DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION 11 FPIC, UNDRIP and reconciliation “Built into the constitutional foundation stones of this country is a commitment to respect one another and to respect the water and the land that we all depend on.” — Eli Enns, co-chair of ICE7 UNDRIP and free, prior and informed consent At the United Nations in New York on May 9, 2016, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern [...] The negotiation of Treaties, Rio Tinto)a to consult with while seemingly honourable and legal, was often marked by Indigenous Peoples prior fraud and coercion, and Canada was, and remains, slow to to development activities implement their provisions and intent.14 in traditional territories and to accommodate Reconciliation must address the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples their interests, in m [...] That’s the mandate that I’ve been following from the beginning, in the spirit and intent of the peace and friendship treaty.”15 Ultimately, the potential for governments to recognize and uphold IPCAs represents a significant opportunity in the path toward honouring FPIC and advancing reconciliation. [...] These knowledge-holders spoke about the essential need to provide safe, nurturing places and opportunities for people to spend time on the land to gain strength and heal (emotionally, psychologically, physically and spiritually), and to deepen their relationships and understanding of the land in ways that facilitate its conservation and restoration. [...] For many Indigenous communities, the motivation to heal people and the land together lies at the heart of their cultural ways of knowing and relating to the land.