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Assembly of First Nations Bulletin The Assembly of First Nations is issuing regular updates on the National Chief’s activities and work underway at the national office. Update on the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable follow-up This Bulletin is being sent to all First Nations and representative organizations to ensure you have the latest information on issues and events of concern to our people. In particular, I want to use this opportunity to provide information about follow-up on the April 19th Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable. As you will recall, the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable was an important event for First Nations. It was an opportunity for us to engage directly with the most senior officials in the Government of Canada, to speak to our priorities and our vision of building strong First Nations citizens, communities and governments. I believe the Roundtable signaled the beginning of a renewed relationship with Canada — one in which we will see real progress on our fundamental issues. The Prime Minister made a commitment to secure “a full seat at the table” for Aboriginal peoples and announced, “no longer will policy be developed in isolation.” I see our participation in the Council of the Federation meeting with Provincial and Territorial leaders in July and the recent First Ministers Meeting on Health as a positive start. The Roundtable also signaled a new environment in policy making. Since the Roundtable, the AFN has participated in discussions with the Privy Council Office on the implementation of key commitments. We have been working with federal departments, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Métis National Council (MNC) in developing a series of follow-up policy discussions. Six policy tables will be held on the issues of Health, Lifelong Learning (Early Childhood Development and Post-Secondary Education), Housing, Economic Opportunities, Negotiations, and Accountability – Aboriginal Report Card. The series of discussions will begin this fall and will lead to a Joint Policy Retreat of the Cabinet Committee and Aboriginal leaders in February 2005. The tentative schedule for the discussions is as follows:
Similar to the Roundtable, the AFN has continued to assert the need for the recognition of the three distinct groups of Aboriginal peoples. To this end, the following principles and structures will guide the process: An Oversight Committee has been established to oversee progress on the Prime Minister’s commitments at the Roundtable (such as sectoral follow-up sessions, Aboriginal Report Card and Policy Retreat). The committee includes representatives from the AFN, ITK, MNC, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Privy Council Office – Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat (PCO-AAS), Privy Council Office – Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians (PCO-FID), and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). A Planning Committee will be developed for each sectoral discussion. The committees will include First Nations, Inuit, Métis, PCO-AAS, PCO-FID, INAC, Health Canada, Industry Canada, Treasury Board, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) representatives and other participants. In order to recognize and respect the diversity of Aboriginal peoples, each sectoral discussion will have First Nations, Inuit and Métis breakout sessions within the larger sectoral discussion. Sectoral discussions will consist of a balance of participants (political representatives, service delivery providers with expertise, academics and experts in the area, etc.) to ensure a productive and inclusive discussion. First Nations have challenged the government to work with us in collaboration and partnership. The policy discussions will provide an opportunity for us to put forward our vision and priorities on these critical issues and to have a direct influence on policy-making at the federal level. Opportunities for Participation The AFN has the opportunity to put forward participants for each of the sectoral discussions. While participation will be limited, we will secure participation of as many Chiefs’ and Technical Committee members as possible in the respective sectors. In addition, we encourage First Nations and regional organizations to nominate individuals – subject experts or frontline workers – to contribute to the policy discussions. While we cannot guarantee participation, the AFN office will lobby for maximum involvement to ensure our interests and issues are well-represented. Please forward nominations to the attention of Jennifer Brennan (jbrennan@afn.ca) or Dean Janvier (djanvier@afn.ca) by Friday, October 1. I assure you that this process is just the beginning. In our efforts to engage First Nations throughout the process, we will be posting the draft policy papers on the AFN website (www.afn.ca) in the near future. The documents will outline the vision, objectives and discussion questions for each of the policy tables. I encourage you to review the documents and send us your feedback. An update on the Roundtable follow-up will also be presented at the December Confederacy of Nations meeting for your review and input, as well as direction on next steps. Meegwetch! Assembly of First Nations, 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1002, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7 |
