Supreme Court decisions have “significant implications” on UNDRIP in Canadian law
Earlier this year, in two separate decisions, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the significance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for Canadian law and policy.
Recently, the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, of which KAIROS is a member, weighed in on these momentous decisions.
Canada fully endorsed the UN Declaration in 2016 and passed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act on June 21, 2021, after years of public pressure, including from KAIROS and its network.
The Supreme Court had been silent on the UN Declaration until this year when it provided clarity on several inconsistent decisions made in Canadian lower courts.
In its statement, the Coalition writes: “In two recent decisions… the Supreme Court has now provided a clear and explicit indication that the legal implications of the UN Declaration should be taken very seriously.”
Read the Coalition’s statement: Supreme Court of Canada decisions underline the significance of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian law.
The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples promotes the full and effective implementation of the UN Declaration.
KAIROS has been involved since the very beginning, working to get the UN Declaration written and adopted by the UN General Assembly, and later adopted and legislated by the Canadian Government.