Our Commitment to Reconciliation 

• Follow a path towards Reconciliation.
• Learn from, and be accountable for any mistakes we make and have made. We will work to reinforce and expand positive efforts and approaches.
• Listen
• Be true partners with Yukon First Nations and other Indigenous Peoples as we seek to maintain species and places that shelter and provide for those species
• Continue to prioritize building and stewarding relationships with First Nations and Inuvialuit communities, citizens and governments. We recognize the responsibilities that come with these relationships and that trust is difficult to earn, but easily broken
• Recognize the history of colonialism that exists within conservation and environmental management and take action to ensure that it does not continue
• Create awareness about:
  • The structures that were designed to foster and uphold colonialism, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius. It is helpful that these ideas have been renounced both nationally and internationally, in particular by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and through UNDRIP, though the concepts tied to them are still used today and impede the path to Reconciliation;
  • How the environmental sector can support the abolishment of colonialism.

A key part of Reconciliation is Education and putting our learning into action:

• We will educate ourselves on Yukon First Nation histories, values, and governance. This includes how they have been affected by Canadian Federal, Provincial, Territorial and Municipal government actions and legislation, such as the Indian Act and the Residential School system.
• We will be as specific as possible when working with Yukon First Nations, transboundary Nations and Inuvialuit by referring to their specific name and, where appropriate, permitted and encouraged, the place names they choose.
• Through our education and learning, we will work to become better allies to First Nations and Inuvialuit communities, governments and citizens.
• We will incorporate the two worldviews, which includes Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Scientific Knowledge or Western Knowledge, into our daily work and in particular, when working with communities. We will acknowledge and respect that every Indigenous community has different worldviews, governance structures, spiritual and cultural practices.
• We will reflect on how past and current conservation approaches have kept and may keep colonial or dominant views in place, both deliberately or unintentionally, for example:
  • The removal of First Nation lands for the creation of ‘Parks’.
  • The existing policies and legislations which were created at the expense of First Nations such as free entry staking, the prioritization of land for non-Indigenous residents and users, and restrictive hunting and fishing regulations.
  • The belief that TK is only authentic when proven by Western science and knowledge systems.
• We will use this education and reflection towards Yukon and Transboundary First Nations, and Inuvialuit communities we work with to do our best to stop the continuation of these harms and seek new, transparent, respectful and collaborative approaches.
• We will be conscious of our own biases and actively work to challenge them in order to avoid having them negatively impact our working relationships

We will commit to Decision Making:

• We will follow the principles of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), such as the TRC Call 43 and 52 and Articles 19, 29, and 32 of UNDRIP.
• We will always acknowledge that First Nations have the right of self-determination to make decisions for themselves and endorse the need for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). For example, we will advocate for changes in the Yukon Socio-Economic Impact Assessment process, and support Indigenous-led Land Use Planning in order to facilitate FPIC. We will also respect the right of Yukon First Nations who have not signed a modern treaty to define their own assessment processes.
• We acknowledge that First Nation governments have the right to determine the best use of their own lands and water.
• We recognize the critical value of Indigenous Knowledge systems and commit to respecting this Knowledge on its own terms, alongside the concepts of Western Science and Western Knowledge. Furthermore, we recognize that both systems are unique and of equal value, and that Western Knowledge systems should not be prioritized over Indigenous Knowledge systems.
• We will follow the principles and protocols of First Nations and Inuvialuit where it relates to Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge holders. This includes Ownership, Control, Access and Possession and we recognize that protocols differ.
• We will create a guidebook for employees on reconciliation and will provide avenues to access in house workshops and provide the tools to help people work towards reconciliation. We will also support and seek training and education for our staff and boards from outside of our organizations.

We will commit to amplifying First Nations and Inuvialuit voices:

• We will always be respectful of traditional land owners in our public communications.
• We do not represent the views or perspectives of First Nations or Inuvialuit people, and we do not present ourselves as an authority for their positions on anything.
• We will only ever speak for our own organization; we do not speak for First Nations or the Inuvialuit people.
• We will use our platform to allow space for First Nations and Inuvialuit Citizens to share their own stories, perspectives and views.

We will commit to being held accountable to our promises:

• The Board and staff of our organization will regularly review and, when necessary, revise, this document.
• We will keep the community informed of our work to meet these commitments by including a progress update as a regular part of the annual reporting that we complete for the public.