AFN wants to distance itself from federal government

At the 2010 Assembly of First Nations General Assembly, National Chief Shawn Atleo announced his plans to achieve the ambitious goals of Canada’s First Nations.
Priorities include independence from the federal government and the empowerment of First Nations to become sovereign people, said Atleo in his opening address in July.

As the one-year mark of Atleo being elected as national chief passed, he committed to leading First Nations out from under the Indian Act within five years.  He also vowed to gradually cut ties from the federal government and lobby for funds from corporations.

“I am not in this role to just protect the status quo,” stressed Atleo, who admitted his goals are ambitious, but far from impossible.

“It is indeed our time to act,” said Atleo to the assembly of 2,000 chiefs and observers in attendance.  “We must find the confidence and commitment to take action.”

AFN Regional Chief for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Rick Simon echoed Atleo’s statements and said the AFN has given the Canadian government notice of their plans. He stressed the role of the organization to represent bands from around the country and advocate for them at a national level.

Atleo admitted that the AFN often experiences a conflict of interest when standing up for changes of policy on behalf of the First Nations population, while supporting the organization from funds funnelled from Indian and Northern Affairs of Canada (INAC).

In 2010, the AFN received almost 43 per cent of its funding from INAC.

“The resources are coming from the people who would like to see things stay the way they are or to not change to the way we are envisioning here today,” said Atleo in a press conference on July 20.

“It feels like we just go from conflict to conflict…you wonder about a day where there won’t be such conflict for future generations.”

Atleo said he hoped the AFN’s funding structure would one day resemble that of The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), an organization based in Washington, DC tasked with the role of protecting the treaty rights of American Indians.

NCAI receives no monies from the United States government and supports its programming and initiatives from corporate grants and contributions from members.
NCAI President Jefferson Keel addressed the 31st annual assembly and said both he and Atleo have agreed to work closely with one another to unite their nations in order to promote success for Natives in Canada, the U.S. and even internationally.

Keel admitted the AFN’s goal of stepping out from the wing of Canadian government will not be an easy task, but NCAI plans to help with the transition.

“It’s very difficult. It’s a matter of reaching out to private foundations for support,” said Keel to Windspeaker.  “We’re going to be working with [Atleo] to try and develop a partnership with how to do that.”

Enacted in 1876, The Indian Act is administered by the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and outlines certain legal rights of registered Indians.  Specific portions of the act, such as section five, which defines who is legally considered a status Indian, has aroused heated discussion surrounding the control the Canadian government has over such things as citizenship and the rights of citizens.

Atleo received a roaring applause from the crowd at the assembly when he compared the Indian Act to a house that was falling  apart brick-by-brick.  The national chief, who has been vocal about his dedication to encouraging Aboriginal youth and promoting better access to education, attributed the high rates of suicides, addictions and poor graduation rates to the act.