Canada failed to pass the Digital Charter Implementation Act (DCIA) before the federal election in 2025. This failure could be seized as an opportunity to amend the act with an updated legal framework, one that entrenches policy objectives that address civil society’s concerns and ensures consistency with and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Act. And this opportunity could be very well informed by collaboration and information Canada can already access, but just needs to prioritize.
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s constitutional principles of Karihwí:iyo (Righteousness), Ka’satsténshsera (Power) and Skén:nen (Peace) can help strengthen Canadian digital sovereignty by informing how to bridge policy gaps in the Digital Charter. By braiding Indigenous, Canadian and international law, Canada can strengthen its approaches to national security, digital sovereignty and the ethical governance of AI, thereby enhancing public trust, balancing power and safeguarding future generations from digital harms.
