Forum preview to FMC: Government policy said not public view

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Canadian acceptance of aboriginal self-government is not translating into government policy. That was the message Native leaders gave at a forum previewing the First Ministers Conference on Aboriginal constitutional matters.

This Forum held at the University of Alberta March 6, was the last of a series of forums organized by Native university students to heighten the general public's awareness of Native self-determination.

Leaders of Aboriginal national organizations spoke about their respective positions going into the first ministers talks on Aboriginal self-government.

Albert James, northern vice-chief of the assembly of First Nations (AFN); Sam Sinclair, co-chairman of the Metis National Council (MNC); Doris Ronnenberg, president of the Native Council of Canada (Alberta) (NCC(A)); John Amagoalik, co-chairman of the Inuit Committee on National Issues (ICNI), and Peter Manywounds Jr., spokesman for the Prairie Treaty Nations Alliance (PTNA), comprised the panel addressing the topic of Aboriginal consitutional positions.

"Completing the circle of confederation" is the theme of the upcoming First Ministers Conference (FMC) on Aboriginal matters, said Amagoalik.

The "so called two founding nations" of Canada will have to recognize the third party to Confederation, which is Native people, said Amagoalik.

"Until their rights are recognized, the circle will not be complete", said Amagoalik.

Referring to a recent national poll completed by Decima Ltd. That shows 58 percent of Canadians supporting Aboriginal self-government an an additional 12 percent saying they strongly support Aboriginal self-government, Amagoalik said Canadians in general favor recognizing the rights of Native people to self-government

"Canadians are much tolerant of Aboriginal people than Americans are," said Amagoalik, "but this does not translate to government policy."

Amagoalik urged the government not to shrink from the responsibility of recognizing and entrenching the right of Aboriginal people to self-government in the Canadian Constitution.

Moving on to talk on the topic of Arctic Sovereignty, Amagoalik said that asserting sovereignty by increasing Canadian military presence is not the answer.

"The best way to assert Arctic sovereignty is to allow the people there to assert their own government," said Amagoalik.

"The Americans want to fight the Soviets. I want to fight the Soviets, too, but in a hockey rink," said Amagoalik. "The U.S. has the Cruise missile; we have Wayne Gretzky.

The Aboriginal people are getting back on their feet, said Amagoalik confidently, adding "it's not just a local phenomenon; it is happening all around the world."

Amagoalik reported that boundary division in the north is well underway with a motion on holding a territory-wide plebiscite on division now being deliberated in the N.W.T. Legislature.

The AFN is finalizing its position to tkake to the reported James.

"Severe and unneces-prejudice will be directed to people if more than one has veto power over Abo-self-government," said James

James outlined AFN for self-government, including the recognition and affirma- of the inherent right to self-the obligation for a bilateral with the federation govern- by each Aboriginal govern- constitutional protection section 35 of the Canada no provincial or federal Aboriginal consent to changes, and no govern- legislation that would dimin- Aboriginal rights.

James conceded that First Nationsl which had signed treaties with the Crown have been given less attention than other Aboriginal groups, and that self-government negotiations in the future would constitute a new treaty making era.

Before he elaborated on the Metis national position regarding the self-determination aspirations of Metis people, Sinclair said, there were many times that he slept at the foot of the bed.

"When I was young, I slept at the foot of the bed so much, that now when I smell feet, I get sleepy," said Sinclair.

The MNC is going to Ottaa to demand that the inherent right to self-government, with accompanying rights to a land base and sub-surface resources, be recognized and affirmed in the Constitution, said Sinclair.

"We all need land and the proper resources to govern ourselves," said Sinclair.

Legally, the Metis want to have governing powers under sections 92 and 91.24 of the Constitution, according to Sinclair.

Section 92 of the Constitution (formerly called the British North America Act), sets out the governing powers of Canadian provinces. Section 91.24 covers federal powers over Indians and Indian lands.

"If we still have our Aboriginal rights in place after the FMC, then we haven't totally lost," said Sinclair.

Sinclair later indicated he will leave Metis politics after eight years as president of the Metis Association of Alberta when his term expires in August of this year.

Ronnenberg, one of the two women presidents of the 12 member organizations of NCC, was a lat-minute replacement speaker for NCC President Louis "Smokey" Bruyere.

The NCC represents non-status Indians and some general registry Indians, said Ronnenberg. She reported that one of the member organization of the NCC, the United Native Nations of British Columbia, has whole Indian bands as members.

If the inherent right to self-government was recognized by the federal government, the local Native community would initiate negotiations that would have the strength of a modern-day Treaty, said Ronnenberg.

Ronnenberg echoed the position of the previous speakers, nothing that the national Aboriginal organizations have agreed on a common position.

"The world is looking at us, as to how we deal with one another and how fair we are to each other, concluding Ronnenberg.

The constitutional process is an opportunity to accomplish something that has been tried in Canada for the last 100 years, said Manywounds.

Treaty rights are already entrenching, including the right to self-government, but the right to self-government for ther Aboriginal groups has yet to be recognized, said Manywounds.

"We want to reach an agreement to implement our treaty rights," he said, adding that the PTNA has not been given a seat at the FMC talks.

The PTNA represents 120,000 Treaty Indians making up 128 nations in Canada, reported Manywounds.

The PTNA broke away from the AFN in 1985 because its leaders felt Treaty issues were not being represented well by the AFN.

"We don't want anything to do with the provincial governments. That is probably one thing we agree on. They don't want anything to do with us either." said Manywounds.

The government has a responsibility to deal with Indians, but not a responsibility to dictate to Indians, said Manywounds in describing the "bureaucratic terrorism" civil servants use on Indian people.

"If the FMC talks break down, we are in a better position than other Aboriginal people," said Manywounds, referring to the bilateral link Treaty nations have with the Canadian government.