Fontaine pushes for council to address Aboriginal issues

The AFN's annual assembly, presided over by National Chief Phil Fontaine is underway in Quebec City, but that is not the only prominent event in Canada's 400-year-old city. The Council of the Federation, which took place from July 16 to 18 is also weighing in on heavy topics, and Fontaine has a keen eye on a couple topics in particular. The Council of the Federation is an annual affair, attended by all of Canada's Premiers with intentions to discuss prevalent issues facing Canada. The objectives the Council of the Federation must adhere to are as follows: -Promote interprovincial-territorial cooperation and closer ties between members of the Council, to ultimately strengthen Canada
-Foster meaningful relations between governments based on respect for the Constitution and recognition of the diversity within the federation
-Show leadership on issues important to all Canadians
The Council's main focus will be on issues such as the labour market, trade issues, and climate change. However, the National Chief would like to see the Council also address the serious poverty conditions and shortage of educational resources in Native communities, and he may have the support of several provincial and territorial Premiers.
Chief Fontaine explained that Native children receive $2,000 per capita less than other Canadians for education and that the disparity has become a major concern in most communities. This statistic is coming on the heels of a recent report from Statistics Canada showing that the Aboriginal population is growing six times faster than the rest of the country.
"Poor schools, inadequate resources for welfare services, drug abuse, gangs and poor school performance statistics are but some of the serious problems we face. There are far too many communities with no schools, or in serious state of disrepair," Fontaine explained.
Accusing the government of gross negligence, the national chief addressed the notion that there will be more aggressive actions taking place to pressure Ottawa. He also expressed that the First Nations cannot succeed without the help of the Council.
"If (the Premiers) are absent from this process, we will fall short."
In the post-apology era, Fontaine believes reconciliation must result in concrete measures that will eventually lead to repealing the Indian Act and pave the way for meaningful Native self-government in building a new relationship with the Canadian government.
Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec is hosting this years Council of the Federation, and he agrees the Premiers must examine the educational and social concerns expressed by Native leaders.
"It brings us back to the one fundamental question in my eyes: 'Where do we go from here?' The gesture by the Prime Minster of Canada and Parliament was a seminal event that marks the beginning of reconciliation and a healing process," said Charest, adding that education and economic disparities are two unavoidable issues that the Premiers must tackle.