Cardinal says PTNA taking tough stand

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CALGARY - The Prairie Treaty Nations Alliance (PTNA) is maintaining its tough stand against any involvement by provincial governments on Treaty matters, said Harold Cardinal speaking at the Aboriginal rights conference held February 28 at Mount Royal College here.

Cardinal, who was elaborating on the PTNA stand on the Aboriginal right to self-government, was joined by other Native leaders at the Conference panel.

Sam Sinclair, president of the Metis Association of Alberta (MAA), spoke on the Metis National Council (MNC) position to be presented along with other Aboriginal constitutional positions at the upcoming First Ministers' Conference (FMC), to be held in Ottawa March 26 and 27.

Arnold Goodleaf presented the position of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), which is representing Indian interests at the constitutional talks.

Dorothy Wabasca briefed the audience on the constitutional position of the Native Council of Canada (NCC), representing non-Indian people.

The positions of the Aboriginal organizations were similar and reflected the recent agreement by Aboriginal groups to stand together on pushing for the entrenchment of the right to self-government in the Canadian constitution.

The MNC, AFN, NCC and the Inuit Committee on National Issues (ICNI), agreed to adopt a common political strategy at a summit meeting of Aboriginal organizations February 5 and 6.

The four Aboriginal groups with officials participation at the FMC have opted to seek a two-way relationship with the federal government.

The PTNA has continually reminded the federal government that a bilateral relationship exists between Canada and Indian first nations, and that provincial governments do not play a direct role in discussions on Treaty issues.

However, "the feds are insisting that the provinces be formally involved," said Cardinal.

"The provinces never had, nor should have, any business in Treaty issues," added Cardinal.

Sinclair reported that the Alberta government "is upset with Metis stubbornness to oppose provincial legislative and delegated form of government.

Commenting on the MNC amendment proposal that would place Metis people under Section 91-24 of the Canadian Constitution (1987), which was discussed at the prepatory ministerial meeting to the FMC, held recently in Toronto, said such action would open the door to provincial legislature changes over Indian and Indian lands. "It was a sneaky, slimy and sleazy attempt to twist the MNC proposal to open the door to provincial interference. The prime minister has totally switched his position of two years ago when he said "he would jealously guard the federal responsibility for Treaty Indian and lands," said Cardinal.

Goodleaf said that the AFN perspective on entrenching the right to self-government would allow for a diversity of Aboriginal government models to develop.

"This leaves it wide open to a diversity of Aboriginal groups and a variety of ways of implementing self-government," said Goodleaf.

Wabasca stressed that "an equitable right to self-government with equal access to rights" would insure women's right to equality in Aboriginal government.

Government insistence on detailed definition of Aboriginal self-government was attacked by Cardinal, who does not believe the government's excuse that Aboriginal self-government has not been adequately defined.

"No government, federal or provincial, can say that self-government has not been defined," said Cardinal.

He pointed to the Penner Report on Indian Self-Government as an example of an all-party report, outlining various kinds of self-government.

"Provincial governments are saying, you can't have self-government, or sovereignty, unless we give it to you. Our sovereignty and theirs, the two have to live together," said Cardinal.