Council aims to be inclusive

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The Aboriginal Peoples Council of Toronto, which has been operating informally for about two years to represent the Aboriginal people of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held its first election at the end of October and has already embarked upon ambitious strategic planning to further urban Aboriginal interests. Roger Obonsawin, a well-known businessman, community activist and an outspoken advocate for Native rights was elected president for a three-year term.

"We've got a membership of over 700," said Obonsawin, "and it's been growing fairly consistently." He estimates about 60 per cent are status Indians.

The 18-member council's mandate is "to build an active, involved, self-sufficient and influential Aboriginal community" to represent the GTA's estimated 50,000 people.

The council contains a balance of male and female members from the four directions of the city; four clan representatives (air, land, water and firekeepers) to keep council decisions true to Aboriginal values; and youth and Elder caucuses that each send a representative to council. A four-person elected executive council will develop policy and bylaws for consideration by the council as a whole.

The need for a group such as theirs is urgent, according to Obonsawin, because half or more Aboriginal people live off-reserve and encounter several levels of bureaucracy in trying to gain access to services they believe are treaty rights.

The Aboriginal Peoples Council is stepping into the breech to provide advocacy and develop policy on issues related to Aboriginal and treaty rights, such as health care and housing.

Five priorities have been identified for immediate action: homelessness, economic development, education, health and youth.

"Homelessness and economic development really go hand in hand," said Obonsawin, "so those are the two top priorities. It is not enough to look at homelessness in terms of providing shelter; you have to look at homelessness in terms of providing an adequate living to get by in the city.

"Education is also tied to that... We certainly saw during the campaign and all the way through that this was one of the main issues that people wanted to address. A lot of families are concerned about the kind of education their children are getting."

Obonsawin estimates that 25 per cent of Toronto's homeless are Aboriginal people.

The provisionary council that was formed in November 2001 and from which the Aboriginal People's Council grew, had already made representations to the Toronto District School Board and others, said Obonsawin, about the need for a Native curriculum and programs.

He said the council is hopeful it will fare better with Native programming under the new provincial government.

The high cost of housing contributes to the other problems urban Aboriginal people face, Obonsawin pointed out.

The council started out as a steering committee of 16 people who brainstormed administrative options, which they took to the larger community and got the mandate to set up the provisionary council that has served them until now.

The five permanent council models they considered were the treaty model, comprised of representatives from each of the treaty areas as well as Metis, Inuit and non-status representatives; the community model, containing an administrative body and a law-making body; the clan system model, with representatives from clans depicting air, water, land and fire; the elective system, whereby the council would be open to all eligible citizens from whom representatives would be elected by a majority vote; and a combined model of nations and clans in which eligible voters would elect a four-person executive and elect representatives from the various nations in all four directions, appoint representatives from the various clans who would deal with environmental issues, and finally include representatives from all Aboriginal agencies in Toronto. In addition, a combined youth and Elders' council would have an avisory role.

It was this last model they chose. The combined elective and clan model also includes portfolios that allow Aboriginal agencies' input. The council executive appoints, in consultation with the agencies, people to portfolios covering health, economic development, the arts, social services and other areas of concern.

The council's electoral code allows members to vote at age 16. Originally they thought they would set the voting age at 18, but lowered it "to interest our youth much more and get them involved at a younger age... There's a tendency often for people to bring their children to the meetings, and they do have some involvement, so we thought 16 would be suitable," said Obonsawin.

Anyone 16 or older of Aboriginal descent who lives or works in the Greater Toronto Area can register with Aboriginal agencies to obtain council voting rights.

Monthly meetings will be held in Toronto at the Native Canadian Centre or at Wasagamik, a health services agency. More information can be obtained from Darlene Solomon. Phone her at (416) 591-6995 ext. 27 or e-mail dsolomon@oigroup.ca.