Liberal says federal policies favor Native assimilation

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LETHBRIDGE - Government policies continue to favor assimilation and the molding of Indian First Nations into municipal-like bodies under provincial jurisdiction despite advocating Indian self-government, says the federal Liberal party Indian Affairs critic, Keith Penner.

Penner, who chaired the Special Committee on Indian self-government which produced the Penner Report, told delegates at the University of Lethbridge conference on Indian-provincial government relations, that this "final solution" was well advanced by the time Parliament received the 1969 White Paper and the more recent Neilsen Task Force Report.

"Recognizing the right to self-government means also providing the resources to make this goal realizable," said Penner. "But a contrary view has been put forward in the recent Neilen Task Force Paper. It's still the Buffalo jump of the 80s."

Instead of providing the resources for genuine self-government, the federal government continues to call for spending cuts and the introduction of user payments as well as enhancing the role of the provinces in program delivery, he continued.

Penner also criticized the federal government's continuous reference to his report, written in 1983, saying the government has tended to ignore many vital clauses and is using the report as a smokescreen to hide its true intentions.

"I leave it to you to decide which policy is in effect in Ottawa - the policy contained in the (Penner) report of the Neilsen Task Force Report."

Calling the government's handling of Indian resources "shocking," Penner pointed out that in British Columbia the provincial government has the right to half the revenue obtained from resources on reserve lands. This right continues despite the news self-government package obtained by the Sechelt Indian Band.

"The Sechelt have indicated their deep desire for some reasonable exchange with B.C. to end this burden on their title to the land, but they also indicate they are not at all optimistic."

Penner went on to outline the basic principals of his report which insisted that the inherent power and authority of Indian First Nations has always existed.

"The committee came to the conclusion that Indian power can never be devolved form the government of Canada but it is the obligation of the federal government to recognize the sovereignty of Indian First Nations and then proceed to negotiate agreements to accommodate the sovereign and exclusive power within the federal state."

Penner pointed out that this would not necessarily mean countless court cases but rather reasonable exchange between the government and Indian people.

"I think it calls for political will, for some demonstration of political leadership. I've seen little evidence of it at the present time."

Penner added that such negotiations have been delayed for far too long and it is, in fact, very late in the day to start these overdue discussions.

"But until we do, our Confederation will remain incomplete, injustices will continue to haunt us, and until these issues are satisfactorily settled, neither this century nor the next will ever belong to Canada."