Canada’s premiers meet Indigenous groups
Some Aboriginal organizations stay away in protest against format
BOUCTOUCHE, N.B. — Canada’s premiers emerged from meetings with Indigenous organizations Wednesday with little in the way of concrete initiatives after several major Aboriginal groups refused to participate in the gathering for the second year in a row.
Three of the country’s largest Indigenous groups — the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council — all bowed out of the talks in Bouctouche, N.B., held a day before provincial leaders are set to gather in St. Andrew’s, N.B., for their annual Council of the Federation meetings Thursday and Friday.
However, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples national chief Robert Bertrand, who represents offreserve Indigenous people, attended the meeting along with Francyne Joe, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
The less than half-day meeting at Pays de la Sagouine focused on economic partnerships and Indigenous children in care, said New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant.
“I think that having CAP and the native Women’s Association here was beneficial,” said Gallant. “I think the presentations were great and I think today would have been that much greater had we had the other three organizations present.”
Ahead of the meeting, Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod said it may be time to look at other options in order to attract more groups to the table.
“I’ll be suggesting that we take another look at it and find a better way, and I think we can do it,” he said.
Gallant said finding an alternative to satisfy other Indigenous groups would likely be discussed over the coming days. Three premiers also didn’t attend the meeting, including Doug Ford of Ontario, John Horgan of British Columbia and Nova Scotia’s Stephen MacNeil.
Still, Bertrand said he believes there is value in meeting the premiers.
“We are not necessarily pushing one organization versus another one. We are all working to improve the life of our constituents, whether it’s on reserve or off reserve,” he said. “We’ve all seen on TV the pictures of poverty and these problems. They have to be resolved.”
Joe said the issues facing organizations like her own were far too important for her to pass on the meeting.
“I think the information that was shared with the premiers and the presenters is going to lead us forward and we are going to be able to collaborate in the future to actually make a difference in these areas,” Joe said.
But Clement Chartier, president of the Métis National Council, said the three Indigenous organizations are the national representatives and “should be respected as such.”