Aligning “One Canadian Economy” with Indigenous values: Truth & Reconciliation Day, September 30, 2025
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Wearing orange on Truth and Reconciliation Day, September 30 means you stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. Among the harms done and those that continue to hurt are:
- Residential school violence and death, the Sixties Scoop, and the ensuing trauma
- the chronic dismissal of Indigenous women and girls going missing and being murdered with impunity
- inadequate housing and infrastructure
- continued inaccessibility to potable water
This year’s context, with a quasi-permanent instability thrust upon Canada by the authoritarian regime south of the border reinforces the need for action. Prime Minister Carney wants to dig for minerals, build pipelines, and secure the Arctic, all while stating his desire to consult Indigenous Peoples. But we know that consultation is quite different from free prior and informed consent.
What is UNDRIP and why is it relevant to Truth and Reconciliation?
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, signed in 2007, is an international document that affirms Indigenous rights around the world. Canada did not sign it until 2010 and it wasn’t until 2021 that the government passed the UNDRIP Act, to align Canadian laws with this declaration.
Which Calls to Action speak directly to UNDRIP?
Call to Action 92 states the corporate sector must adopt UNDRIP as a reconciliation framework, and ensure meaningful consultation and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) before undertaking
resource development. It also means providing equitable access to jobs, training, and education for Indigenous peoples.
Call to Action 43 requires all levels of government to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as the framework for reconciliation.
Does Prime Minister Carney’s “One Canadian Economy” truly prioritize justice for Indigenous communities? Justice for Indigenous Peoples means more than inclusion — it requires transformation. This means it begins with consent, equity, and Indigenous-led development in ways that are aligned with Indigenous values that center on respecting the Earth.
Do your part by wearing an orange shirt on September 30. You can buy one here: https://union-store.com/cupw/
This Truth and Reconciliation Day, we ask what Canada’s economy would look like if it was centered around Indigenous rights and knowledge. The latest crisis caused by Trump has diminished concerns over human rights and the climate catastrophe in favour of expedient economics.
As we reflect, let us commit to building an economy rooted not in extraction and expediency, but in justice, care, and the leadership of Indigenous Peoples.
In Solidarity,
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 Aligning “One Canadian Economy” with Indigenous values: Truth & Reconciliation Day, September 30, 2025 (pdf) | 385.36 KB |
| Poster (pdf) | 390.33 KB |
