The Nation and about ten 10 other journalists from acrossCanada recently interviewed Jane Stewart, Minister of Indian andNorthern Affairs about the new Federal budget. What follows area few highlights of the interview.
Minister Stewart was happy to announce that her department was one of the few to receive new monies.
While there have been overall cuts to funding in real dollars, Stewart said there have been new monies for the Gathering Strength Program ($350 million for residental school abuse healing strategies, $66 million in new funds and another $60 million reallocated to be spent on basic services).
Stewart also held out hope for First Nations to take jurisdiction over education much in the same way as the Cree School Board.
Stewart did admit the government will be appealing the News Brunswick decision which says the trees belong to Aboriginal Peoples. She said the governemnt will not be contesting that the right exists, but wants the right clarified.
The briefing papers given to journalists before the interview, though, painted grim facts about Aboriginal Pfeoples in Canada. Aboriginals are still not living as long as the rest of Canadians (Quebecors included). The suicide rates are five times the Canadian average and most Aboriginal people live at or below the poverty line.
With this grim picture comes the fact that when Cree leaders were asked what they were concerned about the most, the answers were housing and the backlog in Native communities. The Federal Budget holds no hope for Aboriginal Peoples this year.
Instead Minister Stewart says that she has faith in the “inovative solution” that Indians are coming up with across Canada. Some of the Cree leadership admitted that no matter what the government did they would come out losers without a massive influx of money. An Indian Affairs document says that it would need $5-8 billion just to bring Native living conditions up to normal Canadian standards.
It has been a long time coming, but Indian Affairs finally admitted that 80% of the money it spends on Canadian Aboriginals are for basic services, which are provided to other Canadians by provincial, municipal and territorial governments.
Increases in the Indian Affairs budget include education (+4.1%), social development (+0.4%), Indian government support (+2.2%), self-government (+9.2%) and Funding Services + Regional Direction (+42.6%), some of it for salary adjustments and increased employee benefits. Stewart said it was too technical a question to tell if Band employees would see the same type of raises as Indian Affairs employees.
Stewart was asked about corporate Canada and their promise to be a part of the Aboriginal world.She quickly took aim at the banks. “First Nations come forward with very positive and thoughtfuleconomic development strategies that we’re fustrated by the big banks,” said Stewart. She said theyhave to find a way to lend to First Nations. “If banks can find a way to lend to small business, ifthey can lend to a high tech industry that has no more collateral than their brains, we have got tofind ways to do this for First Nations,” said Stewart She said this was a priority for her department.
