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A Communiqué from National Chief Phil Fontaine - A Call to Action on First Nations Poverty

March 2007

The Assembly of First Nations issues regular updates on the National Chief’s activities and work underway at the national office. More information can be found on the AFN’s website at www.afn.ca.

The second phase of our campaign -- Make Poverty History: The First Nations Plan for Creating Opportunity – was launched Friday, February, 23, on Parliament Hill. A Call to Action Against First Nations Poverty was attended by Members of Parliament, Senators, and representatives from national and international humanitarian organizations. Buzz Hargrove, President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) was our special guest speaker and announced the support of the entire Canadian labour movement for the campaign.

We gathered in solidarity to show Canadians, and the global community, that we will no longer tolerate the abject levels of poverty facing too many of our First Nations people. The AFN also launched a new report, The $9 Billion Myth Exposed: Why First Nations Poverty Endures. It can be found on our main website at www.afn.ca.

Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, AFN Executive Portfolio holder for Eliminating Poverty, told the gathering that First Nations have been subject to decades of Canadian government policies aimed at creating dependence, instead of supporting empowerment. Poverty endures because First Nations are not treated fairly in Canada’s fiscal framework.

Canadians have been told that $9.1 billion is spent every year on First Nations. In fact, a maximum of $5.4 billion is spent on First Nations – that is, only 60% of the amount reported by Minister Prentice. His department spends up to $600 million or 11% on overhead alone. Even more revealing is that the total budget of Indian and Northern Affairs represents only 0.004% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product.

Human Rights Complaint on Child Welfare

That same day, February 23rd, the AFN and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFCS) filed a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission in regard to discriminatory treatment against First Nations child welfare agencies. I was joined by Cindy Blackstock, FNCFCS executive director, and FSIN Vice Chief Guy Lonechild, since the human rights complaint originated from the Ocean Man First Nation in Saskatchewan.

During our press conference, I declared that it is a national disgrace for the Canadian government to be aware of more than 27,000 First Nations children in state care without taking the action needed to address prevention and capacity of existing First Nations agencies. Rational appeals to successive federal governments have been ignored. After years of research that confirm the growing numbers of our children in care, as well as the potential solutions to this crisis, we had no choice but to appeal to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

The federal government is fully aware that I would rather negotiate than litigate. But we have the right to determine what is best for the future of our children. Our children must have an equal opportunity to grow-up with their families, in their communities, and in their culture. No First Nation child should have to forgo this opportunity as a result of poverty or an inability to access basic services.

2007 Federal Budget

The 2007 federal budget will be tabled in the House of Commons on Monday, March 19th. The AFN presented its Pre-Budget Submission to the Finance Committee back on September 19th. Entitled “Securing Our Future”, we highlighted the need for sustainable funding solutions and structural change in order to eliminate poverty. I publicly stated in September that the growing number of First Nations children being placed in child welfare systems is the single most deplorable example of the increasing gap in poverty: “We face the prospect of losing yet another generation of children as they are taken away from their families, who are too poor to take care of them ... This is a tragedy that is shocking and shameful for all Canadians.”

Our pre-budget submission is posted on the AFN website, along with my recent speeches to the International Congress on Ethics; the AFN Water and Housing Forum; and the Economic Club of Toronto, where I highlighted the growing success of the AFN’s Corporate Challenge.

My next communiqué will include reaction to the 2007 Budget.

Meegwetch!

Assembly of First Nations, 473 Albert Street, Suite 810, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 5B4 Tel: (613) 241-6789 Toll-free: 1-866-869-6789 Fax: (613) 241-5808 www.afn.ca