Ahead of the meeting, many of the hundreds of First Nations chiefs who made their way to Ottawa to attend the historic Crown-First Nations meeting were vocal in the media about the fact that they wanted the meeting to result in action, not just a “photo-op” of “symbolic” gestures.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said “urgent” action is needed, with the next generation at risk.
Leaving the meeting many chiefs, like Assembly of First Nations Alberta Regional Chief George Stanley, said they were “disappointed” by the meetings outcome, but many also said it was a “good first step” and allowed them to get their message out to Canadians, and to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) and his Cabinet ministers.
“The feedback that I received from chiefs and from people was they felt good about being heard,” said National Chief Atleo in an interview last week with The Hill Times.
“I think right now the Prime Minister needed to hear the stories from the chiefs across the country…that was a major accomplishment that we were able to communicate with each other, and [so we’ll] take it from here,” said Assembly of First Nations Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse in an interview with The Hill Times.
“From my perspective, the important thing was that a good part of this was televised and recorded, and I think that this is an opportunity to get out to the broader public what it is that they’ve been asking for, for quite some time, what it is that still needs to be done and the public can gauge themselves on how well they think the government has been listening and acting,” said NDP MP Linda Duncan (Edmonton-Strathcona, Alta.), her party’s aboriginal affairs critic.
The Crown-First Nations meeting, which took place on Jan. 24 in Ottawa’s old city hall building, had been touted by the Harper government as being an historic gathering. Along with Prime Minister Harper, 20 Conservative MPs and three Conservative Senators—Ontario Government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton, Ontario Senator Don Meredith and B.C. Senator Gerry St. Germain—were in attendance.
Of the Conservatives in attendance, 13 were Cabinet ministers: Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan (Vancouver Island North, B.C.), Environment Minister Peter Kent (Thornhill, Ont.), Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.), Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq (Nunavut), Justice Minister Rob Nicholson (Niagara Falls, Ont.), Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue (Labrador, Nfld.), Fisheries and Oceans Minister Keith Ashfield (Fredericton, N.B.), Public Works and Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.), Treasury Board President Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney (Lévis-Bellechasse, Que.), ACOA Minister Bernard Valcourt (Madawaska-Restigouche, N.B.), Government Senate Leader Ms. LeBreton, and Minister of State for Finance Ted Menzies (Macleod, Alta.). Aboriginal Affairs Parliamentary secretary MP Greg Rickford (Kenora, Ont.) was one of the eight other Conservative MPs in attendance.
An estimated 400 First Nations chiefs from across Canada made their way to Ottawa, but only around 150 were able to fit into the meeting room, with the others instead watching the meetings from the Chateau Laurier. Of the 35 Manitoba chiefs who attended the meeting, for example, only 24 of them actually made it into the main room, according to The Winnipeg Free Press.
Many chiefs told the media that they were angry and disappointed at having come to Ottawa only to be turned away from the main attraction’s doors.
At the meeting, speeches were made by a number of First Nations leaders from across the country, including AFN National Chief Atleo, Assembly of First Nations B.C. Regional Chief Jody Wilson-Raybould, Assembly of First Nations N.B. and P.E.I. Regional Chief Roger Augustine and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Ovide Mercredi, among others, conveying their hopes, desires, and needs for finding a path forward.
B.C. Regional Chief Wilson-Raybould, who delivered what Mr. Stanley called a “powerful message,” said First Nations people need self-governance, “not a down payment where your government rebuilds for us,” and said for the Crown to control First Nations governance is “neo-colonialism.”
“The process of change has to be led by our people to be legitimate,” she said, receiving spontaneous applause mid-speech from those in attendance.
In his speech Mr. Atleo described Canada’s Indian Act as a boulder blocking the road of progress and urged the government to recognize the historic treaties that exist between First Nations and the Crown, as two orders of government, and to recognize First Nations rights when it comes to sharing revenue from resource development.
“Increasingly, First Nations are demonstrating that our rights are very real and we have a strong interest in being involved and forging a vision for sustainable resource development that includes the ability for us as First Nations to participate in receiving a share of the wealth or the resources in our territories,” said Mr. Atleo. “They’re all inextricably linked, these aspects: the building of our economies, implementation of treaties, recognition of our rights and recognizing that the Indian Act…has to be something that we continue to work to move beyond.”
These were the three main themes—the need for self-governance, the want for recognition and reaffirmation of treaties, a call for a fair share of revenue from resources developed on their land, and criticisms of the Indian Act—which were echoed by a majority of chiefs.
Prime Minister Harper, Governor General David Johnston, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Duncan and Health Minister Aglukkaq also delivered speeches at the event.
“Our government has no grand scheme to repeal or to unilaterally rewrite the Indian Act: After 136 years, that tree has deep roots, blowing up the stump would just leave a big hole.…So that will be our approach, to replace elements of the Indian Act with more modern legislation and procedures,” said Mr. Harper.
While a majority of chiefs spoke out harshly against the Indian Act, Mr. Atleo said it was “helpful” that the government isn’t looking to unilaterally tackle the act, “because that’s been the problem in the past, when government’s have attempted to do that.”
In addition to highlighting the government’s success with regard to First Nations, Mr. Harper said it was a new day for relations between the Crown and First Nations and said they must “act aggressively and act together.”
“Our goal is self sufficient citizens and self-governing communities. Our goal is to promote improved governance. Our goal is much increased aboriginal participation in the economy and in the country’s prosperity,” said Mr. Harper.
The Indian Act was first enacted in 1876 and is the main piece of federal legislation governing First Nations communities, touching on everything from education, to wills, to money management, to land, and effectively giving the federal government, and the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, exclusive authority over First Nations communities.
Following the morning speeches, chiefs and government officials took part in a number of closed-door sessions. Chief Augustine said he attended the economic development and environment seminars, and said they exchanged ideas, “and a couple of the Cabinet ministers who were there had a chance to give their input as to what’s happening in the future in terms of funding.”
Despite rumours of a noon departure, Prime Minister Harper did stay for the afternoon’s seminars. The results of the meeting have been met with mixed reactions of hope and disappointment.
Among the meetings outcomes are an agreement to set up a working group to review the structure of financial arrangements between the federal government and First Nations; a commitment to removing barriers to self-governance; a commitment to respect and honour treaty relationship and to find common ground on Treaty implementation; a commitment to review an upcoming report on education; as well as the launching of an economic task force, as set out within the Crown-First Nation Joint Action Plan, within three months.
Mr. Stanley said most are trying to stay optimistic, but many are “very disappointed that when they go home and are asked by the people what we can expect, it’s not clear in terms of what kind of outcomes and when the First Nations could begin to see some of the changes at the community level.”
“To tell you the truth it really hasn’t accomplished anything…it’s a good exercise and we need to move forward and he needs to come to our table more often,” said Chief Toulouse.
But others said they were more positive about the meeting.
“It actually accomplished a lot more than people realized. I’m really positive about the outcome…the true negotiations are starting now…I think this is just the beginning,” said Chief Augustine, who described the historic meeting as akin to a “first date” between the federal government and First Nations leaders.
Mr. Augustine said it was important that First Nations were able to share success stories, as well as stories like Attawapiskat at the meeting.
“It’s really important to talk about Attawapiskat and other First Nations that are in dire straights, that’s well-communicated by the media. But there are a lot of success stories across this country too, and that’s what we’re focusing on,” said Mr. Augustine.
Poor education, poverty and insufficient housing are issues running rampant in First Nations communities; areas that fall under the Indian Act.
Chief Atleo said the government has imposed “arbitrary” funding levels on First Nations communities.
A two per cent cap on resources for education, imposed by the federal in 1996, “has been seriously detrimental” to the ability of First Nations communities to provide children with a good education, said Mr. Stanley.
“The Mi’kmaq in the Atlantic, they’ve achieved over 80 per cent graduate rate at the K to 12. Well some communities are as low as in the low 20 percentile range and all kids deserve good education and good schools, and that’s the strong desire of the chiefs,” said Mr. Atleo.
It was the sudden and large-scale media attention given to the crisis in Attawapiskat that cemented the date of the Crown-First Nations meeting. Chiefs had been calling for the meeting since their 2010 general assembly, and in December 2010 Prime Minister Harper sent a letter, agreeing to the gathering. However, the date for the meeting wasn’t announced until last December.
But Mr. Augustine said the ongoing presence of a third-party manager in the Attawapiskat First Nation community, a move repudiated by Chief Theresa Spence and her peers, is an example of the federal government continuing to take the control out of First Nations hands.
“The third party managers were sent to take a look at if there is any corruption and those types of things….First Nations can handle those things, you don’t have to go outside to provide that kind of expertise,” said Mr. Augustine.
“I don’t think we can think that the relationship’s been reset while they still are doing third-party management when it’s been proven not to work, when they refuse to do an inquiry in missing and murdered aboriginal women…for those communities that are in such dire straights, you know, I think that they didn’t wake up [the next] morning and see a better day,” said Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s, Ont.), her party’s aboriginal affairs critic.
Ms. Duncan said she felt the Conservatives only had “half the picture,” but said she didn’t want to play the partisan blame-game. Ms. Duncan said the NDP wants the government to move forward on recommendations made in auditor general reports.
The opposition was not invited to take part in the event.
Mr. Atleo told The Hill Times that it’s important to understand there is a “deep crisis” and a need “to move beyond the finger pointing.”
“I know that partisanship is part of the reality of politics but we must receive this as a tipping point,” said Mr. Atleo.
Chief Toulouse said he wants the Crown-First Nations meeting to become an annual event, and Chief Stanley echoed these sentiments, saying more meetings are needed.
Ms. Duncan said she’s watching what happens in the government’s upcoming budget: “The government keeps saying we have listened…now let’s see a budget that reflects that.”
At a Jan. 25 press conference, one day after the Crown-First Nations meeting, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Duncan said the government’s coming budget will be consistent with the priorities agreed to by aboriginal leaders and the federal government.
The budget is expected to arrive in the House sometime around late February, March.
“The treaties are not just with government, they’re with people and so it suggests that Canadians are treaty people as well, have a shared responsibility as neighbors and as treaty partners to see issues like education for our kids resolved, so we would look to Canadians for support and encouragement to the government to do what needs to be done and recognize, as I believe the Prime Minister recognized in his statements, that investments now are going to mean a strong Canada for all Canadians,” Mr. Atleo told The Hill Times.
“I think Canadians are watching and Canadians are appalled…we can find First Nations people living in these third world conditions all across the country,” said Ms. Bennett. “I think that there’s been a consciousness raising, and I don’t think this is going to go away.”
Original Article
Source: Hill Times
Author: LAURA RYCKEWAERT
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