Maple News reports that Canada is taking significant steps to recognize the nation’s Indigenous peoples in its citizenship process. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has announced that the Oath of Citizenship and the official citizenship guide will be updated to better reflect the historical and ongoing contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
One key change includes allowing Indigenous individuals to reclaim their traditional names on citizenship and permanent resident documents—a move seen as a meaningful gesture toward cultural reclamation. This announcement also aligns with a broader national initiative to address the injustices of Canada’s colonial past, particularly those tied to residential schools.
The government also confirmed it will revise the citizenship guide, which educates newcomers about Canada’s history, to include more detailed and accurate accounts of Indigenous experiences. This includes frank discussions about the residential school system—government-funded, church-operated boarding schools that forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families. Between 1831 and 1996, roughly 150,000 Indigenous children passed through these institutions, where many faced abuse and thousands died.
These policy updates come in the wake of a distressing national discovery: the remains of 215 children, found in unmarked graves on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia. The revelation has sparked nationwide grief and calls for deeper reconciliation with Indigenous communities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on the Catholic Church to issue a formal apology for its involvement in residential schools, though Pope Francis has declined to do so.
The changes directly address recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which issued 94 Calls to Action in 2015 aimed at healing the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Two of these calls—Call to Action 93 and 94—specifically urge amendments to the citizenship guide and oath to reflect a more inclusive narrative.
Call to Action 93 encourages the federal government to work with national Indigenous organizations to revise materials provided to newcomers, ensuring prominent inclusion of Indigenous histories, cultures, and Treaties. Meanwhile, Call to Action 94 proposes a new version of the Citizenship Oath that includes a pledge to respect Treaties with Indigenous peoples.
These actions signal a meaningful shift in how the nation welcomes new citizens, emphasizing a more truthful telling of Canada’s complex history. According to Maple News, the bill to amend the Oath of Citizenship has already passed the Senate and is waiting for royal assent to become law.
As Canada continues its journey toward reconciliation, updates like these reflect a growing commitment to truth, recognition, and lasting inclusion for Indigenous communities.