GOVERNMENT
COVER
Using
Humour to Stop Teenage Suicide
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
Selected excerpts from
First Nations Drum Celebratory Issue
BIOGRAPHY
Acclaimed
Aboriginal Writer Passes Away
BUSINESS
Metis
Refuse Premier Doer Order of the Sash
GOVERNMENT
National
Chief Pleased with Meeting with Premiers, Territorial Leaders
HUMOUR
Bee in the Bonnet:
Bad
News from the Doctor
Who
Gives a Fish?
How to Beat a Woman
MUSIC
Here
to Stay: Thirty Years of Aboriginal Music
MODERN TREATIES
Supreme
Court Rejects Treaty Right to Log
National
Chief Pleased with Meeting with Premiers, Territorial Leaders
By
Jim West
The premiers, territorial leaders and aboriginal leaders have agreed
to push for a ten-year plan to narrow the poverty gap and improve the
standard of living of natives to bring them in line with the standard
of living enjoyed by other Canadians.
"We had a very positive and constructive dialogue with the premiers
and territorial leaders. They are recognizing that our approach is one
of constructive engagement: we are presenting concrete proposals and options
to address the issues we raise," said AFN national chief Phil Fontaine.
"Simply put, we want to close the gap between ourselves and other
Canadians and to enjoy the same quality of life and opportunity."
The agreement will form the basis of a first ministers' meeting on aboriginal
issues scheduled to take place in November.
Specifically, the provinces and territories will work with the federal
government to address five key pillars, that include education, health,
housing, economic development and fostering better relationships with
the provincial, territorial and federal governments.
Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty said the deal is substantive.
""You now have before you a critical mass of Canadian leadership
which has decided to move beyond treating the quality of life for aboriginal
communities as the political equivalent of the weather, where we all talk
about it and none of us do anything about it," said McGuinty. "We've
decided collectively that we want to move the yardstick forward. That's
what's really meaningful here today."
The plan includes a series of targets and benchmarks that all parties
would strive to achieve.
"We're talking about Canada's future and the future of aboriginal
people in this country - people that have been left behind for the entire
history of Canada," said BC premier Gordon Campbell. "The gap
that exists between aboriginal people, First Nations and the general public
is something we all should be ashamed of."
Fontaine said the premiers actually came through.
"We wanted to secure commitment from the premiers that they would
embrace the challenge we've put to them establishing this ten-year target,"
said the national chief.
"We're very, very pleased with the tone and substance of the meeting
we had," said Fontaine.
The national chief also called for a more comprehensive and holistic approach
to address First Nations priorities by integrating or coordinating government
programming and services under increased First Nation control, with comprehensive
models for financing services to First Nations people, including those
living away from their communities.
The aboriginal leaders met with the premiers and territorial leaders in
Calgary in advance of their annual conference in Banff.