PM, national chief talk away from spotlight

Atleo presses Harper on pledges made during January protests

OTTAWA — More than six months after meeting amid highly charged protests on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the head of Canada’s largest aboriginal group finally met again last week — this time, more quietly.

Harper’s long-awaited meeting with Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo occurred in stark contrast to their meeting on Jan. 11, which took place with grassroots indigenous Idle No More movement protests ringing in the streets outside and an Ontario chief holding a liquid-diet protest nearby.

That meeting also happened amid much political pressure, with some chiefs loudly opposing Atleo’s decision to attend. This time, the meeting — held last Thursday — was announced after the fact and with little fanfare.

In January, the sides emerged pledging to move on treaty rights and comprehensive claims. At the time, Harper’s office said the two would have a followup meeting “in the coming weeks.”

However, Atleo told a Senate committee late last month that he and Harper still had not met since January. And in an interview with Postmedia News earlier this month, he downplayed the importance of such a meeting.

“Progress should not be determined about whether or not I meet with or talk with the prime minister,” he said.

Atleo has expressed frustration lately at a lack of progress on First Nations issues, saying a needed transformative change to the government’s approach hasn’t happened. The Harper government is touting recently passed pieces of legislation that it says will help improve drinking water, financial transparency and property rights for aboriginal women on reserves.

But in an open letter to chiefs and councils last week, Atleo said the AFN has been clear in its opposition to those new laws. A common objection has been to an alleged lack of consultation.

Atleo said he “pressed for clarity” on the commitments made in January on comprehensive claims and treaty implementation, and the “establishment of clear timelines and targets on these commitments.” In the letter, he said Harper expressed agreement with working toward important next steps.

Harper spokesman Carl Vallee said the prime minister and national chief discussed “the progress made since Jan. 11 on priorities we share with First Nations, particularly education and comprehensive claims.”

Vallee said the prime minister noted the senior oversight committee on comprehensive claims is making “concrete progress” and encouraged the oversight committee on treaties to “focus their efforts on clear objectives that will lead to tangible, practical measures.”