INAC powerless: Welfare rates cut in B.C.

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One chief in British Columbia has raised the alarm about a recent contract struck between the provinces and Ottawa, saying First Nations are now under provincial rather than federal jurisdiction when it comes to welfare rates.

British Columbia's provincial government dropped social assistance rates by 12 per cent this summer, and First Nations rates followed automatically. The province's Regional Director General, John Watson, told Skeetchestn First Nation Chief Ron Ignace that Indian Affairs was powerless to do anything about it.

"The provincial government has initiated all kinds of welfare cut-backs," said Ignace. "The federal government has entered into an agreement, I'm led to believe, under the social union contract where the federal government has to follow provincial welfare guidelines."

It's not a Department of Indian Affairs decision, Ignace said, but a provincial decision that is going to be felt in a community where the federal government has jurisdiction. He has approached every First Nation political organization in the province, plus the Assembly of First Nations national executive and the federal government to see what can be done. But so far, the answer appears to be 'nothing.'

"I've had a resolution passed at the Assembly of First Nations calling on the national chief and the executive to meet with the federal government on this issue to try and come up with a solution," said Ignace.

"As well, I've met with the leaders in B.C., Vice-Chief Herb George, the new leader of the Summit, Ed John of the executive of the Summit. I've had a resolution passed at the Summit calling on the Summit to meet with the provincial government to try and seek a solution. I've met with the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, Stewart Phillip, to try also through his organization to try to implore the provincial government to try to come up with solutions, as well as the federal government. I've met with the regional director general of Indian Affairs to present the issue to him," Chief Ron Ignace said. "We have to stand up and defend the vulnerable in our communities. If we're not doing that as leaders then we're not doing our job. I intend to try to assist the most vulnerable in our communities across the country."

The cuts will cost the Skeetchestn Band about $10,000 this year. There are 198 First Nations in British Columbia. All are affected by the cuts.

Ignace said the cuts ignore the fact that basic costs have been rising and that people living on welfare were struggling to get by before the cuts.

"There's been all kinds of increases. All the bands have entered into social housing programs. We've entered into an agreement where there are lower-end of market rents based on 1992 values," he said. "There's been cutbacks there, too, amounting to shelter rates that will cut back in the average of $60 a month. And people on welfare, where are they going to come up with that $60 a month? On top of that they have the increased hydro and heating costs. Again, that's going to be an extra financial burden on people who are already disadvantaged. I would like to see CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) restructure their housing program. A lot of bands are already in deficit with CMHC. That's going to increase the burden both on the individual and on the community. So these provincial cuts are harming the poor and yet there are tax cuts being made for the rich."

The chief wants the province to come up with creative ways to help people get off welfare. Instead they are being abandoned, he said.

"I'm not saying welfare is something that we would like to live on for the rest of eternity. No. But until the government recognizes our rights and begins to involve us in revenue sharing and resource sharing and co-management of the resources so that we can get the true economic benefit that was anticipated in Delgamuukw from our land so that we can become economically self-sufficient, and putting in serios training dollars and compensate for all the damage that was done to our culture and language through residential schools. When all these facts are taken care of they can have welfare back. But until then, we need it," he said.

He said Indian Affairs officials in his province say they're powerless.

"They said they were concerned. They were trying to put a process in place that would address this but because it was a social union issue it was out of the hands of the RDG. He wasn't able to answer the questions or deal with them. You might want to talk to the minister of Indian Affairs about this."

It wasn't going to do much for the quality of life in the community, Ignace added.

"As the policy takes hold our people are going suffer more," he said. "They might not feel it right now but it's going to intensify with time. I don't care for this kind of treatment of those who are most vulnerable in our communities. Others can afford to bear the burdens, the financial costs of the situation they put these provinces in. It's not the Natives problem. We shouldn't have to pay for it."

Indian Affairs has actually profited from the cuts, the chief said.

"Indian Affairs has their funding budgeted for this year but these cuts have been initiated so we're wondering where the federal government is going with the revenue saved from these welfare cutbacks," he said.

AFN sources say lobbying efforts with MPs and senior bureaucrats are continuing on this matter. Details of lobbying efforts are generally not discussed out of concern that public statements could jeopardize the discussions. Several calls to the Minister of Indian Affairs office for answers about possible solutions yielded no response.

British Columbia NDP sources say federal departments have scaled back services in the province so they won't be left to pick up the slack for shrinking provincial programs.