Valcourt won’t hold students ‘hostage’ to the AFN

Bernard Valcourt says that a federal budget that does not specifically address Aboriginal concerns does not mean that the Conservative government is ignoring Indigenous needs.

Instead, says the minister for Aboriginal Affairs, it’s a budget that ties the well-being of Aboriginal people in with all Canadians.
“I think that what the future holds for Canada is the necessity of working in full partnership with First Nations across Canada. I look at the economic potential that our future holds and I don’t see it without the full participation of First Nations. This is our fastest growing segment of population and these young people need to be full partners in the success of Canada and that is what we are determined to achieve,” he said.

The federal government tabled the budget in Ottawa on April 21. Both Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde and Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Chief Betty Ann Lavallée quickly responded with statements condemning the budget.

While Lavallée said the budget was “a disappointment” and did nothing to help the more than one million Aboriginal people who live off-reserve, Bellegarde said there was no “significant investment” to close the gap that sees First Nations people living in poverty, ranked at 63 on the United Nations human development index in a country that ranks sixth overall.

Education, which has long been held as an important ticket in closing that gap, fell short. The $1.9 billion allotted in the 2014 budget was not referred to in the most recent budget and instead, Finance Minister Joe Oliver announced $200 million over five years starting in 2015/16 "to help support First Nations to achieve better education outcomes, including building partnerships with provincial school systems."

That money is to address education programs on reserve that ended on March 31, said Valcourt. He adds that last November Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $500 million to target new schools and renovations, which is funding not referenced in the budget. That leaves $1.2 billion announced in 2014, which “was tied to (Bill) C-33 and is still tied to C-33.”

Bill C-33, the First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act, has been on hold since last year when numerous First Nations chiefs opposed the bill, calling it paternalistic.

Now, said Valcourt, government officials are working with on-reserve schools across the country as First Nations combine with other First Nations to develop their own solutions to address shortfalls in educational achievement. He says these solutions can “absolutely” receive a portion of the $1.2 billion set aside in Bill C-33.

“I think the lesson (we learned from) C-33 is that we cannot hold those First Nations students on reserve hostage to a national group that cannot agree on anything. I think that solutions have got to be developed regionally, at the local level with willing partners,” said Valcourt.
 
The budget was also criticized for not singling out Aboriginal people for improved consultation in resource development projects, despite that exact recommendation from government-appointed Doug Eyford and the recent court decisions.

But Valcourt said the $34 million set aside over the next five years for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will lead to improved consultation with First Nations. Valcourt also notes pre-budget announcements, including the establishment of an office “expressly for major projects in western Canada to ensure that these consultations do indeed take place” and the announcement in July of “an extra effort” on the part of the government to establish consultation protocols with First Nations.
Valcourt also points to the nearly $250 million announced in the budget to be spent over the next five years for Aboriginal labour market programming.

“Some people sometimes try to isolate First Nations from the economic success of this country. I think that they are a full part of it, and they want to be a full part of it and that’s what these measures attempt to do,” he said.

Criticism that the government has downplayed such issues as safe drinking water and violence against Aboriginal women by not addressing these concerns in the federal budget unfairly dismisses earlier action undertaken, said Valcourt.

Estimates filed in the House of Commons a few weeks ago indicate a $137.3 million First Nations water/waste water action plan. Over the past six years, Valcourt says, close to $1 billion has been spent on that effort. However, there are still 63 First Nations communities that have boil water advisories in place.
In regard to addressing concerns about violence against Indigenous women, Valcourt points to the federal government participation in a murdered and missing Indigenous women’s forum in February. Also in attendance were provincial, territorial and First Nations governments, and Aboriginal organizations.

“At the federal level, it’s over $150 million in programming over the next five years that will be engaged to address these issues …. so I think this is an indication of the seriousness that we have for this issue,” said Valcourt.

If this budget were to be viewed as a pre-election budget, with the federal election coming in October, Valcourt says it underscores what the PC government has achieved.

“If you look at the record of accomplishments in regard to First Nations since 2006, they are enormous,” he said.

Valcourt highlights the Indian Residential School settlement; the yet-to-be-passed First Nations education act; attempts to address treaty-making impediments; and, working with First Nations and stakeholders in the comprehensive land claims effort.

“Our reconciliation agenda, I think, is second to none,” he said.
AFN Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy doesn’t agree.

“This is a status quo budget that doesn't go far enough to close the gap on quality of life for First Nations citizens,” he said in a news release. “This uninspired budget squandered this government’s last chance to meaningfully invest in First Nations.”