Review of laws, policies welcomed
Premier offers assistance to Ottawa on reconciliation, working with indigenous peoples
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Monday, March 13, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Dene Nation National Chief Bill Erasmus says he is pleased to hear the federal government is reviewing laws and policies affecting indigenous people.
Dene Nation Chief Bill Erasmus, left, listens as Jane Philpott, federal minister of Health, Northwest Territories MP Michael McLeod and Carolyn Bennett, minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs talk before the start of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's town hall event in Yellowknife on Feb. 10. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
"I think they're sincere in trying to make progress," Erasmus said in an interview March 2, citing increased spending for indigenous issues and how they're starting to see some of the benefits.
On Feb. 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the review by a working group comprised of the ministers of health, justice, indigenous affairs, fisheries and oceans, natural resources and the minister of families, children and social development.
It will be tasked with ensuring "the Crown is meeting its constitutional obligations with respect to aboriginal and treaty rights; adhering to international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action," according to a news release.
The group is expected to work with indigenous leaders, youth and experts on legal and policy issues.
Erasmus and members of the Assembly of First Nations met with Jody Wilson-Raybould, the justice minister, last month in Ottawa to discuss the review.
He said she was quite open to what they raised.
Some items he said he brought up include laws around devolution of powers from the federal government to the territory and how those should be part of the review since Dehcho First Nations and Akaitcho First Nations have yet to sign on.
Erasmus said he raised the issue of allocating funding for indigenous people based on reservations.
"Many times as Northern people, because we're not on reservations, we're not a reserve, we don't get benefits. Even if we're on a reserve, those benefits get flowed through the territorial governments," he said.
"We need to talk about this policy of on reserve and off reserve - we get affected by that when they say a housing program, for example, is for on-reserve, then because we only have two reserves in the Northwest Territories, we don't get the benefits," he said, adding Northern communities should be effectively viewed as reservations so they can access those benefits.
He also mentioned the Jay Treaty which the United States signed with Britain in 1794 which America still adheres to it but Canada doesn't. It granted access for indigenous people to continue crossing the border freely without taxation.
If quick passage happens, then it opens economic avenues for First Nations, Erasmus said.
It would also recognize that many of the communities cross borders. The Gwich'in for example are in the NWT, Yukon and Alaska.
"This would tie our peoples together," he said.
Premier Bob McLeod, also minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, said the territory has reached out to the federal government to ask if it can play a role in the working group.
"Although it is very important for Canada to get its own house in order, we feel we have many best practices that we could share with Canada around reconciliation and working with indigenous people," McLeod said on Feb. 28 in the legislative assembly in response to questions from Nunakput MLA Herb Nakimayak about the review.
