Canada is home to Aboriginal Peoples who are seeking recognition and self-determination on the world stage.

Canada is home to just over one million Aboriginal people, representing dozens of unique histories, languages, and cultural traditions.  Aboriginal peoples have a central role within both Canada's history and national identity.

Canada is seen as a strong promoter of human rights; however, our reputation on Indigenous rights is not as positive. Canadian Aboriginal people face significant challenges, including political autonomy, cultural recognition, control and use of resources, economic and social disparities with the non-Aboriginal population and equality of rights. Just this past November, the United Nations publicly criticized Canada for failing to address child poverty rates and the housing crisis - highlighting the impact these issues have on Aboriginal communities.

Questions about Indigenous rights are being raised all over the world as Indigenous communities, feeling that their governments are not protecting their rights, have brought their struggles to the international level.  This has led to a growing international movement to recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. As these voices continue to grow, so too do the number of perspectives on how to address the challenges facing Indigenous Peoples in Canada and worldwide.

In the past Indigenous rights were usually seen as domestic issues for national governments to resolve. Today Indigenous rights are increasingly becoming an international issue. Over the past 30 years international attention and interest in Indigenous rights has grown significantly.  There have also been developments in international law that support this movement.  Most recently in September 2007, the United Nations adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples made news headlines around the world.

Indigenous rights not only affect Indigenous peoples, they are also deeply linked to human rights, environmental sustainability, protection of cultural diversity and other important global issues. As one of the non-Indigenous authors of the landmark Royal Commission on Aboriginal Rights (see section on New Developments in Canada), once said, "they are my treaties too. They legitimize my place on this land."  Improved understanding and promotion of Indigenous rights directly affects the non-Indigenous communities who share land, resources, citizenship and historical connection with Indigenous peoples. It can allow the groups who share these resources to arrive at solutions that are just and fair.

Canadians face questions about how we should respond to the rising Indigenous rights movement at home and abroad. This discussion guide contains information on the Indigenous rights movement, provides background on the historical and current situation of Indigenous people in Canada, outlines key challenges and opportunities and finally sets out a few different approaches Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians and their governments could take to respond to challenges identified by the Indigenous rights movement.

Next section: Background