Closing the Gap – Beyond Section 35
The Treaty Commission partnered with the Institute on Governance to host the Vancouver Beyond Section 35 symposium. The Beyond Section 35 Symposiums held in Ottawa in November 2012 and Vancouver, in February 2013, brought together key stakeholders from Indigenous communities and institutions, practitioners, public sector and academia to discuss and reflect upon the impact of the constitutional recognition of Section 35 on the lives and relations of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Prominent leaders came together in both forums to discuss governance challenges and successes since the passage of Section 35. Animated discussions, sharing of wisdom and reflections on best practices provided the momentum to move beyond litigation and affect change. The Beyond Section 35 Symposium in BC was a collaboration between the British Columbia Treaty Commission (BCTC), the New Relationship Trust (NRT), and the Institute on Governance (IOG), and hosted at Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver, February 19-20, 2013.
What follows is a summary of the discussions and recommendations that emerged from the Symposium.