Time for ‘rights-based approach’ to Indigenous affairs, PM Trudeau says
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to overhaul the way the federal government relates to Indigenous Peoples, proposing a new legislative framework designed to pave the way toward stronger rights and greater control over their own destiny.
“We need to both recognize and implement Indigenous rights,” Trudeau said Wednesday in a speech in the House of Commons.
“Because the truth is, until we get this part right, we won’t have lasting success on the concrete outcomes that we know mean so much to people.”
The prime minister said the new approach, to be developed in partnership with First Nations, Metis and Inuit, is needed to tackle the many challenges facing their communities, including overcrowded housing, unsafe drinking water and high rates of suicide among Indigenous youth.