Agreement may threaten treaties

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The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has hit its first stumbling block on the path to self-government.

Section five, which sets ouf the guiding principles in the dismantling of Indian Affairs in the Draft Framework Agreement, needs reworking, the chiefs concluded after a meeting June 15. The process is stalled until August when revisions will be presented to a general assembly.

Concerns were raised by many of the chiefs vthat the wording in the document was not strong enough to protect the treaties, said Bruce Spence, spokesman for the AMC.

Grand Chief Phil Fontaine wants consensus and it wasn't there, so he suggested the document be sent back to the joint working group, said Spence. The group is comprised of representatives of the tribal council, Manitoba chiefs and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

It's clear all Manitoba chiefs support the dismantling of Indian Affairs, but that doeesn't mean they are prepared to accept anything in its place, said Peguis Chief Louis Stevenson.

Stevenson wants the original relationship betweern First Nations and Canada restored. An emphasis should be made on the association between First Nations and Canada as it ws before the Indian Act, he said. It is important individual treaties (one to five pertain to Manitoba) be mentioned in the document.

The fear is this new arrangement will be nothing more than a child of the Indian Act, which in the people's eyes is unacceptable. What must be assured is that any transfer or shift of jurisdiction is going to the reserves, not another bureaucracy.

Care has to be taken to ensure what they end up with isn't just the authority or jurisdiction to administer the Indian Act.

"We don't want to administer our own misery," Stevenson said. It is also necessary to ensure the level of resources and support from the system won't diminish under the agreement.

What has to be stressed is that Indian Affairs is not now being dismantled. What the AMC has agreed to is to investigate the opportunities or changes that will result in the event Indian Affairs is dismantled.

In the end the community will have the final say. If it's not attractive or what the people want, they won't accept it.