of its new mandate.
[5] On February 17, 2021 Minister of Justice David Lametti moved that the bill be read the second time at the House of Commons and referred to parliamentary committee.
On March 9, 2021 an open letter by the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) in support of the bill was published in The Hill Times, urging its passage into law before parliament's session concludes.
[20] The adjustments included references to systemic racism, that doctrines of discovery and terra nullius are racist, and shortened the time limit for the action plan from three years to two.