Urban Aboriginal people tell minister they need help

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Saskatchewan's cities provide little hope and virtually no opportunity for Metis people and First Nations residents who live off-reserve, a panel of provincial politicians and bureaucrats was told at a community discussion in Saskatoon last month.

In fact, an increasing number of Metis and First Nations residents are falling through the cracks of the province's tattered social safety net, said residents who attended the Jan. 19 discussion.

A few Aboriginal people have managed to break the persistent cycle of marginalization, unemployment and poverty, but the majority are beset by low literacy levels, a lack of relevant training, chronic unemployment and a dizzying variety of social, racial and economic obstacles, the panel heard.

The meeting, one of six held in the province, was intended to gain feedback on the framework for co-operation document, a vaguely worded provincial paper that sets the stage for new government policies aimed at helping marginalized people of Aboriginal ancestry.

"I've been waiting for a meeting like this for a long, long time because I see the grassroots people every day," said Diane Neufeldt, a Metis employee of Human Resources Development Canada. "They're at my desk, asking for help all the time. What can I tell them? I talk to 20 and 30 year old guys and these are the guys that are caught with nothing.

"Welfare won't help them. They haven't got jobs. There not there because they're collecting unemployment insurance, let me tell you, because they don't qualify. Social services isn't helping these young guys. There's nothing for them. They're the guys then that are turning to crime, they're getting into trouble . . . it's all in the document here."

Those comments were echoed by almost every person who addressed the government panel during the two-hour meeting. Over and over, the message was that provincial funding and existing government programs aren't reaching the people who need help the most.

The government panel, which included Jack Hillson, minister of intergovernmental and Aboriginal affairs, and Buckley Belanger, Hillson's associate minister, was repeatedly told that new programs and new funding must be directed to the grassroots level, where politicians and bureaucrats cannot interfere with program delivery.

Many who spoke said Metis and First Nations organizations that receive government funding must be more responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable Aboriginal people.

"The money that's given to these organizations should be accounted for," said one speaker, generating a loud ovation from the crowd of roughly 75 people. "I don't know what will come out of this meeting, whether it will be just another belly-aching session, but I can tell you the people who are suffering the most are the people at the grassroots level. You can sit here and snicker and say that's not true. But if you haven't seen it, I don't know where you've been."

Michelle Michael, who grew up on the Beardy's reserve and moved to Saskatoon, said the province needs programs that encourage First Nations and Metis people to stay in school.

"We need more positive Aboriginal role models in the schools," Michael said. "When I was a kid growing up, I never thought I'd get anywhere - even if I did get an education - because of my social status. We need to have people out there, showing these kids that they can actually get somewhere in life if they get their education."

Michael also stressed the need for low-income urban housing initiatives, better advocacy for urban tenants and new programs that provide emergency food and shelter.

"Above all, I think we need to act now." Michael said. "We have too many children on the streets. We need to get more people on this and we need to act now, not nine months down the road."

Michael, who volunteers with a number of community organizations including the Renter's Rights and Advocacy Group, the Child and Hunger Education Program and the Communities for Children (Aboriginal Progam), said securing provincial funding has become increasingly difficult.

"We need funding for these grassroots programs. We're doing the work that government should be doing but they don't even want to (reimburse our costs). I think the government really needs to get its priorities straightened out here. There's too much poverty out there, there's not enough affordable housing. You can't even get a food voucher nowadays. What kind of B.S. is that? I mean when you need food, you need it now, not a week later."

Hillson and Belanger acknowledged the grave problems that many urban Aboriginal people are facing. They said the government would do whatever it could to remedy the situation, as long as the solutions are within the province's financial means. Hillson didn't say whether new funding would be made available but he said the province's existing priorities could be reviewed.

"We recognize the need in this province for us to take seriously (the many problems facing the Aboriginal community)," Hillson said.

We must start by "allowing Aboriginal peoples to reach their full potential, to complete their education and training, to enter the workforce on an equal footing and to be full participants in our economy."

Buckley Belanger, a Native MLA who grew up in Ile-a la-Crosse, said the Romanow government is committed to providing better education, better training, more employment opportunities for Native people, safer urban communities and more opportunities for Aboriginal youths in recreation, culture and sport.

"By the year 2045, thirty to 35 percent of our population will be of Aboriginal ancestry and that represents a big challenge to the . . . province of Saskatchewan, to business and industry and to all people involved," Belanger said. "There are thousands of ways to tell us about the problems. But ladies and gentlemen we need ideas. These are our children, this is our future (and) these are ideas that we certainly need."

Robert Doucette, provincial secretary for te Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, welcomed the framework for co-operation initiative but expressed doubt about the government's true intentions.

"I hope this isn't a process of futility again," Doucette said shortly before the meeting ended. "You can give us all the promises you want but in the end, something has to be done."

The province will review the comments heard at the various meetings before it considers what policies and programs are needed.