Cuts disappointing, and should concern leadership, says Satsan

“It’s one thing for governments to be able to close our doors, but they can’t close our minds,” said Satsan Herb George, executive director for the National Centre for First Nations Governance.

Almost two weeks after the federal budget was brought down, George received word from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada that funding for the centre had been cut. The organization has gone from $3 million to $1.5 million effective April 1. There will be no funding after the end of this fiscal year, which will mean the doors will be closing on or before March 31, 2013.

George said he had been optimistic when the budget was released and the centre was not named as one of the institutes cut. However, he said he wasn’t surprised to find out that in secondary cuts the centre had been axed. For two years running, the institute has had its funding cut.

Even more of a portend was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s comment at the January Crown-First Nations gathering that the Indian Act would remain.

“He made it very clear that the Indian Act had deep roots and the government wasn’t interested in changing it or getting rid of it,” said George.

That philosophy flies in the face of what the National Centre for First Nations Governance is all about.

“Our centre is built around working with First Nations and our people, around putting in place our own governments that reflect our own opinion and our own needs, so we’re talking beyond the Indian Act and into the realm of the inherent right,” said George.

Perhaps the most obvious example of the divide that lies between the Indian Act and the work undertaken by the centre is what recently transpired with Attawapiskat First Nation. The federal government replaced chief and council with a third-party manager for four-and-a -half months. When Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence returned mid-April, one of her first calls was to the centre asking the organization to work with her and the community.

Since the centre opened its doors six years ago the demand for services has climbed, said George.

“We do governance better than anybody has tried in our communities. And we’ve got results; we’ve had success.”
The Membertou First Nation is one of those successes. The work offered by the centre has been invaluable as Membertou works toward establishing codes for citizenship/membership and land management, said Cheryl Knockwood, governance coordinator with Membertou.

“It’s unfortunate the funding has been cut because we’re on a trajectory of working in partnership on these issues at a community level.” She created the centre for its critical help in those discussions.

Membertou has had an agreement in place with the national centre for a number of years which has seen the First Nation participate in the wide variety of workshops the organization offers.

“Because of those workshops we’re moving full tilt forward. We feel disappointed because other communities who are not in our situation and (who) will require a few services to be able to do similar things we’re doing, won’t have the option or support from the national centre, so that’s not a good thing,” said Knockwood.

George said the national centre will continue to work on its projects “until we can’t,” noting that the organization has been involved with over 300 First Nations, almost half of the First Nations in Canada.

“We’ve created a movement for change that’s in gear,” said George, who believes that the Indian Act is the systemic cause for the difficulties faced by First Nations.
“What we’ve said to our people is that you’ve got to do it for yourself and you’ve got to do it based on your own vision. And that’s happening. Even though our funding is cut, the movement for change is in gear. And I think our leadership should be very, very concerned about this (cut).”