Western premiers meeting includes First Nation leaders & Kelowna accord support
Two news items addressing the Western Premiers' efforts to support the Kelowna Accord. See the CTV.ca article below.
From the Toronto Star
Ottawa urged to adhere to Kelowna deal - May 29, 2006
TIM COOK - CANADIAN PRESS
GIMLI, Man. — Western premiers went into their annual meeting Monday urging the federal government not to back away from a $5.1 billion deal to improve the lives of aboriginal people.
The so-called Kelowna accord was signed last November by former prime minister Paul Martin, the premiers, territorial leaders and aboriginal organizations.
But Stephen Harper's new Conservative government has been cool to the deal. And the fact that it was not mentioned in the federal budget has led some to speculate that it's dead.
Western premiers met with aboriginal leaders at the outset of their meeting to discuss the issue. They reaffirmed their backing of the accord and said they would push the federal government for a meeting of aboriginal affairs ministers from across the country to plan how to proceed from here.
The premiers also reaffirmed the commitment to having an aboriginal economic summit next January in Saskatoon and a summit on violence against aboriginal women.
Host Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba said it would be "morally wrong" to backtrack on the commitments outlined in the Kelowna deal.
"In my view the Kelowna accord could never deal with 120 years of Canadian history, but at least it was a start."
Doer added the Harper government "should have the right to look at things but not have the right to walk away" from the principles of closing the gap between aboriginals and non-aboriginals.
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell said he is hopeful the federal government has not abandoned the accord and suggested the provinces should proceed with their parts of the deal.
"I can tell you, in British Columbia we are committed to it. I believe the federal government will come to the table," Campbell said.
"We're coming up to an anniversary, if you want, of the Kelowna accord in November. My hope is that all provincial governments will have laid out their plans for First Nations, Inuit and Metis people about how they are going to close those gaps and bring the federal government in to provide the kind of resources that are necessary over the long term."
Assembly of First Nation national chief Phil Fontaine said the support of the western premiers leads him to believe that the Kelowna accord is not dead.
"I don't think there has been any word that the deal is done," Fontaine said.
"It may be a matter as simple as rebranding and we have no objection to that. If it is going to bring about the continuation of this process . . . then we would be happy with that."
Doer said he hopes if groups such as the western premiers throw their support behind the deal the federal government won't be so inclined to go another way.
"The will of the public always determines the best way to go," he said.
The Kelowna accord was struck after 18 months of talks. It included a 19-page plan of targets and reporting requirements over 10 years in areas such as health, education, housing and clean water.
It would have provided $624 million for First Nations in the first year alone, plus millions of dollars more for the Inuit and Metis.
The federal government's budget contained promises of two years of firm funding for aboriginal issues — $150 million is promised this year and $300 million next year.
The new government has said it "is committed to meeting the targets agreed upon" at the Kelowna meeting.
Still, that hasn't been enough to allay the concerns of some within the aboriginal community who fear the deal is dead.
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From http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060529/western_conference_060529
Western premiers stand up for Kelowna accord - May. 30 2006
Western premiers started off their annual meeting with a plea for the federal government to maintain the Kelowna Accord.
Late last November, Canada's premiers, territorial leaders, aboriginal leaders and then-prime minister Paul Martin signed off on the $5.1 billion deal designed to improve the lives of aboriginal people.
Manitoba's NDP Premier Gary Doer, host of the meeting in Gimli on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, told reporters Monday that it would be "morally wrong" to backtrack on Kelowna.
"In my view the Kelowna accord could never deal with 120 years of Canadian history, but at least it was a start."
B.C.'s Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell said he's hopeful the Tory government hasn't abandoned the accord and suggested the provinces should proceed with their commitments under the deal.
"I can tell you, in British Columbia we are committed to it. I believe the federal government will come to the table,'' Campbell said.
"We're coming up to an anniversary, if you want, of the Kelowna accord in November. My hope is that all provincial governments will have laid out their plans for First Nations, Inuit and Metis people about how they are going to close those gaps and bring the federal government in to provide the kind of resources that are necessary over the long term.''
Doer hoped that if the western premiers stand up for the accord, the federal government will be less inclined to go in another direction.
"The will of the public always determines the best way to go,'' he said.
Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said stand taken by the western premiers gives him hope that the Kelowna accord is not dead.
"I don't think there has been any word that the deal is done,'' he said.
"It may be a matter as simple as rebranding and we have no objection to that. If it is going to bring about the continuation of this process ... then we would be happy with that.''
The deal took 18 months to negotiate and includes a 19-page plan of targets and reporting requirements for a 10-year period.
While the Tories have said it "is committed to meeting the targets agreed upon'' in Kelowna, they haven't committed to the accord itself.
Besides the accord, the premiers intend to talk about border security and international trade.
On Wednesday, some U.S. and Mexican politicians will be in attendance for a one-day summit on international issues. ...