ARCHIVED - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Canadian Polar Commission - Supplementary Tables

Government Response to the Third Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, “First Nations Elections: The Choice is Inherently Theirs”

The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples presented to the Senate its Third Report on First Nations Elections on May 12, 2010. The Senate adopted the report on May 13, 2010, and requested a government response, which was tabled in the Senate on October 20, 2010.

The Committee’s first two recommendations called upon the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to assist all First Nations who currently hold elections pursuant to the Indian Act in moving to community-based codes and to undertake a variety of activities to support this, and upon First Nations leadership to establish appropriate consultation mechanisms to ensure the meaningful participation of all community members in the development, implementation and future amendment(s) of community-based codes. The Committee's other two recommendations are that the Department, in collaboration with First Nations and their organizations, take steps to establish a First Nations Electoral and Appeals Commission, and establish pilot projects to develop and implement First Nations-led electoral initiatives and to guide policy and/or legislative development in this area.

For further information on the Department’s response, see the Government Response to the Third Report of the Standing Senate Committee (links to the report on the Committee website are http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/403/abor/rep/GovernmentResponse03-e.pdf and http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/403/abor/rep/GovernmentResponse03-f.pdf).

Government Response to the Third Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence, “Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty”

The Standing Committee on National Defence presented its Third Report on Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty to the House of Commons on June 17, 2010, and requested a government response, which was tabled on October 18, 2010.

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development took the lead in coordinating a comprehensive government response to the Committee’s 17 recommendations, which touched upon a wide range of issues that fell within the mandates and responsibilities of numerous departments.

The Committee’s recommendations included creating a Cabinet Committee on Arctic Affairs; including Inuit in scientific research projects pertaining to the Northern environment; doing more to recognize the importance of historic contributions made by Canada’s Indigenous peoples to Arctic sovereignty; including Nunavik and Nunatsiavut in the government’s Northern Strategy and programs; re-establishing the Office of Arctic Ambassador; strengthening the Arctic Council; expediting the procurement of Arctic/offshore patrol ships and the building of the promised icebreaker; requiring all foreign vessels entering Canada’s Arctic waters to report to NORDREG; providing proper infrastructure to ensure the safe passage of vessels through Canada’s Arctic waters; allocating the necessary resources to enable the Canadian Coast Guard to effectively execute its mandate in the Arctic; fully funding the RADARSAT Constellation Mission; resolving the dispute over the Beaufort Sea with the US; taking the lead in the development of international regimes governing activities in the Arctic.

For further information on the Department’s response, see the Government Response to the Third Report of the Standing Committee (the link to the report on the Committee website is http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4486644&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3).

Response of the Government to the Second Report of the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations (Indian Estates Regulations)

The Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations presented its Second Report on Indian Estates Regulations to the House of Commons on December 9, 2010, and requested a government response, which was tabled in the House on March 25, 2011.

This Committee undertakes very technical, detailed work on statutory instruments and may examine issues over a period of several decades. In the case of the Indian Estates Regulations, the Joint Committee first reported to Parliament on this matter in a document tabled in the House of Commons on June 7, 1999, following a review of section 14 of these regulations spanning a number of years. Section 14 purported to authorize the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to deem certain persons to be the widow of a deceased Indian for the purposes of section 48 of the Indian Act. Section 48 deals with the distribution of property belonging to an Indian who dies intestate and, among other things, defines the entitlement of the intestate's survivor. It is the Joint Committee’s view that section 14 is ultra vires the Indian Act.

The Government Response to the Second Report of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations has yet to be posted on the Committee’s website.

Chapter 3: Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change (December 2010)

The Report, tabled in the House of Commons by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) in the fall of 2010, looks at whether the departments included in this audit are identifying and assessing the risks posed by climate change in their areas of responsibility and whether they are taking steps to adapt to these risks by considering them in their planning and decision making. It covers the period from 2006 to June 2010.

The Report presented three key findings. The first is that the government has not established clear priorities for addressing the need to adapt to a changing climate. Specifically, the government has not produced a federal adaptation policy, strategy or action plan. The chapter concludes that this is the responsibility of Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada as the federal leads on adaptation.

A second key finding is that the programs have shared information on climate impacts and adaptation in a manner that meets the needs of their clients, stakeholders and partners, but that funding for these programs—including AANDC’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP)—is scheduled to end in March 2011.

A third key finding is that the departments included in this audit have not taken concrete actions to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. The CESD recommends that all audited departments, including AANDC, identify the adaptation measures needed to respond to the risks that climate change presents for their areas of responsibility. AANDC has initiated—but not completed—a climate change vulnerability assessment. The results of that assessment will be taken into consideration in the corporate risk profile update process and the program renewal and management cycle. A follow-up report will be presented to the AANDC Audit Committee in April 2012.

For more information on the Report, go to http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_cesd_201012_03_e.pdf.

Chapter 1: Canada’s Economic Action Plan (October 2010)

The Report, tabled in the House of Commons by the Auditor General in the fall of 2010, focuses on the design and implementation of the Economic Action Plan by the federal government. The scope was restricted to programs of Industry Canada, Infrastructure Canada and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

For more information on the Report, go to http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201010_01_e.pdf.