Blunders a beginning for new Minister of Indian Affairs

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It has been only a few weeks since newly-appointed Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Pauline Browes took office. But in that short space of time, she has proved that Prime Minister Kim Campbell's choice for Indian Affairs Minister might have needed further consideration.

Browes was quick to drop her first big bomb during a meeting in Inuvik, NWT last month between federal, provincial and territorial Aboriginal Affairs ministers and Native officials. The minister made no bones about the federal government's reluctance to use the constitutional route to recognizing Natives' inherent right to self-government.

Browes' comments, that Ottawa does not recognize the inherent right of Aboriginal peoples to self-government, was something of a slap in the face and took many Native leaders by surprise. Members from the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations actually got up and left the discussion table shortly after Browes' lunch time departure.

And no wonder. The federal government's sudden reluctance to pursue Native self-government comes as a great surprise. If Browes was expounding on official federal policy, it would seem that either Indian Affairs, under Tom Siddon's guidance, was misleading us, or that Browes has brought in her own agenda. More than likely, it was a case of a new minister speaking out of turn, or speaking without thinking. Or both.

Twenty-four hours later, Browes' media relations staff were still doing damage control. The Assembly of First Nations and the Inuit Tapirisat had released their own press statements denouncing the new minister's retreat from Ottawa's commitment to Aboriginals.

The following day, Browes released her official clarification on her Inuvik speech. The minister does not believe Canadians want to recognize the inherent right to Native self-government because they rejected the Charlottetown Accord last October. And although the government is "fully sympathetic with the aspirations of Aboriginal Canadians to take greeter control of their lives, (they) are simply not willing to re-start this process."

Anyone who would interpret the constitutional referendum results in those terms is, at best, a tad fatuous. That was only one of half-a-dozen issues in the package, which also included Quebec's call for distinct society status, inter-governmental reform and the Triple-E Senate.

Pre-referendum polls showed most Canadians reluctant to approve the deal simply because they did not understand what it was all about. Post-referendum polls showed the majority of Canadians, around 65 per cent, in favor of Native self-government, but unwilling to approve it through the 1992 referendum because of everything else in that package. Browes can say what she likes about results but the facts still won't add up to a national rejection of Native sovereignty.

Then there's Browes second major gaffe - her absence from the AFN's annual general assembly last week. Assembly Grand Chief Ovide Mercredi was notably upset, calling the minister's absence "inexcusable" and questioning Prime Minister Campbell's "politics of inclusion." Mercredi's feelings are justified. Despite her inexperience at the post, Browes should have shown up, if only to be a visible presence at the gathering.

Then again, maybe it was a good thing she didn't show. The assembly met last week to discuss Native issues other than self-government - things like health care, education and poverty. One only wonders what Browes might have said on those topics.