April 19, 2004
Ottawa, Ontario

SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER

Check against delivery

Welcome to all of you. I would like to thank the elders who are with us today, in particular Elder William Commanda for his opening prayer and for inviting all of us to meet together here in traditional Algonquin territory.

I would also like to thank the Aboriginal leaders who have come from all parts of the country for this first-ever Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable.

Like you, I have been looking forward to this important day. A day which is the result of previous meetings we’ve had with the leaders of the five national organizations: 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 – all of whom are here today.

Canada would not be Canada without the Aboriginal peoples. Your distinct traditions, cultures and languages enrich Canada immensely.

First Nations have a special relationship with the land and rivers of Canada. In fact, the European settlement in North America arose because the First Nations were prepared to share their resources. It is now time for us to renew and strengthen the covenant between us.

There is also no question that we need to strengthen our relationship with the Métis community in Canada. It is time to recognize the contributions the Métis nation has made, and continues to make, to this country.

And it is of utmost importance that we recognize the unique culture, lifestyle and environment of the Inuit peoples – and their increasing contribution to the realization of our northern dream.

Canada faces no greater challenge than those that confront Aboriginal Canadians.

It is a challenge of enormous consequence – but not just for those of Aboriginal descent. It is also a challenge for the country as a whole.

Over half of Canada’s Aboriginal population now lives in cities – a number growing by the day. Many are young Aboriginals moving in search of a job and a better life. And many are having trouble making the adjustment to the urban setting and to demands very different from the communities from whence they come.

If young Aboriginals don't succeed, then all of us fail. For too long, we have turned our backs on this moral and economic reality.

We cannot sidestep or ignore the demographic reality. Canada’s Aboriginal peoples represent the fastest growing segment of our population, and Aboriginal children an important part of our future. Yet theirs is collectively a story of promise untapped and promises unfulfilled.

This cannot continue.

The Speech from the Throne stated that Aboriginal Canadians must participate fully in all that Canada has to offer, with greater economic self-reliance and an ever-increasing quality of life, based upon historic rights and agreements that our forefathers signed long ago, but that are not to be forgotten.

But, there is also a contemporary imperative. And that, too, must be recognized.

The sad and sobering fact is that we do not need economic indicators to see the difference in quality of life between the majority of Aboriginal Canadians and rest of Canadians.

Simply put, we must break the cycle of poverty, indignity and injustice in which so many Aboriginal Canadians live. We must make real improvements in their lives and living conditions. And all of this must lead to economic self-sufficiency.

How are we going to ensure success?

The answer is threefold.

First, we have to give ourselves clear goals – to reverse the course, and to bring new hope.

To be fair, tremendous energy and great efforts have been made in the recent past. But frankly, the results just aren’t good enough. We have to go further. We have to do better.

The purpose of our goals must be to organize our every effort and focus our every response.

What should those goals be?

Clearly, they will include better health care and housing. More young people finishing high school; more going to university. More successful Aboriginal businesses; more economic development; greater self-sufficiency.

But whatever our goals are, they must be arrived at jointly, and they must be meaningful – and measurable.

The end result of our objectives, once we achieve them, must be to put an end to the terrible assumption that Aboriginal Canadians will always be a little – or a lot – worse off than other Canadians.

The second criteria to ensure success: We have to demonstrate the political will to get on with the job of achieving our goals and sticking to them come what may. As Prime Minister, I am here to say that you have my commitment – and that of our Government. Our will is resolute. Our focus will not falter.

Of course, political will is a two-way street. I would ask the Aboriginal leaders here and elsewhere to make a similar commitment and join with us in making dramatic change a tangible reality. To work with us and to work with one another. To put aside past problems and political rivalries so that we might achieve the dramatic progress we all want.

From our vantage point, we will ensure a full seat at the table – as we have ensured today – to Aboriginal communities and leaders. No longer will we in Ottawa develop policies first and discuss them with you later. This principle of collaboration will be the cornerstone of our new partnership.

The third element in ensuring success is that we must agree to a concrete plan to achieve our goals.

If the 8 billion dollars we spend each year is not doing all that it should – let’s spend it better. If the way we’re structured as a government isn’t working, let’s change it.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is doing good work. So, too, is the Métis Interlocutor. But government works across many different departments, and there is a need for better coordination – with the Prime Minister's Office helping in the process.

That is why our new Government announced the creation of a Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister. And I appointed a Parliamentary Secretary on Aboriginal Affairs.

We have also created a Secretariat on Aboriginal Affairs in the Privy Council Office to co-ordinate the Government’s work.

But more changes are needed. For example, Inuit leaders have for years pointed to the absence of a secretariat in the government that focuses specifically on Inuit issues. And frankly speaking, there has been a gap on our part.

Well, we are fixing that. Today, I am happy to announce the creation of a new Inuit Secretariat within Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

In addition: Ministers need to ensure that their departments work in partnership with
Aboriginal communities. And given the wide range of government programs, it is important that departments work in closer cooperation with each other.

That is one reason for the presence in great number today – of more than 40 Government of Canada representatives, including more than two dozen Cabinet Ministers.
This is quite possibly the largest gathering of Ministers outside of the Cabinet room in decades. And they are here to carry our efforts forward.

In forming the new Government, I gave mandate letters to each Minister outlining what they were expected to fulfill. Now I am writing again to Ministers, instructing each to work in partnership with you and to discuss in advance important policy initiatives relevant to your areas of need.

Changes are also needed on your side.

Building capacity to achieve transparency, accountability and good governance is an important step towards Aboriginal self-government.

That is why we are creating the Independent Centre for First Nations Government. This organization will help to foster best practices in improving accountability and transparency, while developing principles of self-government. I know from my earlier discussions with Aboriginal leaders that you are committed to this.

So far we've been talking about machinery of government changes. Clearly, they are important enablers to achieving our goals. But they do not constitute a plan. Today – and in the days immediately following – we will work together on formulating that plan.

In this context, there are many issues we must deal with. But in discussions I've had with Aboriginal leaders across the country – six key areas have emerged that must form an integral part of the plan.

First, it is crucial that we support improvements in educational outcomes for our youngest generations of Aboriginal peoples – from kindergarten to grade 12. Aboriginal educators and leaders must be front and centre in this discussion. This is true on reserve. It is also true in urban centres.

This means supporting innovative measures, such as the development of First Nations school boards and Aboriginal educational institutions, to ensure the highest standards and the development of a curriculum that reflects the principles, values and histories of our Aboriginal peoples. Innovative measures are also needed in post-secondary education. The First Nations University in Saskatchewan is a model of what can be done in this regard.

Second, it is not enough to seek to improve the health of Aboriginal peoples generally; we must also recognize their particular needs. This will require capacity building in basic health administration at the community level to deal with the alarming rates of teen addiction, teen suicide, and the epidemic of diabetes that have plagued so many Aboriginal communities.

Third, we must create economic opportunities for Aboriginal peoples both on and off reserve. We need to streamline and consolidate federal government programs. By making these programs more accessible, the barriers to employment will be reduced, while making the investment climate in Aboriginal communities conducive to partnership and entrepreneurship.

We must recognize that the development of our natural resources, so important in their own right, must at the same time be a tool for the economic development and job creation for Aboriginal Canadians. Indeed, in recent years we have made important strides in this area – but this can only be the beginning.

Fourth, we have to do better in the provision of adequate housing. We must advance alternative models for housing development on reserve, while working towards a national strategy to deal with housing issues off reserve.

Fifth, we must hold ourselves to account – in what we’re doing well and what we’re not doing so well. We need a manageable and transparent Aboriginal Report Card to set clear targets for achievement – and to measure our progress and success in getting there.

And finally: We need to find more efficient ways to conclude negotiations on self-government and land claims agreements. We cannot continue to leave these issues for the Courts to decide. Courts do not define relationships. People do – by working together on the basis of mutual respect and trust. And that is the course we must set.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Today’s Roundtable provides us with the opportunity to commit together on fundamentally improving the lives of Aboriginal Canadians.

Of course, we know that we can’t do this alone. We need to work with provinces and territories and municipalities and with the private sector to build the new partnership required for our collective success.

We should not underestimate how much work we have to do. Nor should we pretend that it will always be easy.

We need to be ready to work hard and find creative solutions to obstacles.

But we can do it – as long as we work together and in partnership.

Today, in this room, we can take the first steps in strengthening this relationship. We begin a new era of cooperation.

Our new journey together will take some time. But our destination is too important to be missed.

Ours must be a society in which all citizens of Canada – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike – stand shoulder-to-shoulder; equal in opportunity, in dignity and in quality of life.

Let it be that, ten years from now, people will look back on this day and this Roundtable as an event that marked a truly new beginning for Aboriginal peoples in Canada. One that heralds a brighter, healthier and more prosperous future.

That is our ambition. And with a clear goal, the political will for change and a concrete plan, we will succeed.

Now, let’s get started.

Thank you