Manitoba chiefs welcome Liberal mandate

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After nine years of Tory rule, Manitoba chiefs have expressed strong optimism in the newly elected Liberal government

Having urged First Nations to vote and having given the Liberals high marks on a pre-election report card, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is confident a Liberal mandate will help advance First Nation interests.

"We found the Liberal policy platform on Aboriginal issues very appealing," said Grand Chief Phil Fontaine. "Especially their commitments to include Aboriginal people as an integral part of setting whatever their agenda their government is going to adopt for our issues."

Such a policy of inclusion is essential to improving conditions in First Nation communities, said Fontaine. With unemployment running as high as 90 per cent in some communities and most reserves lacking a viable economic base, he views the Liberal priorities of economic renewal and job creation as promising for First Nations.

"If you look to the issue of jobs and the economy, that's critical for us because you can never have the inherent right to self-government - or self-governing First Nations communities - without those communities becoming self-sufficient," he said. "And the only way they're going to become self-sufficient is through an improvement in their economies."

While the Liberals have remained steadfast in their refusal to revive the constitutional process, Fontaine does not regard this position as a bar to self-government. In the absence of a formal constitutional process, Fontaine believes First Nations can still work toward self-government through a "bottom-up" and step-by-step approach.

"We're in the process of taking very seriously one of the planks from the Liberal policy platform - that they're going to wind down the business of Indian Affairs," said Fontaine. "We welcome that. We want to displace Indian Affairs here, and replace it with First Nations controlled authority."

The Liberals swept the province, taking 12 out of a possible 14 seats. One of the candidates, Elijah Harper, pulled off an upset victory over the incumbent Rod Murphy in a traditional NDP riding.

Although the Liberals form a majority government, Fontaine sees the strong presence of the Bloc Quebecois and Reform Party as possible obstacles to change. The separatist agenda of the Bloc poses a threat to First Nations in Quebec, while the Reform Party's ethnically-neutral, fiscally-oriented agenda also threatens Aboriginals.

"There's an interesting balance in Parliament now. We're going to look to the Liberal government to work with us in protecting our rights and advancing our interests, and ensuring that the inherent right to self-government becomes a fact in this country."