KATHERINE WALKER: FIRST PEOPLES
A responsible government?
Auditor general's observations on Northern inactivity
November 12, 2007
In Canada, there are two things that you can depend on every year: Winter will arrive, in spite of the concerted efforts of North Americans to perpetuate the effects of global warming. And, the auditor general's report will include a damning review of how the federal government is not living up to its obligations to aboriginal people.
Buried amidst the concerns about border security and government secrets getting into the hands of private contractors, was mention of the Inuvialuit.
The Inuvialuit are Inuit from the western Arctic, which is the area northwest of Nunavut.
Back in 1984, the Inuvialuit signed the Inuvialuit Final Agreement with Canada. In exchange for 335,000 square kilometres of land, the Inuvialuit received a lump sum payment, 91,000 square kilometres of land, and certain guarantees from the federal government. One of those guarantees was that the Government of Canada would assist them in realizing the goals of the agreement.
The goals were to enable the Inuvialuit to participate equally and meaningfully in the economy and society of Canada's North and of the nation; to protect and preserve the wildlife, environment, and biological productivity of the Arctic; and to preserve Inuvialuit cultural identity and values within a changing Northern society. These are not highfalutin or unrealistic goals.
Fast forward 23 years, and according to the auditor general, the federal government has yet to fully honour its side of the agreement, which included things like notifying the Inuvialuit of government contracts in their area, and developing an actual plan to help implement the goals of the agreement.
A plan is usually a good idea for something of this scale. Of course, if you're not intending on implementing anything at all, then I guess a plan really isn't necessary.
Strong words, weak action
Sheila Fraser actually uses pretty strong language in her report on this subject. She singles out Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, stating that they showed a general lack of "leadership" and "commitment" in this case.
Fraser's report says not only has the federal government failed to fulfil its side of the agreement, it made mistakes, like botched land transfers, causing in-fighting among governments in the north, and has yet to fix them in more than two decades.
The scary part of these findings is that if the auditor general were not taking the government to task for its failings, it's pretty much a certainty the federal government would have continued to ignore its obligations.
Even with the auditor general's report the likelihood that anything will be done in a timely fashion is slim. The government watchdog's bark usually carries far and wide across this country, but apparently not when it comes to aboriginal issues.
Heard this one before?
Three years ago, Fraser reported on a similar lack of implementation with comprehensive agreements in British Columbia.
"In 2003, we made similar observations about the department's [Indian and Northern Affairs] approach to agreements with the Gwich'in and the Inuit. It is disappointing that [department] has continued to focus only on specific obligations and has not worked in partnership with aboriginal groups toward the goals of these agreements."
You would almost think that the federal government didn't care if aboriginal self-government models were successful, and in fact, through its inaction, may have even been trying to bring about unfavourable results. Or maybe it was just busy looking to the future and a better relationship with aboriginal people.
The ironic part of this whole situation is that in an era when the federal government is demanding transparency and accountability from aboriginal governments, there is little recourse for Aboriginal Peoples to demand the same of the federal government.
The court system is one expensive and time-consuming option, and aboriginal people have also achieved some success taking their complaints to the international arena. Blockades and other such alternatives have also been used as a way to get grievances heard. When it comes to negotiating with, or meeting directly with, members of the federal government itself, however, aboriginal people, for the most part, are simply not listened to.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Biography
Katherine Walker offers an alter-Native look at aboriginal issues in the news. She holds degrees in political science and journalism, and has covered national, regional and local aboriginal stories for print, radio and television. She says she has visited more aboriginal communities in Canada than probably the entire federal cabinet.
