Provincial budget raises concerns with leaders

October 28, 2015.

A budget that was mostly silent on Indigenous priorities has First Nations’ leaders concerned.

“It’s kind of disappointing because of all the discussion that’s been happening lately so I’m hoping that the ministers do sit down with the Chiefs in the next little while to deal with some of the issues they’ve been talking about,” said Assembly of First Nations Alberta Regional Chief Craig Mackinaw.

In the first budget delivered by the New Democratic Party since forming the government in May, Finance Minister Joe Ceci made only a single reference to Aboriginal people, when outlining that three per cent of the Heritage Fund – or $540 million – will be used for growth-oriented companies.

“With access to a little more capital, there are remarkable opportunities for growth and diversification right across the province … and among the rising generation of bright, eager and entrepreneurial young Aboriginal people, on and off reserve, right across Alberta,” he said.

Ceci delivered the budget yesterday.

Economic development is only one of many areas that the Chiefs have been talking to the province about, says Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weasel Head.

“We’ve had preliminary discussions with (Premier Rachel Notley) in regards to economic development, how we can engage First Nations people. We are building capacity, we are prepared to entertain business plans with industry, and other economic development drivers,” said Weasel Head.

Ceci emphasized that the downturn in the oil industry will lead to the government running a hefty deficit of $6.1 billion this year and that it would take until 2019-2020 for the government to balance the budget.

First Nations have been discussing a royalty review and revenue sharing with the province. Mackinaw says while the low oil prices are a reason for concern, that isn’t the only revenue First Nations should have access to.

“You need to look at the overall royalty structure in different areas like mining, timber and those other mineral resources that haven’t been talked about yet. That’s why a royalty review is important, to have further discussion in looking at a funding formula,” he said.

Other topics of discussions with the government have included education, health care, murdered and missing Indigenous women, family and children services, regional plans on water, reconciliation, and implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“You need to have resources to be able to plan around those,” said Weasel Head, “and there’s nothing identified in the budget in itself. And that creates a little bit of a challenge and concern on behalf of First Nation people.”

But Treaty 8 Grand Chief Steve Courtoreille says he isn’t as concerned as other leaders. He says he sees the government moving forward on First Nations’ issues as something separate from the budget.

“Right now we’re in the process of signing a protocol agreement with the province,” said Courtoreille. “That’s a separate table that the discussions are going to be. I think this is a very good opportunity for First Nations to be looked at in kind of a separate process, that we need to be able to hammer at the province our cause, what is impacting us as First Nation people.”

Each of the three treaty areas are in separate discussions with the province to establish ways to forward that would both“breakdown barriers” and respect treaty rights. Courtoreille says he believes all three treaty areas are at the same stage of discussions.

Courtoreille anticipates signing a protocol agreement “very soon. I think we’re at the final draft of ours …. The meeting we had with the premier, the exact words were that we needed to get this thing going as soon as possible.”

Once the protocol agreements are signed, he says, then the various issues that concern First Nations will begin to be addressed. 

“I think this government is committed to working with First Nations and they’re taking steps in the right direction to do that,” said Courtoreille.