Singh tells AFN chiefs NDP will fight for Indigenous rights, justice for First Nations | CBC News

New Democrats would continue to combat injustice and pressure the federal government to respect Indigenous Peoples’ human rights if elected to Parliament, Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday in an election pitch to First Nations.

Those rights include the right to safe water, treaty and inherent rights, and the right to have public services free from racial discrimination, the NDP leader said in a virtual meeting with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

“Indigenous people are a priority for me,” Singh said from Edmonton following a morning rally.

“The human dignity of all people should be a priority and the first people of this land have to have access to dignity, human rights and respect.”

The AFN, a national advocacy organization for chiefs, is hosting virtual forums with party leaders ahead of the April 28 general election. Green Party Co-Leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault appeared in a session April 14. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the forum Tuesday.

Singh is urging voters to prevent a Liberal “supermajority,” and warned First Nations chiefs against Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s promises of budget cuts and tax breaks.

“When they want to act to help out their friends, they can go really quickly. But when it comes to Indigenous people who need basic human rights, there’s no money,” said Singh.

Singh cited the NDP’s achievements in the last two minority governments, such as getting unanimous support for a motion recognizing residential schools as genocide and the NDP’s efforts to hold the Liberals accountable for fighting Indigenous child advocates in court. 

“We’ve seen this before: When the Liberals have all the power, they forget to act. But when New Democrats are there, when we’re strong in Ottawa, we’re able to push them and force them,” he said.

The AFN is asking all leaders a question each on five predetermined topics: Canada-U.S. border and trade issues, the First Nations infrastructure gap, water, policing, and children and families.

Pledges to honour UNDRIP

After that, a moderator asked written questions submitted by chiefs, which frequently raised the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

UNDRIP is an international instrument that recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ human rights, including the right to give or withhold consent for industrial projects that impact them. 

The Conservatives have opposed this policy as a “veto,” while the Liberals passed a law to implement UNDRIP in 2021 and promised to move forward with it. 

In his appearance Tuesday, Poilievre offered the chiefs his vision of economic prosperity through resource and infrastructure development, but he reiterated concerns with UNDRIP and declined to endorse the Liberals’ UNDRIP Act.

Singh said he is “fundamentally driven” by the declaration and promised to uphold it.

“If there’s any development of projects, that has to happen with free, prior and informed consent” of Indigenous nations, he said.

Residential schools, water, policing

While campaigning in 2015, Justin Trudeau famously promised to end long-term boil water advisories on reserves by 2021, a deadline his government missed.

Carney’s Liberal platform promises to immediately reintroduce and pass legislation affirming that First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water, a bill that died when Trudeau suspended Parliament last year.

Singh said the NDP would pressure the government to not just reintroduce but improve the bill.

“It is such a denial of basic human rights to not have access to clean drinking water, and so this has to be remedied,” said Singh.

Singh was also asked about NDP support for communities searching for unmarked graves at the sites of residential schools.

The NDP’s platform is the only one of the three leading national political parties to explicitly promise to fully implement all 94 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action and provide long-term funding for those searches.

The Liberal platform promises to “move forward on the important work,” in these areas, while the Conservative platform doesn’t mention them at all.

WATCH | NDP leader addresses AFN last summer: 

Singh delivers speech at AFN meeting

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh outlines for chiefs and delegates at the Assembly of First Nations meeting in Montreal how his party would work with First Nations.

The NDP platform also promises to introduce legislation to combat residential school denialism and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against Indigenous Peoples committed in the institutions.

Singh’s party says it will end the chronic underfunding of child and family services by negotiating long-term program reform, addressing the backlog of Jordan’s Principle applications and ensuring permanent funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative.

The party also promises to launch a national inquiry into systemic violence and racism in Canadian institutions, and declare First Nations policing an essential service.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is scheduled to address the forum Friday.