English · Première générale · LVA B1+

Promises and the Passive: Grammar for Whose Land, Whose Water?

Grammar page

Whose Land, Whose Water? In this sequence you check what Canadian governments promised to Indigenous peoples, and what they did. To do that well, you need two tools.

A. How to talk about a promise: making it, reporting it, judging it.
B. The passive: to talk about what was done and what has been done, even when we do not say who did it.

Every example on this page is a real fact, with its source at the bottom of the page.

BO · Grammaire B1 / B1+La voix passiveLe discours rapportéLes auxiliaires de modalitéLe souhait et le regret

Recap

What is a promise? It is something you say you will do. Think of one promise someone made to you. Was it kept?

A. Promises, kept and broken

1. Making a promise

Structure	Form	Real example
will	will + base verb	“Together, we will work tirelessly to honour the trust Canadians have given us.” (Justin Trudeau, mandate letter, 12 November 2015)
promise to	promise to + base verb	In 2015, the government promised to end long-term drinking water advisories on reserves by March 2021.
pledge to	pledge to + base verb	Justin Trudeau pledged to renew the relationship with Indigenous Peoples.
commit to	commit to + V-ing	The government committed to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Watch out. After commit to, to is a preposition, so the verb takes -ing: committed to implementing, not ~~committed to implement~~. Same with be committed to.

2. Reporting a promise

Direct speech	Reported speech	Rule
“Together, we will work tirelessly...” (2015)	He promised (that) they would work tirelessly.	will becomes would
Model sentence: “We are going to repeal the Indian Act.”	The 1969 government said it was going to repeal the Indian Act.	am/is/are going to becomes was/were going to
“No relationship is more important to me.”	He wrote that no relationship was more important to him.	present becomes past

Was / were going to also tells a plan that did not happen.
The White Paper was going to abolish Indian status, but the government withdrew it.

3. Judging a promise

Structure	Meaning	Real example
kept / did not keep	the result	The government kept its promise on UNDRIP: the Act became law on 21 June 2021.
failed to + base verb	it did not happen	The government failed to end all long-term advisories by March 2021.
should have + past participle	criticism of the past	The government should have met its own deadline.
could have + past participle	a possibility that was missed	Some Indigenous leaders say Ottawa could have acted faster (APTN News, 2021).
Despite + V-ing, ...	contrast	Despite promising to end every long-term advisory by March 2021, the government still had 39 in effect on 21 October 2026.
Although + subject + verb, ...	contrast	Although 39 advisories were still in effect, 158 had been lifted since November 2015.
wish + past perfect	regret about the past	Your opinion: I wish* the Neskantaga advisory had been lifted long ago.* It dates from February 1995.

Be fair. A good citizen checks both sides: what was done and what was not done. 158 advisories lifted is real progress. 39 still in effect is a promise not kept on time. Both facts are true.

B. The passive

Form: be (in the right tense) + past participle.
We use the passive when the action matters more than the person who did it, or when we do not know who did it.

Tense	Passive form	Real example
Present simple	is / are + PP	In most provinces, the decision to lift an advisory is made by First Nation leadership.
Past simple	was / were + PP	The White Paper was presented in June 1969. It was later withdrawn.
Present perfect	has / have been + PP	158 long-term advisories have been lifted since November 2015.
Past perfect	had been + PP	By March 2021, the promise had not been kept.
Future	will be + PP	Some advisories will be lifted soon: the work is complete and the lift is pending.
Modal	must / should be + PP	Indigenous rights must be respected. The Calls to Action should be implemented.

The agent: with or without by

Choice	When	Real example
with by + agent	the agent is new or important information	The 94 Calls to Action were issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015.
no agent	the agent is obvious, unknown or not important	The UN Declaration Act was passed in 2021. (by Parliament: obvious)

Special forms you will need in this sequence

Form	Real example
were promised (the person receives the promise)	First Nations were promised safe drinking water by March 2021.
have been broken / have been kept	Many Indigenous leaders say that promises have been broken. Others have been kept, such as the UNDRIP Act.
It is said / It was said that...	It was said that the White Paper would make First Nations equal citizens.
be said / be known + to + verb	Harold Cardinal is known for his book The Unjust Society. The White Paper is said to have united First Nations against it.

Two passives with one verb. The government promised First Nations clean water.
Passive 1: First Nations were promised clean water. (most natural)
Passive 2: Clean water was promised to First Nations.

Practice

Exercise 1B1

Choose: will, was going to, promised to, committed to.

In 2015, the government end long-term drinking water advisories by March 2021.
The White Paper abolish Indian status, but it was withdrawn.
Ottawa implementing the UN Declaration.
“Together, we work tirelessly to honour the trust Canadians have given us,” Justin Trudeau wrote in 2015.

Answers

promised to
was going to
committed to
will

Exercise 2B1

Put the verb in brackets in the passive, in the tense given.

The White Paper (release, past simple) in June 1969.
158 long-term advisories (lift, present perfect) since November 2015.
The 94 Calls to Action (issue, past simple) by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Indigenous rights (respect, must) .
The UN Declaration Act (pass, past simple) in 2021.

Answers

was released
have been lifted
were issued
must be respected
was passed

Exercise 3B1+

Rewrite each sentence with the word given. Keep the meaning.

The government did not end all long-term advisories by March 2021. (failed)
It was a mistake not to meet the deadline. (should have)
The government promised to end every advisory by 2021, but 39 were still in effect in October 2026. (Despite)
I am sorry that the Neskantaga advisory was not lifted earlier. (wish)

Answers

The government failed to end all long-term advisories by March 2021.
The government should have met the deadline.
Despite promising to end every advisory by 2021, the government still had 39 in effect in October 2026.
I wish the Neskantaga advisory had been lifted earlier.

Exercise 4B1+

Report the promise, then turn it into a passive.

Fact: in December 2015, the Prime Minister committed to implementing the 94 Calls to Action. → Reported with would: He promised that he → Passive: He promised that the Calls to Action .
Fact: the 1969 plan was to repeal the Indian Act, but it did not happen. → With was going to: The government → Passive: The Indian Act .
People said the White Paper would make First Nations equal citizens. → It was said .
The government promised First Nations clean water. → First Nations .

Answers

would implement the 94 Calls to Action · would be implemented
was going to repeal the Indian Act · was going to be repealed
It was said that the White Paper would make First Nations equal citizens.
First Nations were promised clean water.

Production: one promise, two sides

Choose one promise: drinking water, the 94 Calls to Action, or UNDRIP. Write 100 to 120 words.

Say what was promised, when and by whom (reported speech).
Say what has been done (present perfect passive, with a figure and its source).
Say what has not been done and what should have been done.
End with a fair conclusion: Although..., ...

Useful: promised that it would · pledged to · committed to + V-ing · have been lifted · failed to · should have · despite + V-ing · although

Homework

Learn the three tables of part A and the passive table of part B.
Finish your production and add the source of your figure.
Find one more real promise made to Indigenous peoples on an official site (canada.ca, sac-isc.gc.ca, rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca) and write two sentences: one passive, one with should have.

Sources of the facts

1969 White Paper and Citizens Plus: History of Rights, Canada's Human Rights History
Mandate letter, 12 November 2015: Prime Minister of Canada
Statement on the TRC Final Report, 15 December 2015: Prime Minister of Canada
Drinking water advisories, figures of 21 October 2026: Indigenous Services Canada
Neskantaga First Nation: Indigenous Services Canada
UNDRIP Act, 21 June 2021: Department of Justice Canada
Calls to Action, federal view: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Aide · Note pour l'enseignante

Cette page vient en appui des séances S2 et S6 de la séquence. Elle reprend les points du BO, Grammaire B1 / B1+ : la voix passive, le discours rapporté, les auxiliaires de modalité, l'expression du souhait et du regret (wish + past perfect) et les connecteurs d'opposition.

Promesse : promise to et pledge to sont suivis de la base verbale, mais commit to est suivi de V-ing, car to y est une préposition.
Discours rapporté : will devient would, be going to devient was/were going to. Was going to exprime aussi un projet non réalisé (le Livre blanc).
Critique : should have + participe passé correspond à « aurait dû », et could have + participe passé à « aurait pu ».
Passif : be conjugué + participe passé. On garde by seulement si l'agent apporte une information.
Le passif personnel First Nations were promised n'a pas d'équivalent direct en français : on dit « on a promis aux Premières Nations ».
Les corrigés sont masqués. Tous les exemples sont des faits sourcés (en bas de page) ; les chiffres sur l'eau sont ceux du 21 octobre 2026 et seront mis à jour avant la mise en ligne.