The Indigenous Policy Tool

Efstathia Kiatos, Mary Deleary

In Canada, Indigenous populations have been, and continue to be, oppressed, discriminated against, and stigmatized due to colonial regimes, which have left these populations vulnerable and disadvantaged. Indigenous individuals and communities have been actively drawing attention to the long-standing and continuing injustices associated with colonialism. There is a renewed understanding of the importance of considering Indigenous perspectives on justice policy and legislation that are anticipated to have an impact on Indigenous peoples. In a step towards a renewed relationship based on reconciliation, federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments want to ensure that Indigenous issues are properly considered in government policy decision making processes and related legislative initiatives. Thunderbird Partnership Foundation (TPF) has partnered with the Department of Justice to produce a national Indigenous Policy Tool (IPT).
According to Statistics Canada, in 2010 Indigenous people made up 3% of the Canadian population yet represented 20-27% of adults in federal-provincial-territorial custody. Colonization policies have resulted in poverty, unemployment, low socio-economic status, violence, and high rates of substance abuse in Northern and remote Indigenous communities. In a national survey between 2008 and 2010, 82.6% of on-reserve communities considered drug and alcohol abuse to be their number one challenge. These issues are directly related to traditional practices in Canada, which have often not taken Indigenous perspectives into consideration when developing and implementing policy.
The IPT is a first-stage assessment tool designed to create awareness among FPT justice policymakers regarding the various Indigenous issues and perspectives that should be considered prior to policy development and legislative initiatives. This national tool will direct and guide policy makers in considering the potential impacts of justice policy and law reform on Indigenous peoples and, if effective, will help to reduce the negative impacts of colonization such as incarceration rates and substance abuse.