Romeo Saganash speaks about UNDRIP’s human rights application in Canadian law

Romeo Saganash is a relentless campaigner when it comes to human rights for Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world.

The NDP MP for the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding since 2011, Saganash spoke at McGill University’s Faculty of Law March 15 about his work on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and its implementation through Bill C-262.

“I came into politics to present Bill C-262 – to complete that circle, started in 1984,” Saganash stated.

The UNDRIP was first drafted in 1985 and finally adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007. Successive Conservative and Liberal federal governments have hesitated to ratify the Declaration, however, leading Saganash to introduce his private member’s bill.

He spoke eloquently and honestly about the decade-long effort to have the UNDRIP recognized as law in Canada. “I’m a patient guy,” he joked.

Saganash introduced Bill C-262 on April 21, 2016. A third and final vote will take place in June to determine if the bill passes into Canadian law.

During his talk, Saganash encouraged people to speak or write to their MPs and recommend a vote in favour of Bill C-262. He stated that the UNDRIP is consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“I want to hear about Bill C-262 and the possibility of harmonizing the UNDRIP with Canadian law – and it’s always interesting to listen to Romeo Saganash talk about these subjects,” Widia Larivière, co-founder of the Quebec branch of Idle No More, told the Nation.

Saganash said he is struck by the contrast in legislation in Canada between recognizing Indigenous rights and recognizing human rights.

“So far in this country, we haven’t seen any movement towards recognizing Indigenous rights as human rights,” he observed. “Our rights to clean drinking water, our rights to housing. They’re not considered as human rights in this country.”

With regards to the question of reconciliation, Saganash said, “There is no reconciliation in the absence of justice.”