At the February 14, 2022 Council Meeting, Oak Bay Council adopted in principle the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation, as called for in Number 43 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.
43. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is an international set of standards to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called for to be used as a framework for moving toward true and lasting reconciliation. The Declaration addresses cultural preservation, racism, sovereignty, health and other aspects of challenges that indigenous peoples face.
At the February 14, 2022 Council Meeting, Council also directed District Staff bring forward Terms of Reference to establish a Task Force to bring forward recommendations for collaborating and unifying District Committees and Community Associations and Committees on building paths to reconciliation with Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, in a manner that is respectful to First Nations and resource capacity.