Saskatchewan Natives fight feds over off-loading welfare payments

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Three Native groups in Saskatchewan have united with the provincial government to challenge Ottawa's right to pass the responsibility for welfare benefits for some Natives down to the province.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, the Prince Albert Tribal Council and the Confederacy of Tribal Nations are mounting a provincially funded $100,000 defense to prevent Ottawa from off-loading jurisdiction for social assistance payments to status Indians living off-reserve.

Ottawa handed over jurisdiction for the payments last July, putting an estimated 10,000 more people on the province's social assistance roles.

Handing the responsibility for welfare payments to the provinces is unconstitutional, said Prince Albert Tribal Council Grand Chief Alphonse Bird. Such fiduciary obligations must be met by the federal government.

"It's the federal agenda to attempt to off-load First Nations treaty people to the provinces. We feel if anyone should be off-loaded to, it's to the First Nations."

Ottawa should not have transferred those powers to the provinces without first consulting the First Nations, he added.

Although the Saskatchewan government agreed at the time to pick up the $40-million-a-year responsibility, Finance Minister Janice MacKinnon said it does not mean that paying those benefits is within the province's jurisdiction.