Declaration Act
Secretariat Leadership

Denise Devenny

a/Assistant Deputy Minister

Denise Devenny is the A/Assistant Deputy Minister for Declaration Act Secretariat (DAS). Denise is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba and moved to British Columbia over 20 years ago after finishing her social work degree at the University of Manitoba. Denise started her career with the Ministry of Children and Family Development as a front-line child protection social worker and held a variety of roles within that ministry.

Since 2017, Denise has worked with Indigenous communities, first as Executive Lead and then as Assistant Deputy Minister (2019),

Partnership and Indigenous Engagement Division, Ministry of Children and Family Development, continuing to support Indigenous People as they chart their own paths regarding child and family jurisdiction and authority.

In April 2026, Denise was appointed as A/Assistant Deputy Minister, Declaration Act Secretariat, and now leads the important work of guiding and assisting the province to ensure provincial laws align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and are developed in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, as set out in section 3 of the Declaration Act.

Core functions of DAS include:

•        develop an Action Plan to meet the objectives of the UNDRIP;

•        develop processes and measures to support alignment of laws;

•        assist ministries in advancing legislative initiatives in alignment with the UNDRIP and in meeting legislative alignment obligations;

•        inform government’s legislative agenda; and,

•        serve in an interlocutor role for the Province and Indigenous Peoples.

Jackie Demerse-Abbasi

Executive Director, Social Justice and Policing

Jackie was born and raised on Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan, home of the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, Lakota, Dakota, and homeland of the Métis.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Regina, and PhD (abd) from the University of Western Ontario specializing in multi-level governance, public policy, and Canadian politics.  Jackie has a diverse background in both the public and academic sectors.  Over the years, she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in local government, public administration, and strategic planning.  Most recently, Jackie held the role of Director of Indigenous Economic Development at the Ministry of Trade and Export Development with the Government of Saskatchewan. Prior to this, she was the Director, then Acting Executive Director of the Status of Women Office and Senior Legislative Analyst with the Ministry of Government Relations.

Jackie has worked collaboratively with Indigenous communities, organizations and people on files spanning economic reconciliation, gender equity and gender-based violence including MMIWG2S+. And, as the daughter of a Sixties Scoop survivor, understands the cumulative impact of colonial policies and importance of connection/re-connection to community and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. She is married with two boys under the age of six and is grateful for the opportunity to live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen speaking peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, in Victoria B.C.

Yimmie Sonuga

Executive Director, Natural Resources

Yimmie is the Executive Director supporting Natural Resource Sector ministries at the Declaration Act Secretariat. After closely following the development and subsequent enactment of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act), she joined the BC Public Service to support efforts to implement it. 

Since joining the BC Public Service, she has held a number of policy and legislation senior leadership roles. During her tenure, she has worked to build internal capacity around requirements under the Declaration Act and led several policy and or legislative initiatives. This includes the development of reconciliation-focused amendments to the Wildlife Act and the drafting of the Anti-Racism Act, 2024, which was developed in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples and engagement with racialized communities.  

Prior to her time in B.C., she most recently worked in Alberta, where she successfully led the development and implementation of public policy and legislation in a variety of sectors such as transportation, economic development, innovation, advanced education and Crown agency oversight. To her role, Yimmie brings a relationship-centred approach and significant provincial and international leadership experience in strategic development, change leadership, legislation, policy, legal counsel, regulatory affairs, and governance, gained in public, private, and non-profit spheres. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Alberta and an honours law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

She is humbled to now live, work and play on the beautiful traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking Peoples (known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations). In her spare time, she enjoys creative pursuits and living an active outdoor lifestyle.