Notes by The Honourable Chuck Strahl at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly

The Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly

Speaking Notes for The Honourable Chuck Strahl PC, MP Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians

The Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly

Gatineau, Quebec
December 11, 2008

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National Chief Fontaine, Elders, Regional Chiefs, my home province Regional Chief Atleo, Chiefs and community leaders, and fellow MPs Harold Albrecht, Rob Clarke, Greg Rickford, Bruce Stanton and my new PS John Duncan are also here.Merci / Thank you for that warm introduction. Meegwech. I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak to you this morning. Je suis honoré d’avoir été invité à vous parler ce matin. You know, this is one of my first speaking engagements since my reappointment as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians. I was delighted when the Prime Minister reappointed me to this portfolio – because I am eager to continue working with you and with all our partners to make progress on the issues that challenge Aboriginal people in Canada.

Before getting too far, I want to recognize the efforts of your Assembly this week. Top of mind for all of us is the Canadian economy. Our Conservative government will be tabling a strong Budget on January 27th – and in advance of that we will be working with the provinces and territories to ensure that Budget is going to work for all Canadians. I want you to know that I have heard your calls for economic stimulus and investments to help improve the lives of all Aboriginal peoples. This is important, and the timing – obviously – couldn’t be more perfect. In January, the First Ministers Meeting will have an Aboriginal component – and leading up to that event, I will be working with the 5 National Aboriginal Organizations – as we move forward in this period of economic uncertainty, together.

They say that a week is a lifetime in politics, and that has certainly been true in Ottawa over the past little while. I can’t pretend I know what is going to happen in the days ahead, either with the separatist coalition’s future, or even with the future of the Liberals and their truncated leadership race. We have several more weeks between now and the opening of Parliament, so we could be in for some more revelations and political machinations.

But perhaps the political reality here in Ottawa is a good way to segue to some ideas that have been very much on my mind lately. And that is the close relationship between leadership and partnership.

Nowadays, there is a growing consensus that dealing with any difficulty – or opportunity – is easier if there are strong, constructive partnerships. You’ve heard that message before because it’s true – no one party can make realistic progress on these complex questions all alone. But there’s more to it than that. Successful partnerships don’t just happen by themselves. They are the product of someone’s – or some group’s – energy, imagination, and will to get results.
Or in a word – leadership. The way I see it, partnerships are the engine that will move us forward, but leadership is the fuel that will carry us through.

That’s why to advance the interests of Aboriginal people, it is absolutely essential that we have that leadership – from me, from you, from every person and group that works to better the outcomes for Aboriginal people.

I look at it this way – there are three elements that are necessary to a meaningful partnership:

o As I have just mentioned, the first and most crucial is leadership – if we are to continue to make headway on the issues that face Aboriginal people, we need leadership and a firm sense of purpose at every level and in every forum to pull partnerships together and to make them work.
o Le deuxième élément est le courage et la volonté d’apporter des changements. The second is the courage and the will to make change happen – it is one thing to recognize that things need to change – but it is something quite different to have the fortitude and the strength of will to overcome obstacles, to take risks, and effect that change.
o And the third is the determination to follow through to ensure that tangible results are achieved and real progress is made.

There is not a shadow of doubt that everyone in this room, and I include myself, is working diligently to achieve the same goal – ensuring a prosperous future for First Nations and indeed for all Aboriginal people. But is there more we can do? Are there further steps we can take together to build on our progress, and make good things happen together?

For instance, yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. A significant moment for all people… and all of us join in celebrating its role in raising awareness of Universal Human Rights.

In the same spirit of equality, during the last parliamentary session, our government passed legislation repealing section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This action finally brought an end to a shocking 30-year legislative gap that had left many First Nations people without the full protection of the Act. This Stephen Harper government is proud to have played a part in ensuring that all Canadians have access to real human rights protection.

But there is more we can do, and it will take leadership from all of us to make it happen.

I was thinking about the significance of leadership in the context of December 6th, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Nationally, our government recognizes the seriousness of this issue and has taken some significant steps to make meaningful improvements in the lives of Aboriginal women, children and families.

We’ve achieved this through partnerships with the departments of Justice and Public Safety, through enhancements to the Family Violence Prevention Program and through the construction of new shelters.

And we’ve looked more broadly at the factors that aggravate the issue of violence against all members of society. For instance, we’ve put in place the National Anti-Drug Strategy and the Tackling Violent Crime Act, both of which support our commitment to safer communities right across Canada. Just last week, the Minister for the Status of Women, Helena Geurgis and I met with Bev Jacobs to talk about a “whole of government” approach to combating violence against Aboriginal women, and we will be working closely with her as we plan further steps to make that happen.

All that is well and good, but real, immediate change – change that addresses violence against Aboriginal women at a community level – can only happen with the leadership of organizations like yours, like mine, and others right down to the community level. Only a strong voice and strong leadership, which includes Aboriginal women as leaders in the communities, can break the cycle of violence. All of us – and I’m particularly addressing us men here – also have a role to play in ensuring we bring the proper spirit into our own homes and meetings, so that violence against women is simply unacceptable to us all. And we can help that happen by ensuring that women are involved. Nationally, regionally or locally, through formal or informal means, they need to be there. I implore all of us to take this message to heart and work towards this change in the communities.

There are other examples where constructive leadership and strong partners are making a difference. My department is working at the regional level with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs on reform of the Indian Act as it pertains to First Nations elections. I am very pleased that through the leadership of Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the AMC, we are pursuing the potential for a common election day and longer term of office for Manitoba First Nations.

I am also pleased that the Atlantic Policy Chiefs, seeing this willingness to embrace change, want to hear more about this work, and are reaching out to the Manitoba chiefs to see what they, too, might achieve. We will work with you, supporting your leadership as you make that change possible.

Leaders in this room also know all too well that the Indian Act has a poor legislative framework that fails to support First Nations governments in exercising “real” law making power that responds to the modern day governance needs of your communities.

For instance, many bylaws submitted to the department are very good laws …but we have no choice but to disallow them as they go beyond the very limited scope of the Indian Act…for example….there is no authority to pass a residential tenancy law, a key element of a housing strategy.

Is this an opportunity for change? Absolutely.

Is it an opportunity to work together? Again, it absolutely is.

But if our goal is to implement effective, real change only when we have the perfect plan, then truly, I believe we are delaying much needed progress.

One example of this is the recent amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, which I mentioned earlier. Many of you have said, and I believe you, that human rights are critically important to you and your communities. I said, and I hope that you believe me, that human rights are critically important for all Canadians and that this is especially true where the old law created a gap – a gap that, among other things, sometimes barred you from making complaints against me when you thought that I and my department were in the wrong.

I also heard and respect the many questions asked about how this will play out. I will be the first to say that the government and I don’t have every answer about where it will take us. Of course we will need to continue to develop how this will work and how we will respond to the many questions that will arise – some of which may take years to answer.

But the question that I believe we need to come back to is this: “Do we do nothing until we have the answer for everything, or do we start today with those pieces that we can all agree are right and build the rest as we move forward.” Allons-nous ne rien faire tant que nous n’aurons pas toutes les réponses… ou… allons-nous commencer aujourd’hui avec les éléments qui semblent fonctionner et trouver les autres éléments en cours de route?

I believe that the first approach leaves us with a status quo that none of us want. We need to build on what we can agree upon first.

There are many things that we disagree upon, but the foundation of our most likely short-term progress can be found in those areas where we do have agreement: that every step toward safe drinking water is important; that every step toward better education for our children is important; that every step toward creating sustainable economies and jobs for First Nations people and communities is important. We don’t start by seeking perfection. We start by working together to make improvements in a hurry.

This brings me to the second point I see as essential to a successful partnership, and that is the will to make change. And that ‘will’ involves more than just the strength to move things forward. It involves having the vision and the wisdom to make progress even without the perfect solution.

Economic development is a significant area where will to succeed is making a difference. We’re definitely making progress in terms of economic development opportunities for First Nations – but we must remember to be pragmatic in our approach and realistic in our goals. And all our partners must do the same.

There are great examples out there of First Nations who have not waited for the wheels of government to turn. They have gone out and formed their own partnerships with public and private sector organizations – and turned the economic potential of their communities into reality.

Look at Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia, led by Chief Terrance Paul. This community is a bright spot of the Cape Breton economy, employing 700 in peak season — close to half of them non-Aboriginal — and grossing annual revenues of $75-million from band-owned and operated businesses that pump funds back into community programs. And consider the continued success of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, which under Chief Bear’s leadership has formed partnerships resulting in a mechanical company, an electrical company and the Dakota Dunes Golf Course and Casino. I know that there are many more examples in this room. Some of you are pursuing first-time treaties, some want to better implement longstanding treaties. Some of you want to get out from under the Indian Act by using the First Nation Land Management Act, while others are using resource-revenue sharing as an interim step forward. Some want to move to self-government agreements, while others want infrastructure developments for specific projects.

There is no one perfect way forward, but all of us should feel the need to move as quickly as possible to find those opportunities and those willing partners to realize the full potential of First Nation communities.

The third element of a successful partnership – is follow through.

Over the past two and a half years, when we’ve been able to make good progress, it is almost always a partnered approach, with determined follow through that has produced the results we all wanted.

Just six months ago, the Prime Minister made a Statement of Apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools in the House of Commons. Although the government recognizes the Apology will not take away the sad legacy of residential schools, it does mark a new beginning for all of us, founded on renewed hope, mutual respect, and trust. We are all troubled that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has encountered some difficulties, but there is no question that this Commission is the right thing to do. The government is fully committed to the successful implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and we are working hard with the AFN and the other parties of the historic Settlement Agreement on how to get it back on course. We fully expect the Commission to resume its work soon.

Another excellent illustration of a true collaborative partnership, driven by strong leadership both from the federal government and the AFN… is the work we did together on the Specific Claims Tribunal Act. This legislation is a prime example of where leadership, the will to make change, and our collective determination to follow through have yielded real results.

I know I don’t need to expand on the wisdom of resolving specific claims to this audience. Specific claim settlements not only meet Canada’s lawful obligations to First Nations, they bring real, tangible economic benefits — benefits that can mean jobs, business opportunities, and the means to create healthy, prosperous communities. Again, we co-drafted this Bill together, and because we knew there would be more work to do together, we didn’t expect perfection. That’s why there is a political side agreement that tasks us to continue to work together as we make this process beneficial for all Canadians.

And we must also look at education. Here is an area where partners at many levels have followed through to create initiatives that will make real and lasting results for First Nations.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a father of four and a grandfather of eight, but you don’t have to have kids to grasp the vital importance of quality education.

In the recent Speech from the Throne, we repeated our commitment to ensuring that First Nations students have access to an education system that not only encourages them to stay in school, but will also see them graduate with the skills necessary to enter the labour market.

That’s why just last week, my department announced that we are investing almost $270 million over five years with ongoing funding of $75 million in subsequent years, in a new initiative that sets the foundation for long term improvement in First Nations education. Under this initiative, schools will be able to develop success plans, conduct student assessments, and put in place performance management systems to track, monitor, and report on school and student progress. This will better enable First Nations to share fully in Canada’s economic opportunities.
There’s another aspect to this initiative as well – the federal government is proud to be negotiating tripartite education agreements with interested First Nation groups and provinces … to support better collaboration between First Nations schools, organizations and provincial education systems.

For instance, last April we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Brunswick First Nations and the Province of New Brunswick to improve educational outcomes of First Nations students in both band-operated and public schools in that province.

Just over a year ago the First Nations Jurisdiction over Education Act came into effect in British Columbia, enabling First Nations to assume meaningful control over education in their communities.
I am pleased to note that 13 First Nations in BC are actively negotiating education jurisdiction agreements to enhance the quality of education for their children.

In many ways these education agreements are true partnerships because … the improvement of educational outcomes is a shared responsibility…. in which Governments… Communities… Educators… Families… and students will all have a role to play. Les gouvernements, les collectivités, les enseignants, les familles et les élèves ont un rôle à jouer.

I think the work that has been done on education is very indicative of what can be accomplished through leadership and partnerships at various levels. It shows us very clearly how valuable it is for you as an organization and I as a representative of government to broaden our notions of partnership – so we are not just thinking at only the national, or federal level. We need to consider how we can move forward at the regional and local levels, and even work with individual First Nation governments to make change happen.

All of the topics I have touched on today reinforce my point that strong leaders can create and drive willing partnerships, and achieve real results.

Partnerships work – we know they do.

They work because of the leadership everyone in this room can – and has – demonstrated. They work because we have clearly shown both the desire and the will to make change. And they work because we have left no doubt about our joint determination to follow through.

I am the first to admit that there is still much more work to do. And, let’s not kid ourselves – it won’t be easy in these exceptionally challenging times. But we know we have it in us to show the leadership to get things done. What we also need to do is to recognize, stimulate, and encourage leadership at all levels – to form the associations, make the links, and assemble the partners to get results.
In our recent past we have more than enough grounds for hope. We know we must all work together to make progress. And we’ll keep at it – there’s no turning back. But I also want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that I’m not interested in waiting — there’s been enough of that over the years.

I’m here to work with you, as I am eager to work with all of our Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal partners. But let’s do just that – get to work. Alors mettons-nous au boulot.

We are walking together on a path to a better future – for First Nations and for Canada as a whole. ‘Progress through partnerships’… I have every confidence that our shared destination of a prosperous future for First Nations, and all Aboriginal people, is well within our sight.

Thank you / Meegwech.