Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 11/05) - Northern aboriginal leaders had a golden opportunity to showcase their concerns, ranging from treaty rights to health care, during the Assembly of First Nations annual gathering last week in Yellowknife.

"This allows us to get the attention of the leadership," said Aklavik chief Charlie Furlong.

Whether or not tangible benefits come from the three-day conference could be another matter.

Facing a time crunch Thursday afternoon, members rammed through about 20 resolutions with limited debate.

Several speakers criticized the assembly and wondered whether action would materialize from the discussions.

Nearly 400 chiefs from across the country attended the annual meeting along with high-ranking federal politicians like NDP leader Jack Layton and Minister of Public Health Carolyn Bennet.

Several pressing issues were raised by Northern delegates during the three-day conference, including climate change, residential schools and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

A financial settlement for former residential school students could be completed within the next several months, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine said Tuesday.

"This is a real opportunity to bring closure to a tragic (time) in our history," Fontaine told hundreds of delegates during the assembly.

The federal government recently appointed former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci to lead negotiations with first nations in the hopes of reaching a settlement by next spring.

The assembly proposed a lump sum payment of $10,000 for each student plus $3,000 for every year they attended residential school.

Fontaine estimated there are 87,000 living residential school students.

Prepared to settle

During a pre-recorded address to delegates, Prime Minister Paul Martin said the government was prepared to move forward on a settlement. "There is no doubt in my mind... we must bring reconciliation to the tragedies of the past," he said.

Global warming could destroy Northern aboriginal cultures if left unchecked, warned Dene National Chief Noeline Villebrun, Wednesday. "We are experiencing changes. This could wipe out our nations," she said.

Climate change was a pressing topic for many delegates at the AFN annual meeting this week, with Villebrun highlighting a laundry list of environmental changes in the North. "Things are happening and the North is going to be the first area to experience the changes," said Rick Simon, regional chief of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Villebrun said the North has suffered the consequences of Southern emissions and called on the federal government to consult with aboriginal groups in the territory when it comes to addressing climate change.

Industry needs to recognize the "inherent right" of aboriginal groups to control their land and resources, Assembly of First Nations Vice Chief Bill Erasmus said Tuesday.

"The message to multi-nationals is: This is our homeland. We still believe we have the inherent right to govern ourselves."

The statement was somewhat of a departure for high ranking officials in the Assembly of First Nations, who have largely remained silent in the debate over the $7 billion project.

Erasmus told reporters the AFN has purposefully remained on the sidelines, preferring to provide support to the communities along the pipeline route and allowing them decide the issue for themselves.