'Where there's movement, there's change,' says leader
Gwich'in chief Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan welcomes federal cabinet shuffle
Emelie Peacock
Northern News Services
Monday, September 4, 2017
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Gwich'in Tribal Council grand chief Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan is one of several Northern leaders welcoming the federal government's split of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs portfolio.
On Aug. 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the change, which divides the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs into Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services.
Carolyn Bennett, former minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, will now be minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. Jane Philpott, former Minister of Health, will now be minister of Indigenous Services.
Greenland-Morgan said she was pleased to hear of the changes, for the Gwich'in Tribal Council she said it is seen as a step toward improved relations with the federal government.
The background of the ministers, Philpott in particular, is promising for Greenland-Morgan as well.
"It's good to see that, with the former health minister Jane, she has been regarded as one of the most effective members in Trudeau's cabinet. I like that, you need people who are most effective to really see change happening," she said.
Liberal NWT MP Michael McLeod said this change has been a long time coming, as Bennett was carrying a very high workload as minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
"There has been so much new activity in the department, there had to be some change," he said. "This will allow it to be more streamlined."
Yellowknives Dene First Nation Chief Edward Sangris welcomed the change as he said the department had become too big for any one minister to handle.
The First Nation is still negotiating land claims and deals with the department for service provision in its communities. As a result, Sangris said months of waiting for a response from the department was not uncommon.
The true test, he said, will be how the Akaitcho land claims process proceeds.
"When Trudeau got elected he said there's going to be some changes," he said. "But when we got to the main table of negotiations, the chief negotiator indicated to us that it was business as usual."
Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus said the Dene Nation wants to sit down with the federal government to ask for details.
"If we're talking about eliminating the department, how do you phase into that?" he asked.
"What has been happening to a large extent is that responsibility has been going to the territorial government and we're not in support of that."
