Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier on the work we're doing to implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
My understanding is that the Premier had kind of at step zero asked the GNWT to take each of the articles of UNDRIP and then do an internal inventory of current programs and services or current policies to kind of show where we already would align or perhaps didn't align, you know. Perhaps there's some areas, some articles which we are considering we are already complying with. So this would kind of just be something the Premier was going to take to the Council of Leaders so we're all on the same page of where we're starting from.
My question is, has this work been completed and, if so, is it something that could be shared? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually the request to look at the programs across to see if our programs and services align with the United Nations declaration was done by all of the departments across the GNWT. However, it was also that information was also provided to our special committee on reconciliation. I want to make sure I got the Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs as a part of the research that was compiled to be able to provide the interim report.
I do know that the Member is part of that committee and had access to that information. But right at this moment that information is not public. We are also working with the working group of the Council of Leaders to to also identify what programs align and what don't align and then develop an action plan from that work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'm curious about any internal work that's kind of occurring. I recognize that there are larger questions that the declaration raises, you know, how we are going to operationalize free prior informed consent is obviously a very large question we have to work with the Council of Leaders. But to me, there's a number of smaller internal changes to GNWT internal policies, perhaps our consultation policies, perhaps how we structure the government to empower regions differently. I think there's probably a lot of work that we just need to do internally.
So my question for the Premier, has any of that work started; have we made any internal changes to how the GNWT operates in the hopes of implementing the declaration? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're always trying to improve our services, programs and services. I'm just thinking a couple of them that stick off my head right now are the Indigenous Government Procurement Policy. That has never been attempted in any government that I know of before this so that's work that we're starting now. And then of course the government already has their mandatory Living Well Together, which is an Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity training that we're asking every employee and every MLA to actually review. So that services people. All staff are more cognitive of the issues Indigenous people have faced and hopefully will reflect on the services that they provide.
And like the Member said, there's lots of small things but those are the two bigger ones that stick in my head right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I heard the Premier state that the plan is, you know, we're doing this inventory exercise and then hopefully there will be an action plan. I'm just wondering whether we have a timeline on when that action plan will be public? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do appreciate the Member always looking at this. It's really important work, the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples. However, I keep having to remind Members that this work is done by Indigenous people in partnership with us. They're taking the lead on this. And so as when that work plan will be done, there is a working group of which the GNWT has one Member and all the Indigenous governments have membership on that. So I can't say at this point when that work will be done. It's contingent on when the Indigenous governments have said "we're done." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife North.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it's my hope that since this was a priority of this Assembly that we would see something in this Assembly. And if we have to live with an action plan that, you know, we get on the last day and we actually don't do any of the work in it in the life of this Assembly, well, that's better than nothing. And I guess the other debate here is that BC and the federal government have introduced actual legislation which create a legal obligation for the government to do this work and for departments to do this work. Are we going to see legislation to implement the declaration in the life of this Assembly, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to acknowledge, again, and thank the Member for when he did his opening comments today in talking about the issue, talking about we can't do this unilaterally, I agree 100 percent. Nothing about us without us is a comment to be pointed with me.
We did bring the concerns to the Council of Leaders table and stated when legislation that we're getting I'm getting pushed in the House to get legislation across by MLAs and then gave them a timeline of when we could expect what work had to be done before legislation could be done to get into this term of this government. I've had mixed reviews. Some Indigenous governments are saying, yes, let's get on it now and other ones have said, I don't care what MLAs say. I care about this and this has to be done on our time.
So we did hire a facilitator to help with that process. They are aware. The Indigenous governments are aware of the timelines and the work that has to be done before. So I'm hopeful, Mr. Speaker, that we will have some legislation during the term of this government. But I'm also respectful that if they decide that it's not to be, then the next government gets the glory for that as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
