Actions and Commitments

Call to Action # 17 : Language and Culture (13-17)

Reclaiming Indigenous Names

June 14, 2021

The federal government announced that Indigenous people can now apply to reclaim their traditional names on passports and other government ID. All fees will be waived for the name-changing process. While Call to Action 17 identified passports, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada expanded this initiative to include permanent resident cards, citizenship certificates and other travel documents not only for residential school survivors and their families but for all Indigenous peoples. IRCC has made the standard name change process simpler for reclamation of Indigenous names on various valid IRCC documents. The replacement documents are free, but some fees may be required (postage, expedited processing).