Traditional and Ancestral Territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, Vancouver, BC
Today, the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs; the Honourable Niki Sharma, Attorney General of British Columbia; and the Honourable Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia, met with Kory Wilson, Chair of the British Columbia First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC), and its directors, for the second annual tripartite meeting. As per the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the BCFNJC, Canada, and British Columbia, the purpose of the Annual Tripartite Ministers' Meeting is to discuss how to advance justice issues as outlined in the BC First Nations Justice Strategy (the BC Strategy).
The meeting was held at the recently established Vancouver Indigenous Justice Centre (IJC) which provides culturally grounded legal services and supports to Indigenous people. The Vancouver IJC is concrete evidence of the progress that can be achieved by First Nations working together with BC and Canada toward increasing holistic wellness, safety and security for all Indigenous people, including First Nations communities and their members.
In August 2021, the Department of Justice Canada (JUS), the Government of BC and the BCFNJC signed an MOU, committing to work together to advance shared First Nations justice priorities-including through the BC Strategy and Canada's development of a federal Indigenous Justice Strategy. In May 2023, Public Safety Canada joined JUS in signing on to the Tripartite MOU.
During today's meeting, the BCFNJC, BC and Canada discussed how the BC Strategy aligns with and informs provincial and federal Indigenous justice initiatives, including any new priorities that impact work in this area, and how Canada and BC envision supporting the restoration of First Nations legal traditions and structures. Additionally, discussions focused on how the BC Strategy can inform the federal Indigenous Justice Strategy.
This work is a key part of the shared vision and commitments of the BCFNJC, the Government of BC and the Government of Canada in supporting concrete progress in the implementation of the BC Strategy, as well as advancing the development of a federal Indigenous Justice Strategy to address systemic racism and overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian justice system.
The BC Strategy, borne from the initial partnership between BCFNJC and the Province of BC, has a goal to establish 15 Indigenous Justice Centres (IJC) throughout the province by 2025, advancing reconciliation under the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and the federal United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, with financial support from both BC and Canada. The IJCs are being established to provide culturally appropriate resources and supports for Indigenous clients. As of January 11, 2024, there are nine physical IJCs and one virtual IJC operating in BC.
This tripartite meeting is another important step towards improving BC's justice system and embracing First Nation justice strategies that help promote cultural understanding, address systemic issues of racism, and increase community safety.
