In 2022, the government made little progress on many of the issues of greatest concern to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit women, girls, and two-spirit people. The drinking water crisis continues in communities across the country, despite the government’s commitment to end all boil-water advisories by March 2021. Implementation of the Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission continues to move at a glacial pace. At the current rate of progress, the Calls will not be fully implemented for another 42 years, until 2065. Implementation has also been slow on the Calls for Justice that emerged from the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Three years after the National Inquiry concluded, Canada still does not have an implementation plan that is costed and measurable, although some progress was made over the past year in establishing accountability mechanisms.
Prioritizing the rights, needs, and interests of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit women, girls, and two-spirit people will require more focus, commitment, and financial resources from the government to move from institutional inertia to genuine progress.
