Feds praised at assembly
Eleven-in-one resolution passed by annual gathering
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, July 31, 2017
K'ATLODEECHE/HAY RIVER RESERVE
The federal government won praise at the 47th Dene National Assembly on the Hay River Reserve - marking 11 years since the last time it had been held there.
"A highlight is people are very clear that they're not happy with the way things are going because they've been in negotiations for years and they're still not taking care of their communities," said National Chief Bill Erasmus of the Dene Nation. "They're pleased that the federal government is moving in the right direction."
About 100 delegates – representing about 80 per cent of the 31 First Nations making up the Dene Nation – attended the gathering.
The July 17 to 21 assembly discussed a wide variety of issues, including relations with the GNWT and the federal government, treaty rights, government funding, economic development, fisheries on Great Slave Lake, and more.
National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) also addressed the assembly.
Bellegarde pointed to a number of commitments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including an indigenous language revitalization act, implementing through legislation the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and reviewing legislation and policy affecting Indigenous people.
The AFN national chief said the Liberal government and indigenous people have until the next federal election in October 2019 to make changes.
"Because if they don't make it, who knows what's going to happen in 2019," he said.
"I use the example of this, how many thought we'd be saying these words 'President Donald Trump'? Nobody thought he'd be president, but he is. So anything can happen in politics. So we have to try to get this work done as best we can before things change."
Chief Roy Fabian of the host K'atlodeeche First Nation called the assembly a "complete success" in the organizational sense by taking advantage of the infrastructure available on the Hay River Reserve.
No elections were held at the assembly this year.
The assembly passed 11 motions, all put into one motion to save time near the end of the meeting.
