**4. Walking the Path**

I believe the path to reconciliation will entail significant transformative change. Indigenous peoples will need to be in the driving seat to determine what and where this path is leading—with support from allies where possible. This paper is a starting point in identifying how a white settler woman can reflect on reconciliation and what a white settler woman can do. I am a supporter, an ally, walking beside people on this path—not standing in front or hiding behind—I am a part of the cheering crowd on the sidelines. One day, Canada may achieve formal justice. This will be a world without oppression and discrimination; a world where everyone has the same opportunities and life chances. In this world, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities will not be over-incarcerated and under-represented in our most rewarding occupations. Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous law are part of this imaginary future.

Although my role and responsibility of being an ally for Indigenous reconciliation is not always clear (given that Indigenous People are the leaders), I do know that for me, reconciliation will not be 'restoring' a relationship and nor will it necessarily be 'comfortable.' The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) [38] offers such a legal avenue (so I acknowledge that sometimes advancing rights through court processes are necessary to achieve reconciliation).

UNDRIP [41] is advancing international Indigenous law and rights. UNDRIP introduced the Right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples, with Canada becoming a signatory in 2016. In UNDRIP, duties of 'consultation' are raised to requirements of 'consent.' Article 32.1 states that FPIC is to be obtained prior to the approval of any project affecting Indigenous lands or territories in connection with the development, utilization, or exploitation of minerals, water, or other resources [42–44]. UNDRIP moves beyond the conception of the State granting and distributing rights to people in a Rawlsian distributivist conception of justice (with the state as an arbitrator of conflict and protector of individual rights) and embraces recognition justice [45]. Recognition is key in engaging with the 'other' when two groups with fundamentally different ontological positions, aims, and goals exist [46]. Recognition, in accordance with Indigenous law, does not aim to overcome each other's position, but the recognition of and respect for difference, leading to more meaningful engagement and justice [47], applying the *Sui Generis* principles of parallelism. UNDRIP opens a window for advancing parallelism and honoring the traditions of Indigenous law in imagining a path forward for Earth system law.
