Assembly of First Nations National Chief comments on the Roundtable Discussions
Assembly of First Nations National Chief States Expected Outcomes from the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable Follow-up Discussions
OTTAWA, Jan. 27 /CNW Telbec/ - January 26th marked the close of the final follow-up session to the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable. The Roundtable, convened by Prime Minister Paul Martin on April 19, 2004, was an opportunity for the Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations to engage directly on a new agenda and a new relationship with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. In follow-up, six "sectoral sessions" were held over the past months to deal with priority issues that emerged from the Roundtable: Health, Lifelong Learning (Education), Housing, Economic Opportunities, Negotiations and Accountability (which wrapped-up yesterday).
Click here to read the entire AFN press release
Click here to read the AFN background and position papers for each of the roundtable discussion forums
SUMMARY OF AFN'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SIX CANADA-ABORIGINAL PEOPLES ROUNDTABLE SECTORAL SESSIONS
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At the Health session, First Nations called for a clear commitment to facilitate sustainable, accountable and culturally sensitive First Nation health systems. Specific recommendations included the implementation of commitments made at 2004 First Ministers Meeting on Health with Aboriginal leaders:
- critical investments upstream in key areas such as diabetes; and
- a reasonable rate of growth based on real cost drivers to ensure the sustainability of all First Nation health programming.
In addition, AFN brought forward the need for First Nations public health infrastructure to promote prevention and supportive programming as an integral aspect of transforming health outcomes of First Nation peoples.
In Lifelong Learning, First Nations participants carried the message that First Nation control of universal, holistic and sustainable First Nation learning systems is required. Specific targeted outcomes are expected in several areas including:
- Ensuring comparability with the general population in all aspects of K-12 education for First Nation students
- Developing First Nation education authorities to provide critical supportive infrastructure
- Addressing gaps and needs as they relate to early childhood education and child welfare
AFN also recommended a thorough review of federal and provincial skills training programming to ensure that the young First Nation population is equipped to take their rightful place in the Canadian economy.
In Housing, the AFN advocated for:
- urgent action to eliminate the backlog of housing and shelter needs confronting First Nations people;
- the longer term goal of implementing First Nations control of housing through new entities that will govern, maintain and manage First Nations housing systems in a sustainable, secure manner.
In Economic Opportunities, the AFN advocated:
- the need to position First Nations as integral players in the Canadian economy through recognizing First Nations' rightful place in resource development, environmental stewardship, job training and business development.
An initial concrete action in this regard would be updating Canada's Aboriginal Economic Development strategy to ensure it is serving the economic interests and requirements of First Nations.
In the Negotiations session, National Chief Fontaine stated he was particularly pleased with the dialogue that converged with focused recommendations, including the Minister of Indian Affairs' public instructions to his departmental negotiators to be flexible and creative in their discussions with First Nations. The AFN stated that:
- a new approach is required for First Nation negotiations which reflects court rulings over the last decade and is inclusive of self-government, land claims and treaty implementation;
- reconciliation must become the common goal of negotiations, which can be achieved through new, multi-dimensional, multi-jurisdictional approaches.
At the Accountability session that wrapped up this week, First Nations challenged the government to:
- commit to reciprocal accountability from the federal government to First Nations and not simply more reporting by First Nations to the federal government, based on principles of a government-to-government relationship
- a broad First Nation accountability framework that will provide meaningful assessments, equipping First Nations and the Governments of Canada to track real progress in addressing the shameful conditions facing the majority of First Nations communities;
- ensuring accountability to First Nation citizens first and foremost; and
- developing supportive institutions such as a First Nations Auditor-General.