Community News
First Ministers' Meeting ends with $5.1B commitment for Aboriginal issues
November 25, 2005 - 11:02pm | by Anonymoushttp://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=15
On November 24-25, 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin is in Kelowna (British Columbia) for a First Ministers' Meeting with Premiers, Territorial Leaders and Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
News Release announcing the meeting
Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin at the First Ministers Meeting
Backgrounders (pdf files)
Photo Slide Show
Results:
News release:
- Government of Canada invests in immediate action to improve lives of Aboriginal People in Canada
- Strengthening Relationships and Closing the Gap
- Financial Commitments
http://www.pm.gc.ca/grfx/docs/info02_e.pdf
FACT SHEET
The Government of Canada committed to working with Aboriginal partners to strengthen quality, culturally-relevant education for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis of all ages. Steps towards this include a variety of federal programs for elementary, secondary and post-secondary students, as well as skills development and training, among others.
ON-RESERVE ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION
The high school completion rate for First Nation students on-reserve has increased a full 10 per cent to 41.4 per cent between 1991 and 2001. Despite this significant improvement, the gap in educational attainment between First Nations youth and other Canadian youth remains; for example, the high school completion rate for the Canadian population increased 6.9 per cent over the same period to 68.7 per cent.
In 2004-05, the Government of Canada spent about $1.1 billion on First Nations elementary/secondary education for approximately 120,000 students. These costs include:
- Instructional services to eligible students attending First Nations schools;
- The reimbursement of costs for on-reserve students attending provincial schools;
- Instructional services in federal schools (seven remaining schools);
- Student support services (i.e. transportation, counselling, accommodation);
Over the last 10 years, the number of band-operated schools managed directly by First Nations has increased from 372 to 496. Approximately 60 per cent of First Nations students living on reserve attend First Nations band-operated schools. The remaining 40 per cent attend provincial, federal or private schools.
Approximately 80 per cent of school-age Aboriginal children attend schools in provincial and territorial systems. The Government of Canada provides financial support for elementary and secondary education through the Canada Social Transfer and Territorial Formula Financing, so that First Nations children can receive the support they need when attending schools off-reserve. This is coupled with initiatives to enhance the retention and academic success of Aboriginal learners in provincial and territorial schools.
From 1987 to 2004-05, the number of registered First Nations and Inuit students enrolled in postsecondary education funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has increased from approximately 14,000 to about 24,000. Almost all post-secondary funding is administered by First Nations and Inuit organizations. About 4,500 of these students graduate annually. The federal government also provides financial supports for Aboriginal post-secondary students through scholarship and bursary endowments to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.
The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy (FNIYES), with a budget of $24 million, includes four programs administered by INAC:
- Student Summer Employment Opportunities Program
- Science and Technology Program
- Youth Work Experience Program
- Career Promotion and Awareness Program.
Between April 1999 and March 2005, the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy (AHRDS) has helped 280,694 Aboriginal people return to work. The AHRDS has a long term goal of increasing gains in literacy and essential skills for working age Aboriginal people and developing an Aboriginal workforce equipped with the skills needed to obtain meaningful and productive jobs.
An Industry Canada SchoolNet initiative, First Nations SchoolNet connects all First Nations schools under federal jurisdiction to the Internet. By improving the connectivity and technical capacities of First Nations schools, the program aims to bridge the digital divide in First Nations schools located in remote and rural communities.
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Feds commit $5.1-billion to aboriginals - Canadian Press
Friday, November 25, 2005 Posted at 5:42 PM EST
Kelowna, B.C. — The federal government committed more than a billion dollars to native health issues Friday despite disagreement over who will provide the services and to which aboriginal groups.
The cash is part of a 10-year plan negotiated with the 13 provinces and territories and five national aboriginal organizations that pledges about $5.1-billion over the next five years to alleviate native poverty.
"I believe we have made an unprecedented step forward," said Prime Minister Paul Martin at a news conference that closed the two-day summit with premiers and native leaders.
"Aboriginal Canadians have no desire for more rhetoric. They have needs and those needs demand attention. It's as simple as that."
The final communiqué promises to:
— Close the educational gap so that by 2016, the high school graduation rate for aboriginal students is the same as other Canadians.
— Change housing policy to improve everything from access to emergency shelters to the ability of natives to own their own homes, while also providing better maintenance to existing housing stock.
— Spend $400-million to provide better water and regulate water quality on reserves.
— Reduce infant mortality rates, youth suicide, childhood obesity and diabetes by 20 per cent in the next five years and 50 per cent in 10 years.
— Double the number of health professionals by 2016.
— Improve training and skills development as part of a wider promise to give Aboriginal Peoples more economic opportunities.
— Establish a First Nations Multilateral Forum to continue regular discussions between Ottawa, the provinces and native groups on aboriginal issues.
But health service provision proved the sticking point, with the blueprint that was agreed to described in the final communiqué as "a work in progress."
While there was broad agreement on how to tackle the housing and education shortfalls, the provision of health services to reserve natives, Inuit scattered across the north, Métis and off-reserve First Nations in Canada's cities is proving a jurisdictional quagmire.
Officials held talks at this lake-side resort in the Okanagan Valley until early Friday morning without achieving a consensus.
Only British Columbia — which signed a separate, stand-alone deal with Ottawa and three provincial native groups here Friday — was confident enough to put in writing where the federal dollars will flow.
With Martin's minority government set to fall Monday, the $5.1-billion commitment is not guaranteed.
Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the high-profile summit cannot be ignored no matter which party wins the federal election.
"The country is watching us here," said Mr. Fontaine. "The commitments that are made are significant and it's going to be very, very difficult for any government to retreat from those commitments here."
But Mr. Fontaine also acknowledged some provinces remain skittish about elements of the program, particularly health provisions which both provincial premiers and native leaders fear could lead to Ottawa down-loading its historic responsibilities.
"It's important that in the next few months we resolve the issue of who's responsible for what matters," said Mr. Fontaine. "We believe we can achieve that."
The provinces manage health care services but the federal government is responsible for the health and welfare of Canada's native population — more than half of which lives off-reserve.
George Smitherman, Ontario's minister of health, said the health dollars will have to be negotiated on a province-by-province basis.
"No one should underestimate how challenging that negotiation is going to be," he said.
But Mr. Martin did manage to dodge at least one potential public relations disaster here by keeping all the participants at the table.
Beverly Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, had been planning to walk away from the summit table on Friday morning to protest the lack of attention to violence against women in aboriginal negotiations.
But she said a promise from Mr. Martin had changed her mind.
"We had requested that there be a specific aboriginal women's summit, and the prime minister did agree to that (Thursday)," said Ms. Jacobs.
"So we'll be putting the pressure on to make sure that happens."
Ms. Jacobs said the association's ultimate goal is a national inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.
She also left the meeting wondering what will be achieved on health care.
"I didn't see the final health blueprint document," said Ms. Jacobs.
"They keep saying it's a work in progress. How can we agree to a communiqué that there's really no final conclusions to anything. It's just sort of up in the air. That's my worry."
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http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news.asp?id=659
Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin at the First Ministers Meeting - November 24, 2005, Kelowna, British Columbia
Let me begin by thanking the elders, Chief Robert Louie and the Westbank First Nation for welcoming us to Kelowna.
I would also like to thank the other elders who are present, including Elder Elmer Courchene of Sagkeeng First Nation. Two years ago, Elder Courchene offered me and the federal cabinet a blessing when we took the oath of office. I’m glad to see him again.
I would like to thank the leadership of The Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council; the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and the Native Women’s Association of Canada for their commitment to working with each other and with us, as partners.
I want to acknowledge Minister Andy Scott, under whose leadership we’ve come so far. I want to thank Premier Ralph Klein, chair of the Council of the Federation, and each of the Premiers for demonstrating a willingness to look at how we’ve been doing things in the past and to help change them for the better.
In particular I would like to thank our host Premier Gordon Campbell who has worked tirelessly with all of us to ensure that we could come together as we do today, in a spirit of partnership and co-operation.
A year and a half ago, retracing steps from my youth, I travelled across Canada north of the 60th parallel, visiting communities in each of the three territories. Each stop was distinct – from Pond Inlet, to Tuktoyaktuk, to Watson Lake – every community was unique. But what became familiar to me was the welcome– the smiling faces of children in each community.
As we walked the streets of many of these communities a parade of children would join us, and in their eyes you could see the curiosity and the hopefulness that only the young bring to each day – indeed, as far as I could tell, they wanted to ask me everything and show me everything in existence.
Needless to say these were deeply encouraging encounters. But when I would sit down with their elders, they would describe a different world from the one I had seen. They would describe the life of a typical young adult in their community and the challenges that the children I had met would encounter as they grew older.
They would describe the high incidence of violence and abuse in the home; of disease and addiction, teen pregnancy and suicide. They would describe the difficulty of keeping their children in school, or how hard it was to send their children away for the rest of their education.
I share this only to illustrate what we all know to be true not only in the remote communities of the north, but on too many reserves and in too many cities –
that there is an unacceptable gap between the hopeful promise of youth and the experience of Aboriginal adulthood. A gap made even more unacceptable by the fact that aboriginal youth represent the largest segment of Canadian youth and the fastest growing. We face a moral imperative: In a country as wealthy as ours, a country that is the envy of the world, good health care and good education should be taken for granted; they are the tools leading to equality of opportunities – the foundation on which our society is built.
We are here today because the descendents of the people who first occupied this land must have an equal opportunity to work for and to enjoy the benefits of our collective prosperity. Today, the majority do not – because of gaps in education and skills, in health care and housing and because of limited opportunities for employment. Put simply, these gaps – between Aboriginal Canadians and other Canadians, and between Aboriginal men and women – are not acceptable in the 21st century. They never were acceptable. The gaps must be closed.
Over the next two days we will outline a clear plan to achieve our goal. To do that, all of us will have to work together. Our plan will have to recognize that conditions in the far north are different from those on reserve, that conditions on reserve are different from those in our cities. Our plan will have to recognize the very different issues facing First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation – and that the needs of Aboriginal women must not be forgotten.
The challenges we face require goals that are concrete, and achieving them requires that we measure our progress along the way. Coming into this meeting we have established a consensus with Aboriginal leadership that we should set a series of 10-year goals. But I would also suggest that we set interim targets as well, for five years from now, to ensure that we remain focussed and accountable. The challenges are urgent, and we can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.
We must think in the long term but we must act now. Let me be clear about one other thing: If our methods aren’t producing results, we’ll have to change them.
What we seek to do will cost money. But money without an effective partnership, without innovative solutions, without clear targets and full accountability and transparency – will do nothing. We will not pursue that course.
All of us around this table must assume our share of the responsibility for the challenge we face. Quite simply we must, and will, do better. So let us agree today that we will break from the past and take a new approach, one that produces the results we seek with the accountability Canadians expect
Our first challenge is to close the gap in education. Giving young people the chance to realize their potential will be the foundation for everything else we do.
It means building schools, and upgrading the education of teachers. It means ensuring students graduate, but it also means that education doesn’t end at grade 12. It means opening up young eyes to post-secondary education in all its facets. It means skills training for better jobs. In all these cases it means helping to provide the tools to get there.
For the first time in Canada’s history, we are committing to developing a network of First Nations school systems, administered under First Nations jurisdiction, in co-operation with the provinces, which deliver education to Canadians. In public schools, in urban centers as well as the north, we will help ensure that First Nations, Inuit and Métis culture -- as the case may be -- is a vital presence in the curriculum, and we will work with the Provinces and Territories to develop Centers of Excellence for Inuit and Métis learning.
We’ll encourage young Aboriginal women and men to go to college and university with First Nation, Inuit and Métis bursaries. And we will work with our partners in the public and the private sectors to develop the apprenticeship programs needed to help Aboriginal Canadians compete for high-paying jobs.
Our goal is to close the high-school graduation gap completely within 10 years -- and to close the post-secondary gap by half, for both young men and women. In five years we will close both gaps by 20%. That means 22,000 more students will graduate from high school, and close to 15,000 more students will graduate from colleges or universities, or become trained as apprentices – with an additional 3,500 people taking part in literacy and other essential skills programs.
The second challenge is in health care. The gaps that persist between Aboriginal health and the health of most Canadians are unconscionable.
The incidence of infant mortality is almost 20% higher for First Nations than in the rest of Canada. Suicide can be anywhere from three to 11 times more common – particularly among Inuit – and teen pregnancies are nine times the national average.
It is evident these heart-breaking facts speak not just to health care. They speak to the psychic and emotional turmoil in communities that we must find ways, urgently, to address.
We started this effort just over a year ago, when Aboriginal leaders participated in the First Ministers Meeting on Health Care. There we recognized the need for a new health framework and we began work on an unprecedented document: the Aboriginal Health Blueprint, a comprehensive plan for the delivery of reliable health care in every Province and Territory – on reserve and off.
Aboriginal health is a national priority, but care must be local. It begins with health care professionals. We will aim to double the number of Aboriginal health professionals in ten years – from 150 physicians and 1,200 nurses today – and we will focus on core measures of health that we can monitor and improve upon in each community.
Based on available data, we have set goals with the co-operation of the Aboriginal leadership to reduce the gaps in key areas such as infant mortality, youth suicide, childhood obesity and diabetes – by 20% in five years, and 50% in 10. We acknowledge that more work is required to collect further data in these areas and have agreed to work with all of our partners to do this. That being said, this can only be a start. No-one will be satisfied until these gaps are closed completely.
These steps will take funding, and I fully recognize that the money we committed to Aboriginal health care last year has not flowed nearly quickly enough. In the future, it will.
The third challenge is to ensure the fundamentals of good housing and clean water.
Housing is about more than having a roof over your head – it’s about dignity; pride of place; a stake in the community and an investment in the future.
Over the years we have built and renovated tens of thousands of homes, and yet many thousands of Aboriginal people continue to suffer without adequate housing. We have to recognize at least two components of the current challenge – that in many communities housing is not available to those who need it most; and at the same time these communities often don’t have the capacity to build the units themselves.
We can reduce the housing gap significantly with a comprehensive effort: we will develop housing authorities and institutes, and expand the skills of First Nations, Inuit and Métis to manage their land, infrastructure and financing. We will encourage a culture of home ownership in Aboriginal communities and build a labour force to keep the construction jobs in the community.
I believe we can realistically close the housing gap on reserve by 40% within five years and by 80% in 10. Off reserve, we will seek to partner with the Provinces and Territories to reduce the gap by half in five years by providing access to housing for some 17,000 households. In the far north, we will close the housing gap by 35% within five years with more than 1,200 new units – and we’re committed to getting started immediately, in time for the coming construction season. Overall, it’s estimated our housing effort will generate more than 150,000 person years of employment – equivalent to some 15,000 jobs over the next 10 years.
We will take the same approach to clean drinking water. Bringing services and infrastructure to rural and remote communities is challenging, but it cannot become a barrier. We will act to regulate water quality on reserves. We will continue to build new facilities. And we’ll enhance the training of Aboriginal people to operate them.
Education, health, housing and water – these are the fundamentals. By promoting economic opportunity we will help communities truly flourish – with well-paying, reliable jobs and economies that work.
We recognize the obstacles facing rural and remote communities. To help overcome them, we will invest not only in education, but in skills training so that communities can serve their own needs – while opening doors outside of them.
We are committed to connecting our rural and remote communities to the world, and we will bring broadband Internet access to 250 more communities in the next five years. This is an initiative with far-reaching benefits – for the Internet is an unparalleled tool for long-distance learning and access to health care online.
Taking these steps will help us prepare for the next decade’s untold potential for economic expansion in Canada. The number of major projects listed or under development in the North is staggering, from diamond mines to oil and gas to the infrastructure needed to support them. The number of high-paying jobs and employment opportunities will be impressive, and Aboriginal Canadians must be a significant beneficiary. This can only be done if their training begins right away.
Even more to the point to enhance economic opportunity, Aboriginal Canadians need the power to chart their own future. We’ve already taken steps down this road with recent legislation that provides First Nations with the tools to raise capital for public works, to manage their own lands and resources, and to benefit from the jobs that come with all of this.
Considering all of these measures, I’m confident that in five years we can narrow the gap in median employment income by half.
What we have learned is that if we hope to achieve real change we can no longer work in isolation. All of the goals I have laid out, and the additional ones to be discussed over the next two days—all of these initiatives require a new partnership among us and a new relationship with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation – one based on mutual respect, responsibility and accountability.
We recognize the Treaty and Aboriginal Rights protected in our Constitution. This is the foundation for our relationship. With the goals we’re laying out we’re building on that foundation. Today we reaffirm our commitment to renewing our approach to implementing self-government and treaties, and to the resolution of Aboriginal rights to land and resources.
But Aboriginal leadership also has responsibilities to their people and to their partners and that includes everyone gathered at this table. The targets we set today cannot be lost in a communiqué. They must be tracked and measured constantly – and urgently. Just as the Federal Government has set targets for what we will achieve with our investments, so too must everyone involved in this process be accountable – throughout program design and service delivery.
That means Federal, provincial and territorial governments, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities as well. We need a commitment to openness, transparency and good governance – and that’s why I’m pleased by the proposal from the Assembly of First Nations to create offices for a First Nations Auditor General and an Ombudsman.
Canadians expect the most from us, and we will be judged based on what we deliver. So indeed I want to congratulate all of you for your leadership and for your commitment to building the capacity of Aboriginal organizations and communities to strengthen governance and accountability. We can’t move forward without it.
Canadians expect us to find solutions. That is why, together with Aboriginal leaders, we’re setting benchmarks, why we’re committing to measure our progress and to report on results. I applaud the commitment of every Province and Territory to do the same.
Not far from here, in Kamloops, nearly 100 years ago, the Chiefs of the Shuswap, Okanagan and Couteau (or Thompson) Tribes delivered a letter to Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. In that letter they described the trust and the spirit of mutual respect that had shaped their first encounters with the people of Europe. That letter was a call from the heads of three nations to another, for a relationship to be set aright; for First Nations to be recognized in a young Canada as partners in its future.
Over the course of our history we have heard this call from all First Nations; from the Inuit and the Métis Nation. Yet for too long we have been only negotiators, sitting across the table from one another.
Today we sit down on the same side of the table, as partners. We have taken our rightful places. Now we must begin the hard work together.
Thank you.
KO member First Nation residents invited to join the "Quit Smoking Challenge"
November 24, 2005 - 4:40pm | by AnonymousKO Tobacco Control Strategy Presents: Quit Smoking Challenge! Quit smoking for 10 days for your chance to win an Xbox 360. For the communities of Deer Lake, Fort Severn, Keewaywin, North Spirit Lake and Poplar Hill.
Please visit http://nahsema.knet.ca for more details
First Ministers' meeting on Aboriginal issues start today in Kelowna, BC
November 24, 2005 - 9:15am | by AnonymousAs the First Ministers' Meeting starts today, there is a wealth of background information concerning First Nations that is being posted on various web sites across the country. The Assembly of First Nations has gathered a lot of the information concerning the First Nations positions, papers and resolutions onto one web page at http://afn.ca/article.asp?id=1826 (see below)
First Nations Caucus 6:00 p.m. - Agenda
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Ramada Lodge Hotel – Redwood Meeting Room
2170 Harvey Avenue
Highway 97 North
V1Y 6G8
Kelowna, BC
Agreement IN PRINCIPLE compensation package for residential school victims announced
November 23, 2005 - 11:04pm | by AnonymousGovernment PRESS RELEASE
Government of Canada Announces AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE Toward a Fair and Lasting Resolution of the Legacy of Indian Residential Schools
OTTAWA (November 23, 2005) – The Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development announced today that the parties involved have reached an Agreement in Principle toward a fair and lasting resolution of the legacy of Indian residential schools.
“The Government’s Representative, the Honourable Frank Iacobucci, has reached an Agreement in Principle with the Assembly of First Nations, legal representatives of former students of Indian residential schools and representatives of the Churches involved in running those schools. The parties to Mr. Iacobucci’s discussions are in agreement on the ways to recognize the common Indian residential school experience of former students” said Deputy Prime Minister McLellan.
“The Agreement in Principle proposes a common experience payment to be paid to all former students of Indian residential schools, an improved alternative dispute resolution process for claims of serious abuse, as well as measures to support healing, commemorative activities, and further investigation and education concerning past policies and their continuing impact on Aboriginal Canadians and their families” added the Deputy Prime Minister.
“I would like to thank the Honourable Frank Iacobucci for his extraordinary efforts over the past six months,” said Minister Cotler. “The historic agreement he has reached with former students’ counsel, the Assembly of First Nations, and Church representatives reflects a shared vision of a fair, just and lasting resolution of the Indian residential school legacy.”
“This Agreement in Principle is a landmark agreement,” said Minister Scott, “and as we prepare for the First Minister’s Meeting on Aboriginal issues, today’s announcement reaffirms the Government’s commitment to strengthening relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people across Canada.”
$1.9 Billion has been set aside for the direct benefit of former Indian residential school students. The Government also announced that eligible former Indian residential school students 65 years of age and older will soon be able to apply for an advance payment of $8000.
For more information on the Agreement in Principle, please refer to the attached background documents.
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For further information, contact:
Alex Swann
Director of Communications
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Ph: 613-991-2863
Sarah Mangione
Media Relations and Public Affairs Officer
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada
Ph: 613-947-5006
From CBC Online
School abuse victims getting $1.9B
Last Updated Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:31:14 ESTThe Liberal government offered tens of thousands of survivors of abuse at native residential schools up to $30,000 each in a $1.9-billion compensation package announced Wednesday morning.
- INDEPTH: Aboriginal Canadians
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Grand Chief Phil Fontaine breathes in sweetgrass during a purification ceremony before the announcement Wednesday. |
Another $195 million will be spent on a truth and reconciliation process, a commemoration program and other projects designed to promote healing in First Nations communities.
"We have made good on our shared resolve to deliver what I firmly believe will be a fair and lasting resolution of the Indian school legacy," Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said at a news conference in Ottawa.
She was flanked by other federal cabinet ministers and abuse survivors, including Grand Chief Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of First Nations.
"It's a wonderful day," said Fontaine, speaking of the years of negotiations that led to the agreement in principle. "I know that every moment has been worthwhile. Justice has prevailed."
- FROM THE CBC ARCHIVES: A Lost Heritage: Canada's Residential Schools
Fontaine said the package covers "decades in time, innumerable events and countless injuries to First Nations individuals and communities."
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler also hailed the package, calling the decision to house young Canadians in church-run native residential schools "the single most harmful, disgraceful and racist act in our history."
The agreement must still be approved by the courts because of the high number of outstanding lawsuits launched over residential school abuse, McLellan said.
She said she hopes the seven courts in different provinces that have been dealing with class-action suits will see that the deal "is fair and just and will bring an end to this complex set of litigation that we have seen for many years."
A federal official said the courts will be approached as early as May to approve the agreement, once it is put into formal language.
Tens of thousands of former students could benefit
As many as 86,000 native Canadians who attended church-run schools across the country may be eligible for payments under the plan.
For decades, they had been fighting to have the government recognize the abuses they suffered in the school system that Ottawa supported financially between the 1870s and 1970s.
Tens of thousands of First Nations young people were taken from their families for months at a time and deprived of their culture, and many were sexually or physically abused by school staff.
The average age of survivors is 60, Fontaine noted Wednesday.
The package includes:
- A "common experience payment" of up to $10,000 per person, plus $3,000 for every year a victim spent in the schools, at a cost to the federal government of $1.9 billion.
- Compensation for claims based on sexual and physical abuse, as well as loss of language and culture.
- A speeded-up process to get an initial $8,000 payment to claimants aged 65 and over while the rest of the program's details are sorted out.
- Five-year funding for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, totalling $125 million.
- $60 million for a truth and reconciliation process.
- $10 million to commemorate what happened in the schools, to assist in victims' healing.
- An agreement that victims accepting compensation payments cannot sue the federal government and the churches running the schools except in cases of sexual and serious physical abuse.
- An alternate dispute-settling process to deal with separate claims for sexual abuse and serious physical abuse.
The federal government's package did not include a national apology for the abuses. McLellan said that was not a part of the negotiations "for this process."
Karen Shaboyer, a former residential school student who works at an aboriginal cultural centre in Toronto, said the agreement is a good start. She hopes it will open the eyes of non-native people, at the very least.
"You see a lot of my people today who may be staggering on the street, and people just call them down, but really, that person is holding a lot of pain and they don't know how to deal with it," said Shaboyer.
Package called 'deathbed conversion'
NDP native affairs critic Pat Martin calls the package a deathbed conversion on the part of the Liberals.
He says the looming federal election likely prompted the announcement, which came a day before Prime Minister Paul Martin attends a first ministers' conference on native affairs in Kelowna, B.C.
- FROM NOV. 22, 2005: Ottawa, provinces ready to commit to native issues
"The government is doing the honourable thing, but it does have the stink of desperation to it," the New Democrat MP said.
In May, former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci was appointed to help Ottawa develop a plan to compensate victims and avoid the costly lawsuits facing the courts.
About 12,000 survivors of residential school abuse are now suing Ottawa.
Aboriginal Voices final report recommendations highlight online opportunities
November 23, 2005 - 6:56am | by AnonymousRecommendation 5 is all about e-learning celebrating the successes of the Keewaytinook Internet High School.
The following text contains the summary of all the recommendations from the report ...
Building Sustainable Capacity
Recommendation 1: Aboriginal eGovernment should be a priority on a national agenda of transformation.
Recommendation 2: A national commitment by all governments in Canada is required to bridge the digital divide for Aboriginal communities and institutions within the next fi ve years, and for all Aboriginal peoples within the decade. Achieving these goals entails highspeed broadband Internet access that is affordable to users, coupled with governments investing to create sustainable capacity within Aboriginal communities and organizations to maintain and support ICT systems and applications development.
Recommendation 3: Aboriginal governments and their structures must be the central building blocks for an Aboriginal eGovernment agenda.
Recommendation 4: A Community- and Citizen-centred approach, driven by Aboriginal governments, should be adopted as the primary underpinning of Aboriginal eGovernment.
Aboriginal eLearning
Recommendation 5: Governments should make Aboriginal eLearning a national priority and facilitate and resource the building of a national online Aboriginal eLearning portal that would serve as a focal point for a national eLearning networks tailored to the different needs of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. First Nations, Métis and Inuit educational and training organizations, need to be resourced to fully participate in this national initiative. Characteristics of a national eLearning portal and networks would include:
An open source resource web/network;
National collaboration, with regard to more advanced communities and users acting as role models and mentors to those who need to build capacity; and,
Open source information and resources that would be accessible to all Aboriginal learning organizations, while maintaining the ability to allow communities to cater the information and applications to their learning needs.
Recommendation 6: Federal, provincial and territorial governments should commit to providing long term funding and support in order to sustain current Aboriginal eLearning infrastructure and initiatives.
Recommendation 7: Aboriginal organizations, governments, and post-secondary institutions should collaborate on an assessment and action plan on how ICT can be used to increase Aboriginal post-secondary participation and achievement.
Recommendation 8: Working in collaboration with Aboriginal leaders and organizations, federal, provincial and territorial governments should promote and invest in First Nations, Métis and Inuit Centres of Excellence for eLearning with a mandate to advance and share information and knowledge about best practices and facilitate their diffusion into education and training systems and into the community.
Recommendation 9: National and regional research granting agencies should invest dedicated resources to support the advancement and innovation in Aboriginal eLearning.
Preserving, Promoting & Protecting Aboriginal Cultures
Recommendation 10: The Federal Government, in collaboration with national First Nations, Métis, and Inuit organizations, should develop and implement a national policy commitment to promote the preservation and protection of Aboriginal cultures and languages and ensure Aboriginal children, wherever they live, have opportunities to learn their culture and language. A critical component of this commitment is to fully employ, with appropriate safeguards, the potential of ICT to preserve, store, transmit and enable active cultural learning. Having provincial and territorial governments and education institutions and agencies as partners in this national project will be critical to its success.
Recommendation 11: Working with the appropriate Aboriginal authorities, national and provincial archives and museums should accelerate the digitization of Aboriginal historical records and artefacts and make this information available online.
Recommendation 12: Financial and other resources should be made available for Aboriginal communities to collect and digitally preserve their histories and cultural knowledge for the benefi t of the community.
Recommendation 13: Aboriginal governments, organizations and communities should develop protocols to govern the online collection, dissemination and use of cultural information based on customary laws.
Recommendation 14: Aboriginal peoples should develop models for intellectual property protection of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and folklore. These models should be recognized by governments and protected in law.
Creating Opportunities in the New Economy
Recommendation 15: Aboriginal governments should be supported and encouraged to develop and integrate ICT initiatives into their long term strategic planning in order to:
Facilitate community economic and business development and entrepreneurship;
Stimulate and sustain the development of an Aboriginal owned and controlled ICT business sector; and,
Foster community/private sector partnerships that provide access to necessary expertise and resources to assist and help promote technologbased economic development and growth.
Recommendation 16: Governments should provide assistance and create incentives for the Aboriginal business sector:
To adopt ICT into their production, business and service processes; and,
To increase business intelligence gathering and product and service marketing capacity to better identify business opportunities and reach out to regional, national and international markets.
Recommendation 17: Aboriginal governments, organizations, and business associations should plan a facilitative role in developing business capacities by providing information, better aligning programs and resources, and helping entrepreneurs build networks and partnerships. This would include developing online information and services to support business and local capacity development.
Recommendation 18: Aboriginal organizations, governments, community colleges and the private sector should collaborate on a long term strategy to actively support and promote Aboriginal participation in the knowledge economy.
Recommendation 19: Aboriginal training and business organizations, in collaboration with the relevant agencies of government, should undertake an assessment and stocktaking of the potential role of eTraining in developing the Aboriginal workforce and business sector.
Recommendation 20: Aboriginal governments should create an enabling environment that favours innovation and technology-based economic and business development.
Improving Service Delivery
Recommendation 21: Federal, provincial and territorial governments should commit funding and resources to enable First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments and organizations to substantially improve their service delivery systems and infrastructure over the next five years with particular priority in the areas of health care, social and children’s services and education. These strategies will need to be developed on a partnership basis so that they are appropriately tailored and respond to diverse needs and circumstances.
Recommendation 22: Governments should invest resources to promote, support and facilitate the development of Aboriginal networks, including professional networks and communities of interest.
Treating Information as a Public Resource
Recommendation 23: Federal, provincial and territorial governments should reach agreements on a framework for information governance negotiated directly with each respective national Aboriginal organization that can serve broadly as guidelines for the collection, dissemination and sharing of information and data.
Recommendation 24: Federal, provincial, territorial governments and Aboriginal political leadership should support the creation of information capacity that will allow Aboriginal governments and organizations to be more accountable to both their citizens (constituents) and to have a shared accountability relationship with their government partners. Aboriginal governments and organizations should commit to using ICT to provide information that strengthens accountability and participation of their members and citizens in governance and decision-making.
Citizen Engagement
Recommendation 25: Governments and Aboriginal leadership need to build the organizational capacity, authority and resources necessary to engage and consult with Aboriginal citizens on policies, programs and services. These consultation resources should include the technological capacity to engage Aboriginal citizens, including recognizing their distinctive cultural and language needs. Governments should encourage pilot projects to assess the best way to engage Aboriginal citizens using online tools and methodologies.
Partnerships & Collaborations
Recommendation 26: Consideration should be given to establishing an Aboriginal-led national multistakeholder vehicle, that includes government and other key stakeholder representatives, with a mandate to champion, sustain and facilitate the implementation of Aboriginal eGovernment.
Recommendation 27: Governments should support a national conference of Aboriginal and government leaders to develop and chart out an action plan to support and achieve the goals of digital equality and opportunity.
Chapleau-area First Nations to be part of Bell - Nortel broadband initiative
November 22, 2005 - 7:48am | by AnonymousFedNor Funds Chapleau-Area Broadband Initiatives
CHAPLEAU, Ontario, November 9, 2005 — Brent St. Denis, Member of Parliament for Algoma–Manitoulin–Kapuskasing, today announced FedNor support of $513,600 for two Chapleau-area connectedness projects. Of the total, $27,600 will be provided to the Township of Chapleau to hire an Information Technology (IT) Coordinator/Trainer to work on Project Chapleau, a wireless broadband initiative. An additional $486,000 will go to the North Eastern Ontario Communication Network (NEOnet) to provide three area First Nations with high-speed Internet service.
Both projects are designed to complement and bolster Project Chapleau which involves Bell Canada Enterprises, Nortel and the Township of Chapleau, collaborating on assessing the sustainability of wireless networks for serving small, rural communities.
“These initiatives bring us one step closer to the Government of Canada’s goal to make this the most connected nation in the world,” said Mr. St. Denis. “By capitalizing on the advantages of technology to increase access to education, health, government and business services, we are giving Northerners the opportunity to enhance their economic and social positions and to participate more fully in the knowledge-based economy.”
On July 15, 2005, Bell Canada and Nortel announced a joint commitment to deliver a pilot project enabling delivery of high-speed broadband to the Township of Chapleau. Project Chapleau will be the first Wireless Mesh Broadband Network pilot in Canada.
The role of the Coordinator/Trainer will be to work with the Bell/Nortel Project Manager to oversee training activities as they relate to the pilot project, conducting pilot sessions for new curricula, and “train-the-trainer” sessions as necessary.
The “Chapleau Area First Nations Broadband Project” will connect three area First Nations (Chapleau Cree First Nation, Brunswick House First Nation and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation) via a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet solution. This will provide much needed high-speed access to area residents and businesses, as well as government, health and education facilities.
FedNor funds will support engineering costs associated with integrating DSL service for the three First Nations with the Project Chapleau initiative, as well as the purchase and installation of the necessary telecommunications equipment.
NEOnet’s role in this project will be to coordinate the efforts of the project team to ensure the initiative stays on track, on budget and on time. It will also provide Information and Communications Technology (ICT) workshops to make residents aware of the benefits and potential of broadband service while helping area stakeholders develop ICT applications.
“We are pleased to be part of this exciting venture, working with FedNor and building on the tremendous work being done by the Township of Chapleau and its partners,” said NEOnet Chair, Christy Marinig. “This project gives local First Nations the ability to increase their selfreliance while improving the technological infrastructure within the region.”
“This is a momentous day for the residents of Chapleau and the surrounding region,” added Chapleau Mayor, Earle Freeborn. “This community now stands at the forefront when it comes to connectivity and we will be a model for other smaller Northern and rural communities across the country.”
This investment builds on the Government of Canada’s recent $10 million commitment, through FedNor, to bring broadband access to every community in Northern Ontario and an additional $10 million over the next three years to support applications that make effective use of the broadband network. Since 1999, FedNor has contributed $47 million toward connectedness projects, including $22.8 million for telecommunications infrastructure and networking projects, and $24.2 million toward information and communications technology (ICT) applications, promotion and development. As well as working closely with First Nations SchoolNet, FedNor itself in the last eight years has established more than 100 Points of Presence (main Internet access points) serving Northern Ontario communities.
By supporting the Township of Chapleau, area First Nations and NEOnet through its programs and services, FedNor is opening doors and building futures for a prosperous Northern Ontario.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
To find out more about FedNor, visit us at: http://fednor.ic.gc.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Graeme Wilkes
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Andy Mitchell
Minister of State (FedNor)
(613) 947-5850
Mario Paluzzi
Communications Officer
FedNor
(705) 941-2064 or 1 877 333-6673
From the Globe and Mail Update
Bell, Nortel deliver broadband to Northern Ontario
Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Posted at 1:47 PM EST
Project Chapleau, a technology showcase developed by Bell Canada, Nortel and the Township of Chapleau, has started operations in high-speed networking and applications. Project Chapleau is designed to evaluate the economic and social benefits of communications technologies on rural communities.
As part of this technology showcase, Chapleau will benefit from wireless mesh, optical, multimedia communications and enterprise systems using an upgraded optical network. Bell Canada and Nortel have also opened the Chapleau Innovation Centre, where residents can learn about new technologies. Through the Centre they can also connect virtually with the Bell-Nortel Innovation Centre in Ottawa and the technologies and expertise being developed there.
The Chapleau Community Portal — www.chapleau.ca — now provides a virtual meeting place for the community and access to the global marketplace.
From the Canadian Press
Chapleau is now unwired
Thursday, November 10, 2005 Posted at 5:25 PM EST
CHAPLEAU, Ont. — After years of grumbling about the lack of Internet service available to them, residents of this northeastern Ontario community have become unwired.
Bell Canada and Nortel, along with the municipality of Chapleau, officially launched Project Chapleau on Wednesday, marking the beginning of wireless Internet in the remote community about 410 kilometres northwest of Sudbury, Ont.
"We began discussions 15 months ago," Bell Canada CEO Michael Sabia said. "This is the first city in the North using this kind of technology."
A wireless mesh network, made up of a series of radio transmitters, has been positioned around the city of 3,000 people and subscribers were to be activated on Thursday.
"It allows people to walk around the city with their PCs and always be connected," Sabia said.
"This is a very quantum leap forward for Chapleau," said Mayor Earle Freeborn.
"It gives local companies an advantage. They can now compete on an international level."
Chapleau is home to Tembec and Domtar paper mills and is in a region known for its hunting, fishing and eco-tourism.
The project will also give students and teachers more access to educational resources on the internet.
Health services should also be enhanced.
The project will also connect three First Nations in the area to DSL in the next year, Mr. Sabia said.
While it won't be the same wireless internet Chapleau will have access to, the First Nations will nonetheless be connected to services they didn't have before, said Lawson Hunter, Bell Canada's executive vice-president.
Project Chapleau could be a blueprint for other communities.
"There are 2,000 rural and isolated communities in Canada that don't have access to broadband," Mr. Sabia said. "This is not acceptable. Many people will be watching this."
Mr. Hunter said the residents will be provided with free Internet for several months.
"We want people to use it, and we want to encourage people to sign up," he said.
Two AKRC member First Nations to be connected to broadband infrastructure
November 22, 2005 - 7:48am | by AnonymousFrom FedNor Press Releases
FedNor Invests in First Nations Technology Initiative
KENORA, Ontario, November 8, 2005 — Roger Valley, Member of Parliament for Kenora, today announced a FedNor contribution of $310,000 to the Lake of the Woods Business Investment Corp. (LOWBIC), the Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) for implementation of broadband Internet services at two area First Nations.
This initiative will enable quality videoconferencing and other advanced information and communications technology (ICT) applications to be introduced and supported for at least five years at Windigo Island First Nation and Angle Inlet First Nation. These Aboriginal communities are accessible only by water. FedNor funding will trigger a Bell Canada investment in the fibre optic cable and telecommunications equipment needed to establish broadband points of presence.
“This project contributes to the Government of Canada’s plan to employ electronic connectivity to enhance social and economic development throughout all regions,” said Mr. Valley. “We are committed to investing in projects such as this that take advantage of the benefits of technology to improve residents’ ability to access health care, interact, transact, learn and improve their social position and prosperity.”
The project will improve the efficiency of services of the First Nations and other agencies who can connect to the wide area networks of their central offices for file sharing, videoconferencing and other ICT applications. They will also be able to access online services and readily interchange data with government and residents.
LOWBIC is the CFDC servicing Kenora and an area around Lake of the Woods, including Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls and Minaki as well as nine First Nations communities. It provides loans, business counselling and advisory services to small and medium-sized enterprises within its catchment area, in addition to community planning and economic development services.
“This project will enable these remote communities to utilize technology to overcome challenges created by distance and geography,” said Judy Bechard, Chair of LOWBIC. “As the regional CFDC, we’re pleased to assist area First Nations to participate more fully in the knowledge-based economy.”
By supporting the LOWBIC through its programs and services, FedNor is opening doors and building futures for a prosperous Northern Ontario.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
To find out more about FedNor, visit us at: http://fednor.ic.gc.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Graeme Wilkes
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Andy Mitchell
Minister of State (FedNor)
(613) 947-5850
David Frood
Communications Officer
FedNor
(807) 766-1820 or 1 877 333-6673
High speed, satellite internet funding available for those without broadband
November 21, 2005 - 8:44am | by AnonymousThe Satellite Internet for Remote Areas Program (SIRA) is a new service being delivered by NEOnet out of their Timmins office. The program was created to support Northern Ontario's business and not-for-profit community secure cost-effective high-speed internet access. With the advent of the new 2-way, Ka-band satellite service, remote or rural businesses and organizations now have a viable option to dial-up internet. Click here for more information about this new NEOnet program.
SIRA includes First Nation businesses and band offices that aren’t able to access broadband connectivity services and that won’t be served in the short term, ie. over the next six months.
High-speed internet access is a critical tool for the business sector, as it facilitates marketing and communications efforts. Research shows that when properly implemented, it can also introduce significant operational efficiencies and cost savings. NEOnet recognizes the importance of connectivity, and acknowledges that many businesses are located beyond the reach of traditional high-speed internet service.
Eligible applicants may receive up to 75% of the supported costs of equipment and installation of 2-way high-speed internet service (Ka-band), to a maximum of $1000. Supported costs include the satellite dish and associated connectivity equipment, and installation fees. The service provider chosen must be an authorized Telesat reseller. Travel costs incurred by the vendor to install the equipment may also be considered eligible if the business is located more than 50 km from the nearest satellite equipment provider. This program is available for a limited time and you may apply for assistance while the available funds last ($75,000).
Click here to learn more about ka-band satellite internet.
NEOnet Inc.
124 Third Avenue
Timmins ON, P4N 1C5
P (705) 360-1353 x2
F (705) 360-8537
sgallant@neonet.on.ca
http://www.neonet.on.ca
- NEOnet -
Enabling Opportunities through Information and Communications Technology
New school in Lac La Croix is open for business
November 18, 2005 - 5:17am | by AnonymousFrom INAC press releases - http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/prs/s-d2005/2-02737_e.html
NEW SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE AT LAC LA CROIX FIRST NATION
LAC LA CROIX FIRST NATION, ONTARIO (November 16, 2005) - Ken Boshcoff, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Rainy River, announced today on behalf of the Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, the opening of a new $8.5 million school at Lac La Croix First Nation
“This new school provides the children of the Lac La Croix First Nation with the atmosphere they need to help achieve their academic goals,” MP. Boshcoff. “The Government of Canada believes that we all have a role to play in helping to foster success and will continue to invest in First Nation education, culturally appropriate learning, and social and recreational development.”
The project was completed through a partnership between the Government of Canada and the First Nation. The Government of Canada, through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, provided $8.5 million for the project, while the First Nation managed planning, design and construction of the facility.
The new Kindergarten-Grade 12 facility is 1,545 square metres, and includes one Kindergarten room, six classrooms, a computer room, a multi-purpose room and a gymnasium. There is also a storage area and a staff and administration area. The space will accommodate up to 105 students.
“Our community is eager to implement its unique educational programming in a new facility where everyone can feel comfortable,” said Chief Larry Jourdain. “This new school is an investment in the future of our children, and our community.”
The Lac La Croix First Nation is located 220 kilometres west of Thunder Bay and has 1,000 members, 170 of whom live on reserve.
For further information, please contact:
Tony Prudori
Acting Senior Information Officer
INAC Communications
(807) 624-1531
Chief Larry Jourdain
Lac La Croix First Nation
(807) 485-2557
Making the WSIS gathering accessible to everyone online
November 18, 2005 - 5:09am | by AnonymousVarious groups are working hard to share and capture the WSIS experience online. As the United Nation's World Summit on the Information Society concludes today, it is important that highlights and current developments that are taking place in Tunis are made available to everyone.
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC - Internet and ICTs for Social Justice and Development) is an international network of civil society organisations that is supporting an ongoing blog of testimonials from WSIS participants. Check out how different people from around the world are feeling about this WSIS gathering at http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml
The UNESCO team is hosting a series of live webcasts that are also archived for later reference. The webcast agenda of UNESCO events at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the corresponding links follows:
16.11.2005 / 13.15 – 17.15 - On-demand - Workshop on ICT and persons with disabilities
16.11.2005 / 14.25 – 18.00 - On-demand - Case presentations: ICT and people with disabilities
17.11.05 / 10.25 – 12.30 - On-demand - Community Multimedia Centres
17.11.05 / 14.55 – 18.00 - On-demand - UNESCO High-Level Round Table on the occasion of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
18.11.05 / 9.45 – 10.15 - Round Table on the Role of UNESCO in the Construction of Knowledge Societies through the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme
18.11.05 / 11.25 – 13.30 - Technologies for Communication
The current UNESCO event can be followed at: Live Webcast
As well, Angie Fiddler from Sandy Lake First Nation who is attending this event with a delegation of Aboriginal youth from Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program is sharing her experiences on her personal web site at http://angiefiddler.myknet.org
