Indigenous post good fit for ex-ag, leaders say

OT TAWA • Jody Wilson-raybould would have brought a wealth of experience to the Indigenous services portfolio, including first-hand knowledge from the world of First Nations politics, some Indigenous leaders said Thursday as they questioned her decision to decline the cabinet post.

One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former top aides told a Commons committee Wednesday that Wilson-raybould was offered the recently created post of minister of Indigenous services as part of a January shuffle.

She refused, citing her long-standing opposition to the Indian Act, which grants the federal government control over a number of areas, including wills, property and First Nations band administration.

Heather Bear, vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which includes 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, said she wonders if it would have been a positive step for the former justice minister to fill the role.

Wilson-raybould could have found additional ways to address problems Indigenous people face, Bear said.

“I would have welcomed her presence there in order to fix what we know is wrong with the system,” she said Thursday. “I do question whether or not it would have been wise for her to occupy that space and maybe come up with some solutions, but it is a difficult situation.”

The Trudeau Liberals have been adamant about moving beyond the Indian Act, although exactly what that should look like is subject to debate.

The fundamental issues First Nations have with the 1876 statute is that it is seen as paternalistic and a tool of assimilation, but protections in the act create hurdles to reforms.

Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand said it was hypocritical for Wilson-raybould to turn down the Indigenous services position because the Justice Department is responsible for the “choke hold” on First Nations, Metis and Inuit rights.

It was “amazing” for Wilson-raybould to be offered the opportunity as an Indigenous person, he added, noting she would have brought valuable experience to the table, including from her time as the B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

“Imagine now we have a First Nation leader, who is a lawyer, who is a regional chief, a prosecutor to actually now lead that file? Wow,” he said. “You couldn’t ask for a better picture.”

Last week, Wilson-raybould told the Commons justice committee she believed she was moved out of her role as justice minister because she didn’t provide the Quebec engineering giant Snc-lavalin a remediation agreement — a deal for companies to avoid criminal prosecution — following what she called sustained pressure from the Prime Minister’s Office.