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"First Nation communities must be well governed so that they can achieve economic development." So goes the new Indian Affairs mantra. At every opportunity, the Indian Affairs minister tells us that we should put land and rights and culture on the backburner, and look at our situation in pragmatic terms, with a solution as simple as implementing "good government" in our communities. He believes that our problems can be solved by making band councils (excuse me, "First Nation governments") efficient, accountable and stable, and wants us to ignore history.

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"First Nation communities must be well governed so that they can achieve economic development." So goes the new Indian Affairs mantra. At every opportunity, the Indian Affairs minister tells us that we should put land and rights and culture on the backburner, and look at our situation in pragmatic terms, with a solution as simple as implementing "good government" in our communities. He believes that our problems can be solved by making band councils (excuse me, "First Nation governments") efficient, accountable and stable, and wants us to ignore history.

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Ready or not, it's coming to a First Nation near you. The minister of Indian Affairs is pushing hard to get the First Nations Governance Act into law by the autumn of 2002. Our coverage this month fills a lot of space, but it only scratches the surface of a tremendously complex issue.

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Ready or not, it's coming to a First Nation near you. The minister of Indian Affairs is pushing hard to get the First Nations Governance Act into law by the autumn of 2002. Our coverage this month fills a lot of space, but it only scratches the surface of a tremendously complex issue.

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An act that the federal government hopes to table within the next several months will "provide for an integrated system of First Nation financial management, to establish certain First Nation institutions for that purpose and to make consequential amendments to other acts."

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An act that the federal government hopes to table within the next several months will "provide for an integrated system of First Nation financial management, to establish certain First Nation institutions for that purpose and to make consequential amendments to other acts."

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Teams of government officials will soon spread out across the country, asking First Nations people what they think the government should do to improve their local governments.

Robert Nault, the Indian Affairs minister, during a long interview with this newspaper, frequently hinted he believes the First Nations leadership is trying to scuttle his plans for reform because they have a lot to lose if the present system is changed. He insists there is no hidden agenda and his goal is to improve the quality of life for First Nation peoples.

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Teams of government officials will soon spread out across the country, asking First Nations people what they think the government should do to improve their local governments.

Robert Nault, the Indian Affairs minister, during a long interview with this newspaper, frequently hinted he believes the First Nations leadership is trying to scuttle his plans for reform because they have a lot to lose if the present system is changed. He insists there is no hidden agenda and his goal is to improve the quality of life for First Nation peoples.

Page 1

First Nation chiefs are getting ready to fight the Indian Affairs minister on several fronts as details of how the federal government will change the way First Nations are governed begin to surface.

Three separate pieces of legislation are being prepared that will fundamentally change the role of First Nations leaders. Along with a proposed First Nations Governance Act, a First Nations Financial Institutions Act and an act that will create an independent claims body (ICB) are being framed.

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First Nation chiefs are getting ready to fight the Indian Affairs minister on several fronts as details of how the federal government will change the way First Nations are governed begin to surface.

Three separate pieces of legislation are being prepared that will fundamentally change the role of First Nations leaders. Along with a proposed First Nations Governance Act, a First Nations Financial Institutions Act and an act that will create an independent claims body (ICB) are being framed.