 |
| Local | National | World | Technology | Travel | Health | Oddities | Careers | Classifieds | Obituaries | Letters to the Editor | Editorials |
| More Links | tbayjobline | TbayWeddings | Play Games! | New! eVents Calendar | Advertise with Us | Contact Us |
|---|
| Other Links | Movie Times | Airport | Bus Schedule | Road Conditions | Library | Weather |
|---|
“I think what we‘re talking about is trying to build a brighter future for the next generation,” Duguid said Thursday at the site of the two-day forum, the Fort William First Nation Community Centre. “I think if you listen to some of the comments from the regional chiefs, myself and the grand chiefs, that‘s what it‘s all about,” he said. For that to happen, he said, the province must invest time and resources in education, skills development and creating better economic development opportunities for First Nation and Metis communities. “That‘s what this conference is about, trying to generate some ideas so that we can move forward with a strategic plan.” he said. Duguid said the old way of doing business between the government and First Nations doesn‘t work anymore. “It‘s absolutely essential that what we do today is not the old way of doing things because that failed miserably,” he said. “And, that‘s government saying we know the answers, this is what we must do. “The ideas, solutions and the way forward has to come from a true partnership and a lot of those ideas, in fact the majority of them, will come from leaders such as Regional Chief (of Ontario) Angus Toulouse who was instrumental in bringing us together here,” Duguid said. But while economic development remains a high priority, legislation and policy have to change, said Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy. “Third parties that want to do business on our homelands must understand that consent is required from the affected First Nation‘s territory before proceeding,” he said. “We are not against resource development, but our people must benefit from any activities within NAN territory.” Aroland First Nation Chief Sonny Gagnon agreed with Beardy. “The First Nations of Matawa Tribal Council are not against development, but we want to ensure communities benefit from all projects taking place in our territory,” he said. “We have demonstrated that we are willing to work with responsible companies and support their projects. In exchange we want consideration of benefits for our communities directly.” Duguid said there must be consultations between all parties before development proceeds on First Nation territory. While the revamped Mining Act has addressed many of the thorny issues surrounding exploration and development identified by First Nation leaders, some continue. “What I would say is I don‘t think anybody expects perfection when it comes to legislation like this,” Duguid said. “But this is ground-breaking legislation and it‘s the most progressive modernization of a mining act in Canada, and potentially in the world, and its involvement in consideration of First Nation issues and treaty rights is something that we‘re the first in the country to be able to move forward that way,” he said. Toulouse agreed the Mining Act isn‘t perfect. “It doesn‘t meet all the First Nations expectations, but there is a recognition of a duty to consult, so there is a recognition of our treaty and aboriginal rights,” he said. Toulouse said the two-day forum can‘t change the impact of the Indian Act, the impact of loss of traditions and culture, but it is a start to addressing partnerships. “This is not a conference just having speakers talk. We‘re going to have the chiefs working to address First Nation issues and also the solutions,‘‘ he said. Toulouse said he is hoping to have some kind of resolution hammered out by today that says in six months time there needs to be an evaluation or a report card to show what investments or partnerships have taken place. “That‘s what we want to evaluate in six months . . . to see if those things are actually happening,” he said. “That‘s the key here. We need to be able to measure the progress. It‘s not just going to be rhetoric where we talk about the good things, we need to talk about some of those obstacles.” Top of Page |
|
|
September 2, 2010, 8:22 am |