Changes coming-Mitchell

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A senior government official warned us a week before Indian Affairs Minister Andy Mitchell'speech at the Canada-Aboriginal Roundtable meeting in Ottawa on April 19 that it would be a "launch pad" for the Paul Martin agenda.

It was. The Indian Affairs minister laid out a number of details about what his department will be doing to further the Prime Minister's plan to make Aboriginal issues a government priority.

"Today we are talking about developing new approaches-as the Prime Minister says, transformative change, fundamental change," Mitchell said. "That's hard work because we have to do something very, very difficult yet very important. We need to remember the past. We need to understand it. We must never lose it. But at the same time, we need to shift our gaze forward and to chart that fundamental change, to chart that transformation that we want to make, building upon all of the experience, building upon our history and moving forward."

Mitchell was appointed to handle a portfolio that Martin and his advisors repeatedly said would experience profound changes. Backroom players in Ottawa in the days and weeks before Martin took over from former prime minister Jean Chretien talked a lot about "changing the machinery of government," government lingo for transferring responsibilities from one ministry to another or taking away or adding authority to a government department.

There was talk about hiving off northern development into its own ministry and creating a ministry of Aboriginal affairs that would assume responsibility for First Nation, Metis and Inuit matters.

One step in that direction was made early in the day, when Martin announced the creation of an Inuit-specific secretariat within the Department of Indian Affairs.

"I was particularly pleased to see the Prime Minister announce the new Inuit Secretariat within the Department of Indian Affairs," Mitchell said, addressing his next remarks to Inuit leader Jose Kusugak. "And I want to assure you, Jose, we will implement that in the short term and we will implement it in consultation with yourselves, your leaders and your people. So that as we begin that relationship, that new relationship, that transformative change, that we are of our word that we will do it in collaboration and in conjunction with each other."

The Indian Affairs minister, without making any specific announcements, touched on a variety of areas, indicating he is open to looking at new approaches to old problems.

"The prime pinister suggested this morning and I'm prepared to work diligently on the creation of school boards within our Aboriginal communities. This is something, though, that we need to do collectively together. This is something that we need to do with educators, with students, with the Aboriginal leadership, to determine how these school boards may work. And I'm quite prepared, from [the department's] perspective, if we believe it appropriate, to enter into some pilots to make sure that we're working on the right ideas," he said.

During the December 2003 meeting of the Assembly of First Nations confederacy, National Chief Phil Fontaine was confident that a national housing institution was soon be announced. He expressed disappointment when it was not mentioned in the Throne Speech or in Martin's first budget. But Mitchell revived that possibility, saying a new approach to housing for First Nations is possible.

"And here I truly believe that we need to take a different approach. It hasn't been simply a lack of investment. There has been substantial investment in housing. But we need to make sure that our investments in housing result in what it is we want it to result in-new and better quality housing units. We need to take an innovative approach, but at the same time we need to remember that communities are different and that we need to structure that approach in ways that make sense for individual communities. In some places, social housing s going to be an important part of how we deal with housing," he said. "I want to say here very clearly today to Phil, to the national chief, that we're prepared to fund a Housing Secretariat within the Assembly of First Nations and to work together with you and through [Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation]...to deal with housing issues on First Nations. And I think that collectively we should be exploring the concept of a First Nations Housing Authority."

He emphasized that governance would be a key part of the "transformative change agenda."

"We need to lift off of First Nations and First Nations leaders the archaic and overly administrative burdens that the Indian Act places upon First Nations people and First Nations leaders. We need to do that," he said.

In summing up, Mitchell said there were "four essential ingredients" to his approach.

He talked of the "need to re-engage in a consultative process" to look at changes to the Indian Act.

"As we move to make specific changes to the Indian Act, that we do it using the concept and the principle of optionality to ensure that individual First Nations are comfortable with the changes that are being proposed and take up those changes as they see them applicable to their particular circumstances," he said. "And of course we need to structure the changes to clearly demonstrate the bilateral relationship that exists between First Nations and Canada."

He didn't elaborate on what he meant by "bilateral relationship."

"And finally, we need to understand the changes to the Indian Act are but an interim step. They don't reflect the end of the journey," he said. "They don't reflect our final objectives, but rather reflect an opportunity to ensure that we have tools and that we have institutions that in the interim will allow for the economic and social success of communities because, ladies and gentlemen, in terms of governance our objective is self-government. It is ensuring that First Nations comunities, that Aboriginal Canadians have an opportunity for self-government."

He did not describe in detail how he defined "self-government."