Basics for change hammered out

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Self-government, self-sufficiency, cultural healing and a new relationship with Canada are essential to achieve balanced rights for Natives, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples announced.

The commission made the announcement with the release of its second discussion paper, Focusing the Dialogue, two weeks ago.

The Touchstones for Change were the result of the first round of talks held throughout Canada since last spring, commission co-chair George Erasmus said.

The document is intended to sharpen the discussion in third and fourth rounds of hearings scheduled for May/June and October/November of this year.

The touchstones are closely inter-related and must be acted on to create lasting solutions for Natives in Canada.

"People who are unable to exercise their right to self-determination face the possibility of loss of culture, loss of identity, and gradual assimilation," the commission concluded.

"Aboriginal people, both individually and collectively, are faced with ignorance of their culture, social exclusion and personal disrespect in many parts of non-Aboriginal society."

Building a new future for Natives will require the recognition that First Nations people are an immutable characteristic of the country, Erasmus said.

"Aboriginals must have more power. We must come to negotiations with more land and influence. There is a strong desire to refer to the original agreements arrived at through treaty."

Several models for implementing self-government have been suggested by different Native communities, he said. But one model will not serve Aboriginals across Canada.

The concept of healing the painful wounds of the past is another important part of the discussions, Erasmus said. Many commission contributors saw the need to strengthen and rebuild Native culture as a foundation for their collective survival.

The commission's next task is to take the touchstones back to Aboriginal communities, he said.

"We want to go into the communities to see if the touchstones make sense," he said. "We will build on what's been done in the past."

The commission is currently holding sessions in Ottawa where members are listening to the stories of the High Arctic Exiles, a group of 50 Inuit families moved by the Canadian government to Baffin Island in the 1950s.

The community of exiles say they experienced starvation, disease, loss of cultural identity and suicides among other hardships as a result of the move.