Cautious chiefs head to summit with PM

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This article was published 21/01/2012 (5014 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s baby-step approach to governing will not be good enough to quiet the growing demand for a better life for Canada’s First Nations, Manitoba’s top chief said Friday.

Grand Chief Derek Nepinak arrived in Ottawa Friday ahead of Tuesday’s Crown-First Nations Gathering with healthy doses of both optimism and skepticism about the event. He hopes the meeting will be a launching pad for a new order of business between the Crown and Canada’s First Nations but he fears Harper will make a couple of announcements about education and housing and not make any movement toward real reforms.

“This prime minister has been characterized as practical and pragmatic, a man who will take baby steps,” said Nepinak. “I see that as a challenge. You can’t look at global issues we face within a narrow lens and make a little tweak here and there. Baby steps are not going to transform the relationship.”

More than 400 chiefs will meet with Harper, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan and 11 other cabinet ministers Jan. 24 for the rare Crown-First Nations summit. It was born out of ideas raised at the AFN General Assembly in July 2010 and agreed to by Harper in December 2010.

The lofty agenda has three main goals: renewing the relationship between the Crown and First Nations, making progress on key topics such as education and housing and setting a future agenda. Everything from treaties and land claims to health-funding and housing crises on reserves will be raised.

Harper declined an interview request by the Winnipeg Free Press. His office instead provided a transcript of an interview Harper did with CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge on the gathering.

“Aboriginal people in this country are not anywhere near where we want or need those communities to be,” Harper said. “That said, my own experience is that it will not be grand visions and declarations that achieve these things. It will be moving forward one step at a time, as we’ve been trying to do on things like water, investments in education, obviously building of trust, you know, as we’ve done through the residential school apology, and endorsement of the Declaration of Aboriginal… of Indigenous Rights, so I think, you know, we’re trying to find a way of getting willing partners, and continuing to move forward. But there’s a lot of work to be done. This is a long-term challenge.”

Nepinak said the challenge is also that the relationship can’t be rebuilt with the Crown if only the prime minister is at the table.

“The decision-making in Canada, under the federal system, requires the participation of provincial leadership,” said Nepinak. “Particularly when it comes to issues of resource development and management, which is really the nest egg of all of our communities.”

He is calling for a first minister-First Nations meeting with the prime minister, premiers and First Nations leaders. Harper’s office ducked a question about that option Friday. Nepinak said the province appears open to the idea.

Treaties, Nepinak said, were designed with a willingness to share in the resources but sharing hasn’t occurred. That was made plain during the recent headlines about the housing crisis in Attawapiskat, Ont. A diamond mine located 80 kilometres from the community and on the First Nation’s traditional lands has resulted in little economic benefit to the reserve.

Nepinak said he feels there are many untapped natural resources — precious metals and even diamonds — in Manitoba, as well, and he said First Nations’ ability to be part of their development is critical to their economic future. That means being there from “the application to the first shovel,” said Nepinak.

It’s more costly for Canada and the provinces not to give First Nations their share, he said.

“People need to recognize it may cost less to Canadian taxpayers to create an economy that is shared than to fight against us,” he said.

With First Nations being the fastest growing population in Canada, social-services costs will skyrocket if things don’t change, he noted.

“I’m not talking about being at the end of the line of recipients of the wealth of the resources, I’m talking about actual participation.”

About 35 chiefs from Manitoba will attend the event. Chiefs will meet Monday to clarify their thoughts ahead of Tuesday’s gathering.

Nepinak said he won’t judge the Crown-First Nations Gathering as a failure if Harper doesn’t agree immediately to a first ministers meeting. He said he expects it will take time and added First Nations would want 12 to 18 months to prepare anyway.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca