Canada’s Indians seek autonomy

Press, 24 May 1985, Page 16

Canada’s Indians seek autonomy

From

DAVE MULLINGTON,

in Ottawa

Slowly but surely, Canada’s native peoples are progressing towards self-government. Although a recent conference of provincial premiers and the Prime Minister, Mr Brian Mulroney, did not accept the principle of selfgovernment for the native Indians, half-breed Metis, and Inuit (as the Eskimos prefer to be called), some headway was made and there were signs of future progress. A meeting of Federal and provincial justice and native affairs ministers is scheduled for late this month and, unlike their leaders’ conference, their meeting will not be in the glare of television cameras. This should result in less posturing for public consumption and more emphasis on making self-government acceptable to the Governments and enough of the native peoples to make it work. Self-government for the aboriginal peoples will require the agreement of Ottawa and seven of the country’s 10 provinces, representing at least half Canada’s population of 24 million. Unofficially, but importantly, the consent of the native groups themselves will be needed. This was where the recent conference failed. Mr Mulroney appeared to have the consent of seven provinces for a vague, watered-down proposal regarding self-government, but the native groups rejected it and it was not put to a vote of the ministers. Mr Mulroney tried to persuade the premiers to approve selfgovernment in principle, with a clause saying they would be forced to negotiate the terms afterwards.

The natives felt this resolved nothing, but at least it was one more step in the right direction. Such small steps have been

taken only in the last decade. Even now, most of Canada’s 300,000 Indians reside on reserves set apart from the rest of the population and their prosperity varies widely. A few located on oil-rich lands in Western Canada became very rich during the oil industry boom of the 19705, but most depend on Government handouts and are willing to let the Federal Department of Indian Affairs run their lives. Similarly with the 17,000 Inuit, located in the cold northern reaches near or within the Arctic Circle; much of their life is dominated by white, southern administrators from the Department of Northern Affairs.

A breakthrough was achieved in 1975 when some Indians and Inuit in northern Quebec signed an agreement with the provincial Government which gave them exclusive jurisdiction over about 14,000 square kilometres and established local government. According to the deal, the natives run their own social, cultural, economic, and educational institutions in exchange for surrender of aboriginal title to the huge area. However, the deal was only possible because the provincial Government urgently needed title to the land to create one of the largest hydro-electric developments in North America at James Bay.

Elsewhere, the push to reach an agreement on the natives’ many land claims is proceeding much more slowly. Two years ago, an all-party Parliamentary task force on Indians recommended that the Department of Indian Affairs be disbanded by 1989 and that Indian nations, or tribes, be made equal

partners with the federal and provincial Government. The task force also suggested that Indians have complete control over the lands, resources, education, social development, taxation, and law-making and enforcement on their reserves.

Although these moves appear to be just what the aboriginal people want, some are having second thoughts.

For example, it could result in a voluntary form of apartheid, with Indians or Inuit feeling at home only in their own lands. It would also mean that the natives would no longer be able to rely on the Federal Government for social assistance, which sustains many of the bands at present. In drawing up a new constitution for Canada in 1982, the Federal Government and the pro-

vinces side-stepped the prickly issue of native selfgovernment, by agreeing to hold at least four first ministers’ conferences by 1987. Three have been held thus far, so it will be interesting to see if a final agreement can be reached within two years. @ Mr Mullington is a free-lance journalist who has worked on newspapers in Australia and Hong Kong as well as Canada.