In April 2019, Library and Archives Canada (LAC), guided by the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, launched a plan that comprises 28 actions by LAC to recognize Indigenous rights and increase access to its collection. This action plan was developed in consultation with the members of the Indigenous Advisory Circle, who provide LAC with advice and guidance. In December 2019, LAC took stock of its progress and assessed how the institution had advanced with its commitments.

Categories of commitment:

1. Institutional change
2. Engagement and collaboration
3. Managing records in the LAC collection related to First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation
4. Promotion and support

Progress markers– Legend

• Not started: Action is a business priority, but has not started
  • Empty progress bar indicating Stage 0 of 3
• In motion: Action is being developed, and some pieces have started to roll out
  • Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
• Ongoing: Action is well under way
  • Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
• Completed: Action is finished
  • Full progress bar indicating Stage 3 of 3

A. Institutional change

Action	Action plan item	Update	Progress Marker
1	Training for employees In line with the TRC Call to Action No. 57, we will facilitate distinction-based awareness and learning activities for LAC staff on the subjects of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation histories, intercultural relations, reconciliation, and Indigenous rights.	October 2020 update:Work before the COVID-19 pandemic was done in two ways: meetings with speakers, or work sessions that focused on distinction-based awareness and learning activities for LAC staff on the subjects of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation histories, intercultural relations, reconciliation and Indigenous rights. These included:an all-staff presentation on Understanding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoplesa presentation to Archives Branch on the Role of Indigenous Advisorsfacilitating and chairing the internal Indigenous Matters Forumproviding guidance and input on discussions about the modernization of library classifications re: Indigenous Subject HeadingsDuring COVID-19, the focus has been on one-to-one or one-to-a-few activities, usually by email. These discussions have been more pointed, providing employees with the answers and context needed for them to move forward with their work. Topics addressed have included:communications processesreview of the Library and Archives of Canada Act“takedown” policyrecruitment and retention of Indigenous employeesNo in-person or virtual public events have been held since March 2020 because of the pandemic.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
2	Senior management engagement Senior management will lead by example, demonstrating a long-term commitment to reconciliation and the advancement of the Government of Canada’s renewed approach to nation-to-nation relationships. LAC management will support its employees in their efforts to implement related initiatives and programs.	October 2020 update:The Deputy Librarian and Archivist of Canada is the senior manager responsible for Indigenous initiatives at LAC. From January to September 2020, his efforts were focused on:continued implementation of the Indigenous Heritage Action Planensuring that the Indigenization and decolonization of LAC is an integral part of the institution’s Vision 2030 exerciserecruitment and retention of Indigenous employeesensuring adequate funding of future Indigenous initiativesTwo senior managers are responsible for two Indigenous projects:We Are Here: Sharing StoriesListen, Hear Our Voices	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
3	Indigenous awareness We will devote specific human resources and install visual markers of Indigenous peoples at our institutions and dedicate training resources in order to raise employees’ awareness of topics specific to First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation, including an understanding of distinction-based protocols and land acknowledgements.	October 2020 update:Two employees, one of them Indigenous, manage LAC’s internal Indigenous Awareness and Learning Program. An Indigenous person holds the position of Advisor, Internal Indigenous Engagement. The role of these employees is to support staff work related to Indigenous matters.An Indigenous person held the position of Communications Advisor in the Strategic Communications Division from December 2019 to March 2020. When developing communications products that have an Indigenous component to them, the Communications Branch consistently consults the Indigenous Engagement and Coordination team to ensure that messaging and communications approaches are appropriate and respectfully take into account the distinction-based protocols and land acknowledgements of First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
4	Community engagement We will ensure that those working with materials related to Indigenous experiences have community engagement as a formal work objective and we will add community engagement to our workflows and processes where appropriate.	October 2020 update:This action item will be further developed after the cultural guidelines have been researched and created (see action plan item 10).Working under the direction of the Indigenous protocols advisory group, LAC’s e-book has added engagement to its workflows to ensure that the translations are from the community and in the dialect of the nation represented in the e-book. This includes:Anishnaabemowin dialect of the Anishinaabekwe from Bawaating (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)Nishnaabemowin dialect of the Michi Saagiig spoken by the Nishnaabeg at Curve Lake (Ontario)Denesuline orthography spoken by the Sayisi Dene First Nation (Yukon)Kanien’kéha dialect spoken at Kanehsatà:ke (Quebec)Mi’kmaq dialect spoken by the Eskasoni First Nation (Nova Scotia)Inuktut: Inuttut – Nunatsiavut dialect (Newfoundland and Labrador), syllabics in North Baffin and Nunavik dialects – Nunavut, Nunavik (Quebec)	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
5	Recruitment We will hire First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation employees for major initiatives and projects related to Indigenous heritages, connecting LAC to Indigenous perspectives and communities. Where possible, Indigenous people will be included in hiring boards and selection processes.	October 2020 update:A total of 14 Indigenous employees representing First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation have been hired in the following key roles:seven archivists for the Listen, Hear Our Voices initiative (terms)three archivists for the We Are Here: Sharing Stories initiative (terms)one archivist with the Online Content Team (term)one Indigenous Engagement Advisor for activities within LAC (indeterminate)one Indigenous Engagement Advisor for activities outside LAC (indeterminate)one Communications Advisor (term)one archivist for the Indigenous Documentary Heritage Initiatives (term)As the Listen, Hear Our Voices and We Are Here: Sharing Stories initiatives will come to an end on March 31, 2021, LAC is circulating job posters to staff working on these initiatives. Indigenous employees have been included in the hiring boards and selection processes for all new opportunities where appropriate.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
6	Representative workforce We will work toward building a representative workforce where Indigenous people account for a proportional number of employees and executives.	October 2020 update:A working group comprising Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees and executives is drafting a strategy that will outline actions and recommendations to recruit and retain First Nation, Inuit and Métis Nation employees, ensure resources are in place to support workplace well-being for Indigenous staff, and enhance cultural sensitivity and awareness among all LAC staff.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
7	Guidance and teachings of Elders We will seek the counsel of an Elder-in-Residence to help guide LAC in all of its work relating to Indigenous peoples.	October 2020 update:LAC is creating a visiting Elder program for staff and researchers to benefit from the guidance and teachings of Elders from First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation. LAC will consult with members of the Algonquin Nation and national Indigenous organizations for advice on the program, which LAC hopes to launch in early 2020.Due to COVID-19, the Visiting Elders Program is delayed in order to focus on implementing a virtual program to be launched in 2021.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
8	Programs for Indigenous youth We will work with universities for the development of co-op/internship programs for Indigenous youth interested in pursuing careers in archives, libraries, museums, history, archaeology, information management or the public service.	October 2020 update:LAC hosted an intern participating in the Canadian Museum of History’s RBCIndigenous internship program for five weeks in early 2020.This work will be further developed following the completion of the recruitment and retention strategy being created under action plan item 6. It is not anticipated that co-op students or interns will be hired at LAC under this action item until 2022 because of COVID-19.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
9	Consultations with Indigenous communities We will consult with local Indigenous communities as we design our new service facility with the Ottawa Public Library in order to create a space where Indigenous clients feel included and comfortable. The functionality of the service spaces will be designed on the principles of decolonization.	October 2020 update:The LAC-OPL joint facility project team undertook a meaningful engagement process with Indigenous communities.Architects worked with the Algonquin communities of Kitigan Zibi and Pikwakanagan, the site being located on their traditional territory. Their input has been instrumental in shaping the design as follows:significance of east and west entranceswarmth and vibrancy in the central spaceIndigenous Knowledge centre, including a meeting room designed as a rendition of a traditional wigwamspaces to allow for smudging ceremonieselements recognizing Algonquin territory and highlighting Algonquin history and culturecolours, landscape, Indigenous art, use of wood and natural materialsThrough presentations and surveys, the project team also engaged with other Indigenous communities (locally and national) to help design a space that is welcoming, reflective and inclusive of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation peoples.Overall, the identity and vision of the project is made richer by the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3

B. Engagement and collaboration

Action	Action plan item	Update	Progress Marker
10	Engagement guidelines We will research and develop distinction-based engagement guidelines so that LAC understands and follows cultural protocols and shows respect for the beliefs and practices of First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation with whom it engages, and from whom it seeks guidance and support.	October 2020 update:A first draft of recommendations has been developed and discussed with the Indigenous Advisory Circle.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
11	Dedicated human resources We will devote specific human resources to coordinate LAC’s engagement and outreach efforts with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation.	October 2020 update:The Indigenous External Advisor has been involved in various virtual activities, including supporting the team contracted to organize the urban Indigenous consultations for the LAC-OPL joint facility. Two in-person meetings of the Indigenous Advisory Circle were postponed due to COVID-19, and a virtual meeting was held on November 4 and 5, 2020. LAC staff sought advice on Vision 2030 and were introduced to the Indigenous Cultural Guidelines Recommendations, which will proactively impact various sectors across LAC. Advisors at LAC also liaised with First Nations community members working to secure information related to the Day School Claims, a process that is often impeded by the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, for which there are currently no easy solutions to benefit First Nations.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
12	Partnerships with communities We will work with Indigenous-led institutions across Canada to enable greater access to the documentary heritage material that matters to them. This includes new partnerships and collaborations with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities, archives, libraries, museums, as well as agreements with universities and other educational institutions. We will also loan valued documents to Indigenous communities and organizations for exhibitions and related events.	October 2020 update:LAC is committed to engaging with Indigenous communities about access to and use of Indigenous holdings through its loan of original material. LAC’s Directive on the Loan of LAC Holdings (approved September 2019) states that “LAC may also prioritize loans that support reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.”As an example, LAC will be lending Western Treaty No. 1 to Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site in St. Andrews, Manitoba, in August 2021 for the exhibition entitled Treaty 150. 2021 marks the 150th year of the signing of Western Treaty No. 1, the first of 11 numbered treaties in Canada. A letter to the respective Band Offices is being developed following consultations with the Indigenous Portfolio Archivists and the Advisor, Internal Indigenous Engagement at LAC.LAC will be lending Scrip certificates and Affidavits to the Winnipeg Art Gallery from March 14 to July 4, 2021, for the exhibition entitled Building Winnipeg.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
13	Enhanced crowdsourcing tools and platforms We will use enhanced crowdsourcing tools and platforms to enable Indigenous peoples to contribute their knowledge directly to the enhancement and contextualization of digital collections. This includes description, transcription, factual corrections and translation.	October 2020 update:Project Naming did not post any photographs between March 13 and July 22 because of the Government of Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since July, LAC has resumed publishing three posts a week, and we continue to receive names and identifications on a weekly basis.We have not added any Indigenous Co-Lab challenges since January 2020 but are planning one for March 2021. The two existing Indigenous-related challenges were posted in November and December 2019. The first one, Correspondence regarding First Nations veterans returning after the First World War, is 96 percent complete. The second one, George Mully: moments in Indigenous communities, is a tagging project, and as such will never be considered complete.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
14	Forums for engagement with specialized users We will create forums for engagement with specialized users including educators, land claims and legal researchers, cultural centres and associations and others to ensure that the collections they need are available and easily accessible.	October 2020 update:As part of its Web Renewal Initiative, the Communications Branch is currently revisiting LAC’s online content on our website to make it easier to navigate and to ensure that users, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities, can easily find services and information of specific interest to them. Over the coming months, the revised structure and content related to Indigenous documentary heritage and related initiatives will be validated through ongoing consultations involving Indigenous employees at LAC. No forums or virtual events on this specific topic were held during that period, due to COVID-19.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3

C. Managing records in the LAC collection related to First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation

Action	Action plan item	Update	Progress Marker
15	Access to information and Privacy We will apply the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act in a way that maximizes access while protecting sensitive and personal information. Further, we will continue to improve and simplify the request for access to information process to add transparency, decrease delays and reduce the administrative burden for clients.	October 2020 update:The ATIP section responsible for processing day school requests (Archival and Operational Records; AOR) has dedicated 75 percent of its resources to responding to formal Privacy Act requests for records pertaining to the day schools class action. In addition, AOR has identified priority requests for land claims research under paragraph 8(2)(k) of the Privacy Act.Additionally, AOR interpreted the Privacy Act to provide community access to redacted records related to the Federal Indian Day School Class Action. This test case will likely inform future interactions with community advocates.As of October 30, 2020, AOR received 1,034 formal requests for day school records; of those, 790 requests are active requests. As of November 5, 2020, AOR has 30 active requests under paragraph 8(2)(k) of the Privacy Act.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
16	Residential school information In collaboration with the NCTR, we will provide access to all known residential school information held in the LAC collection while protecting personal information. Furthermore, we will improve the ability to discover and access residential school information.	October 2020 update:LAC continued to share digital records related to residential schools with other memory and cultural institutions, while continuing to protect personal and sensitive information. LAC’s ongoing investment to make public access tools such as Collection Search more user-friendly supports improved access to the collection overall, particularly for non-professional researchers.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
17	Terminology We will adapt the words we use to describe LAC collections related to First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to enhance access and to ensure a culturally appropriate and respectful approach.	October 2020 update:A publicly available version of LAC’s Procedures for Writing Culturally Sensitive Titles for Descriptions of Indigenous Materials, titled Writing titles for descriptions of Indigenous-related archival materials, was posted on LAC’s website in April 2020.In January 2020, LAC posted a Historical Language Advisory on its website to address the terminology in its records and search tools. Members of the public can access this advisory from the search results in Collection Search.Regarding descriptions of Indigenous books, LAC has developed a list of potential changes to the Canadian Subject Headings; some terms have been updated and are live in our library system. We continue to identify changes and upload them in consultation with Indigenous librarians and subject specialists.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
18	Access to documentary evidence We will continue to facilitate access to documentary evidence for legal processes (e.g., land claims) and quasi-legal processes (e.g., commissions, inquiries) in a way that is balanced and responsive.	October 2020 update:LAC closed its public rooms across Canada on March 13, 2020, in response to COVID-19. However, LAC has continued to help researchers finding documents through various channels of communication: web, phone, email and videoconferencing. In Ottawa, reference staff have answered 569 Indigenous-related written questions (14 percent of all written requests). Of these, 37 were about residential schools. In addition, 51 reference appointments were about Indigenous content (24 percent of all appointments with archivists).Staff in our Vancouver and Winnipeg offices have responded to 1,136 Indigenous-related questions (90 percent of all requests), hosted 116 visits to consult records, and copied 15,239 pages.The Reference Services Division continues to support client queries in response to the Federal Indian Day School Class Action. For January and February, staff responded to 739 written queries and 995 phone calls. In March, centralization of requests in ATIP and the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease; from March to September, Reference Services answered 118 written queries and 474 phone calls. Reference Services has also created help web pages to better support clients: How to search for Indian Day school records and How to submit a formal access request for Indian Day school records. A tool to facilitate the finding of evidence was also finalized. This extraction and compilation of thousands of files related to day schools enables LAC’s staff to refer directly to the tool to answer privacy requests, rather than having to conduct research for each individual. This tool is now used by all archivists supporting ATIP’s work in processing day school privacy requests.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
19	Reference services and service spaces We will establish a plan and implement changes to our reference services and service spaces to be more responsive to the needs individually and collectively expressed by First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation. We will do so in consultation with the Indigenous Advisory Circle and Indigenous researchers at LAC.	October 2020 update:Since 2018–2019, all employees in Reference Services have a mandatory training objective to improve their knowledge of indigenous cultures and history.Because of the closing of LAC’s public rooms, we have worked on the transformation of our tours and workshops into virtual activities. We have created videos, webinars and tools to introduce various aspects of research at LAC, including a video on how to search Indigenous-related material in the LAC collection.LAC Vancouver staff have been collaborating with the Vancouver Public Library, Aboriginal Life in Vancouver Enhancement, and other community groups to host a weekly Indigenous genealogy workshop called Connection to Kith and Kin. While in-person sessions are currently on hold, an online version is under development for launch in November 2020. This workshop was repurposed as a webinar as part of the Royal BC Museum’s RBCM@home lecture series. This workshop will also be delivered at Ottawa Public Library.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
20	Sharing archival records and research results We will share LAC archival records and research results with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities and organizations. We will also examine Indigenous-led access management of some LAC collections that relate to specific peoples or communities, and of records created from Indigenous knowledge.	October 2020 update:LAC continues to discuss ways that Indigenous-led access management could be applied to records in LAC holdings, and how a process of consultation might be applied to these records on a case-by-case basis.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
21	Enhanced access to digitized collections As part of LAC’s new We Are Here, Sharing Stories initiative, we will digitize collections related to Indigenous cultures and languages, create user-friendly finding aids, and develop online content in order to highlight these documents and enhance access to them.	October 2020 update:As of October 2020, the We Are Here: Sharing Stories initiative has digitized 586,512 images, documents and maps in the LAC collection, including the following:selection of Métis river lot maps, including metro areas, Prairie provinces and Manitoba parishesMétis Scrip registers, ledgers and land assignments from the Department of Interior materialR.F. Waugh photographic collection, including six albums depicting Anishinaabe, Wiikwemkoong First Nation, Obishikokaang (Lac Seul First Nation), Haudenosaunee communities, and Nunatsiavummiut and Innu from Labradorvarious language and grammar publications including Ojibwe, Cree, Mi’kmaq and BlackfootAlex Jerry Saley fonds, primarily photographs of settlements, employees, families and operations located along the Distant Early Warning Line around 1956To make these collections easier to find, we continue to create thematic codes within the system for all newly digitized Indigenous material, which will enable LAC to make efficient ways to find the material through our public-facing interface in the future.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
22	Building archival and library capacity LAC will assist in building archival and library capacity in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities and will also provide preservation storage to communities who do not yet have such capacity, without transferring ownership to LAC. We will also collaborate with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to ensure that non-governmental archival records from their communities are preserved according to their preferences, whether at LAC or locally.	October 2020 update:LAC is working with six individuals and organizations to provide digital deposit storage as part of Listen, Hear Our Voices digitization services.	In motion Progress bar indicating Stage 1 of 3
23	Handling and caring for sensitive material LAC will prioritize the preferences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities when handling and caring for sensitive material created by or about their respective communities.	October 2020 update:LAC continues to work with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to establish access protocols that reflect their preferences and requirements with regard to ownership and control of records identified as being of importance to Inuit.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3

D. Promotion and support

Action	Action plan item	Update	Progress Marker
24	Indigenous heritage collections We will promote Indigenous heritage collections through online content and social media, with a special focus on First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation audiences.	October 2020 update:In January 2020, LAC announced the 31 recipient organizations of its Listen, Hear Our Voices initiative and launched the second call for funding in October 2020. In June 2020, newly digitized and described Indigenous-related content was promoted in a news release and social media posts featuring the We Are Here: Sharing Stories initiative. Through our social media platforms, we featured several Indigenous commemorative dates such as National Indigenous Peoples Day and Louis Riel Day, in addition to the 150th anniversary of the Métis Nation’s entry into Confederation.So far, 21 Indigenous-related blogs have been published, and there are 19 in the works. LAC will meet its target of publishing 36 blogs with Indigenous themes. One podcast about Cogwagee (Tom Longboat) of Six Nations was released, and a two-part podcast about the life of Kahntinetha Horn (a Mohawk activist) is currently being produced. Additionally, Indigenous perspectives and reviews are being incorporated in podcasts that touch upon other subjects, e.g. the climbing of Mount Logan.	Ongoing Progress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
25	Contribution funding We will provide financial support to Indigenous-led organizations for potential archival and library projects related to Indigenous heritage and histories.	October 2020 update:On October 1, 2020, LAC launched a second funding call to provide up to $60,000 to Indigenous groups to digitize their cultural and language recordings as part of the Listen, Hear Our Voices program. Applications will be reviewed by an external Indigenous Review Committee made up of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation individuals. Funds will be available to organizations in April 2021. In the first funding call, LAC distributed funds to 31 organizations, for a total of $2.3 million.	OngoingProgress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
26	Listen, Hear Our Voices We will partner with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities and organizations to support their efforts to preserve and digitize their culture and language recordings, as part of LAC’s new Listen, Hear Our Voices initiative.	October 2020 update:Listen, Hear Our Voices is finalizing work to digitize and preserve recordings with nine Indigenous organizations and individuals to support their efforts to safeguard and make more accessible their culture and language recordings.	OngoingProgress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
27	Events  We will facilitate events developed with Indigenous perspectives to promote knowledge and understanding of the histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities, as well as of the role of archives and libraries in reconciliation.	October 2020 update:The Indigenous Knowledge and Access Symposium with Dalhousie University was scheduled to take place in March 2020, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions are taking place about potentially holding it in spring 2021 in a virtual format.	OngoingProgress bar indicating Stage 2 of 3
28	Exhibitions We will create and co-create exhibitions dedicated to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation histories, to be hosted at LAC or at partner institutions.	October 2020 update:LAC is formalizing its commitment to telling First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation histories in developing its Exhibition Road Map, where reconciliation is identified as one of the four pillars of the exhibition program.LAC’s successful Hiding in Plain Sight: Discovering the Métis Nation in the Collection of Library and Archives Canadaexhibition continues to tour the country. In 2020, the exhibition has been shown at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum in Jasper, Alberta, and at the Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In 2021, the exhibition is planned for Métis Crossing in Smoky Lake, Alberta. An abridged version of the exhibition will be presented in a series of short videos for social media starting in January 2021.This year, LAC received guidance from the Inuit Placenames Project, Leo Arcand (Woodland Cree) and David Neel (Kwagiutl), among others, in developing varied exhibition projects for partner institutions.