Time to think outside the box

Page 4

Since it appears we're never going to see an Aboriginal minister of Indian Affairs, maybe the best we'll ever get is a guy like Bob Nault. Not previously a hard-core Ottawa insider type, he's that most rare of politicians - a non-lawyer with a labor background from a northern riding that includes 51 First Nations. Our sources even tell us Mr. Nault got a lot of help in the last federal election from First Nations chiefs to get him re-elected.

We remember the faxes from his constituency office when Brian Mulroney was PM, when Nault was an Opposition backbencher. Nault was something of an Indian rights activist in those days.

Yet with all of those things in his favor, the best he can offer is more of the same old thing: no talk of sovereignty, but lots of talk about delegated authority with - surprise, surprise - the federal Cabinet at the very top of the pyramid delegating down.

Lest anyone say they've been blind-sided by the announcement of the proposed First Nations governance act, let us remind them that Gordon Shanks and Cal Hegge, a couple of high-ranking DIAND bureaucrats, media-toured the country almost a year ago predicting the minister was keen on the Indian Act overhaul. There was a story about it in Windspeaker. The only real news to come out of Nault's recent announcement is that the idea has now been moved to the front burner.

And that's too bad.

It would have been nice if there'd been an original idea introduced to the fray, instead of one recycled from two ministers ago. Heaven knows, a fresh idea is what is needed.

Bill Wilson and Sen. Len Marchand have new ideas. They're pragmatic, compromise-oriented ideas that look outside the box, as they say. Unfortunately, these new ideas will probably be ignored because they suggest a change in the balance of power-something Mr. Nault is not prepared to consider.

We can only hope that the Throne Speech (scheduled for Jan. 30, five days after this edition goes to press) contains some creative approaches to Aboriginal concerns. We're eagerly looking forward to hearing what Mr. Chretien will propose to make sure he can deliver on his post-election promise to target social problems in Native communities.

During a month when the U.S. State Department decided for the first time to recognize the concept of Indigenous peoples' right to self determination, Canada is serving up the same stale bread.

The U.S coup was achieved by National Chief Matthew Coon Come who persuaded out-going President Bill Clinton to sign an executive memorandum recognizing the Indigenous right. Maybe the national chief can work his magic on the minister when the two meet at the end of January to discuss the consultation process on the governance plan.

A sign that those who hold the levers of power in this country are prepared to bend just a little bit (as the U.S. did) could turn this process from a destined-to-fail, Irwin Indian Act reform, Part II, into something new and exciting. It will be interesting to see if Minister Nault soars or stalls with this initiative.