British Columbia Indigenous leaders have published important new guidelines which aim to set a standard for Reconciliation Action Plans in the Canadian province.
The new paper from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), developed in collaboration with the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Institute and West Coast Environmental Law sets the baseline expectations for companies to credibly call a plan a "RAP".
RAPs are intended to be forward-looking documents used by organisations to articulate their commitments to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. As RAP development has accelerated in Canada recent years, particularly following the 2021 discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, a lack of oversight, standards and accountability mechanisms in British Columbia has raised concerns among Indigenous leaders and investors.
The paper, titled Baseline Expectations and Good Practices for the Development and Assessment of the Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) of Companies in British Columbia, provides practical guidance to improve how RAPs are designed and implemented, and ensure they include meaningful action and accountability.
The paper was supported by Union of BC Indian Chiefs Resolution 2024-46, and informed by engagements with First Nations rightsholders, organisations, and allies, which identified "challenges and opportunities in the current RAP landscape" in Canada, and aimed to understand their expectations for RAP development processes, such as alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) through integrating Indigenous values, principles and frameworks.
UBCIC President, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, noted that "reconciliation cannot be performative".
"Far too often, we see commitments that are unclear or disconnected from the title and rights, laws, and lived realities of our people," he said.
"This framework establishes a path forward that reflects the expectations of First Nations and centres Indigenous voices, values, principles, and frameworks, and provides companies with clear expectations for how to demonstrate real, measurable action grounded in meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples and alignment with the principles affirmed in the UN Declaration (on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)."
The paper outlines five priority areas: truth-telling, education, Indigenous rights and rightsholder engagement, economic reconciliation, and environmental stewardship. It also sets expectations for non-extractive engagement, including opt-in participation, fair compensation, long-term relationship building and accountability mechanisms such as ongoing feedback and grievance processes.
"Companies and investors are looking for clear direction on what meaningful reconciliation looks like in practice," said Joseph Bastien, Associate Director and Maada'ookii, Inclusive Economy at SHARE, the Shareholder Association for Research and Education, which provides secretariat support to the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Institute.
"This guidance helps close that gap by defining what strong, credible RAPs should include, and by reinforcing that commitments must be backed by action, transparency and accountability."
The UBCIC noted that the rapid growth of RAPs in BC and across Canada has "underscored the need for consistent, Indigenous-led standards", and the paper provides companies in British Columbia with "a new tool to ensure that First Nations voices, values, principles and frameworks are incorporated into their RAPs".
