Alberta NDP takes the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples one step further and implements it into their policy

News Release
For immediate release: Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A highlight of the Alberta NDP convention in Red Deer November 6 was the unanimous approval of an Indigenous Peoples policy book that incorporates the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). “This is a landmark first in Canada,” says Lewis Cardinal, co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples caucus of the NDP. “This policy document is more comprehensive than what any party offers anywhere in Canada. It will ensure NDP social and economic policy is anchored in the unique relationship of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Alberta,” Cardinal explains.

“Nowhere else in Canada do we see the UN declaration at the core of party policy,” adds caucus co-chair Linda Robinson.

“The members of the NDP’s Indigenous Peoples caucus have worked hard to develop this importantapproach to policy. The NDP will be making this perspective part of how we advocate for good public policy in Alberta,” says NDP leader Brian Mason. The NDP’s 44th annual convention attracted new interest from Indigenous People. The convention also saw the caucus renamed, from the previous “Aboriginal Peoples Caucus”. The UNDRIP has been accepted by the House of Commons, but not yet endorsed by the federal Conservative government. Cardinal is the NDP’s candidate in Edmonton Centre federal riding. “The Alberta NDP is setting the foundation for policy with Indigenous Peoples in areas including human rights, self-government, hunting, fishing and trapping, consultations, housing, education, health, and more,” Cardinal says.

To review the complete document, please visit: www.AlbertaNDP.ca

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