Agreements reached in Kelowna in question by new government
Groundwork needed on Kelowna Accord: Prentice
Mon. Feb. 27 2006 - Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice says "overwhelming'' groundwork must be laid before $5 billion promised for native people can be well spent.
Until that's achieved, survival of the landmark Kelowna accord reached just before the Liberals were toppled last fall is in doubt.
Conservatives want to help ease crippling rates of aboriginal poverty, Prentice stressed in an interview.
But throwing money at dilapidated housing and dysfunctional education systems isn't enough, he said.
"It's not just about someone writing a cheque.
"We take Kelowna seriously. We'll be moving forward on some sort of a rational, sustainable finance plan built around it. But I've also discovered in the time since I've become the minister that there's an awful lot of implementation -- an overwhelming amount -- that needs to be addressed to make this all work.
"And a lot of that stuff needs to be done ... before the money flows. Otherwise, we'll just be doing business the way we used to do business. And everyone has agreed that doesn't work.''
Prentice wouldn't say whether Kelowna funding will be withheld from the first Tory budget expected this spring.
"All I can say is, stay tuned. I'm working on it.''
Financial details were never worked out or approved for Kelowna, he added.
It's not the first time a Conservative has pointed that out. Indeed, former finance critic Monte Solberg -- now immigration minister -- made headlines during the election campaign in January when he accused the Liberals of crafting the Kelowna deal "on the back of a napkin on the eve of an election. We're not going to honour that.''
Prentice later tried to backpedal, but his latest comments are "astounding,'' says Liberal native affairs critic Anita Neville.
"Kelowna was the result of 18 months of meetings between the government of Canada and all the aboriginal stakeholders.
"It was signed by (Ottawa), the first ministers and aboriginal leaders with a 19-page implementation plan of clear targets and accountability measures.''
Its dilution or loss would be a tragic step in the wrong direction, Neville said.
Kelowna promises include:
- $1.8 billion to close the education gap by 2016 so that native high school and post-secondary graduation rates are closer to the non-native norm.
- $1.6 billion for housing and infrastructure, including a new focus on native home ownership and $400 million to improve water quality on reserves.
- $1.3 billion to help reduce infant mortality rates, youth suicide, childhood obesity and diabetes while doubling the number of health workers by 2016.
While Prentice stressed Tory commitment to such goals, the Conservative election platform was virtually silent on related funding commitments.
Instead, it promises "opportunity and respect for aboriginals'' through an ambitious plan to revamp legislation and settle land claims. Conservatives also hope to scrap the Indian Act -- a dicey prospect that has stymied successive governments who've retreated from widespread native protest.
Some native leaders were outspoken during the election about their fears for Kelowna.
Metis National Council president Clement Chartier said Solberg's comments were proof "that the Conservatives have little to no respect or appreciation for aboriginal peoples.''
But Patrick Brazeau, the new head of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, says his group had lingering concerns about the Kelowna deal. The congress officially endorsed the Tories and has long battled with the national Assembly of First Nations (AFN) for influence in Ottawa.
"There was a lot of hard work going into the process,'' Brazeau said. "But our issue was: Where will the money be taken from to support these commitments and where will it go?''
Phil Fontaine, national chief of the AFN, met Monday for two hours with Prentice.
He emerged optimistic that the minister will support the goals of Kelowna, but he urged Prentice to take action.
"The minister stated in the media recently that `aboriginal Canadians are not going to live with risk' as long as (he) is minister.'''
Prentice can prove his resolve "by working immediately to implement the commitments from the (Kelowna agreement),'' Fontaine said.