Policy 6.1.1 First Nations Engagement Principles

Extracted text (beginning)

Policy – 6.1.1 First Nations Engagement Principles Page 1 
 
Policy: 6.1.1 
Approved By: Trust Council 
Approval Date: December 7, 2016 
Amendment Date(s):   
Policy Holder: Director of Local Planning Services 
 
FIRST NATIONS ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES 
PURPOSE 
1. To provide a framework for engaging and building relationships between Islands Trust and First 
Nations. 
2. To find opportunities for collaboration and mutual support through its many organizational activities. 
3. To initiate and maintain respectful relationships with First Nations communities. 
 
A.  BACKGROUND 
In the Islands Trust Area, there is a high level of uncertainty regarding current and future First Nations 
ownership and management of the land base. As of November 2016, many things are in a state of flux because 
of evolving provincial, national and international recognition of Aboriginal Title. 
 
1. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is an 
international instrument adopted by the United Nations on September 13, 2007. It describes a 
minimum standard of rights for the “survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples 
of the world.” Additionally, Article 26 states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to the 
lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise 
used or acquired,” and it directs governments to recognize these territories. UNDRIP was 
endorsed by Canada in 2010 and officially adopted in May 2016.  
 
2. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued ‘Calls to Action’ to redress the legacy 
of residential schools and to advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. Several of these 
calls to action speak to the recognition of aboriginal rights over land. In particular, action 47 
calls on all levels of government, including local governments, to “repudiate concepts used to 
justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands... and to reform those laws, 
government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.” (Truth 
and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). 
 
3. In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down a decision in the case of the Tsilhqot’in 
Nation vs. British Columbia. In that decision, the court concluded that the Tsilhqot’in Nation 
has Aboriginal title to over 1,750 square kilometers of their traditional lands, previously 
deemed Crown land. Tsilhqot’in also confirmed that where Aboriginal title has not been 
established, the Crown has a duty to consult with and accommodate First Nations with stated 
land claims. 
 
4. The Islands Trust works with separate nations with different customs, history, culture and 
expectations of engagement. 
  

Policy – 6.1.1 First Nations Engagement Principles Page 2 
B. DEFINITIONS 
For the purpose of this policy: 
“First Nations” refer to entities recognized by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern 
Development of Canada who have included the Trust 

First 3,000 characters. Open the original for the whole document.