By Chad Klassen

FEDERAL ELECTION 2019

2019 Federal Election Issues: First Nations Reconciliation

Oct 18, 2019 | 4:04 PM

KAMLOOPS — In our last issues story leading up to Monday’s federal election, we take a look at what parties plan for reconciliation with First Nations people across the country. In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made 94 recommendations to the federal government.

When elected four years ago, Justin Trudeau made reconciliation a top priority, but he’s come under fire recently for a decision to appeal a human rights’ tribunal ruling to compensate first nations children in care.

LIBERALS

On the campaign trail, Justin Trudeau, like he did in 2015, says reconciliation with First Nations is essential to Canada’s future.

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His record on reconciliation is mixed. Some like Perry Bellgarde, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), says the Trudeau government gave “unprecedented” access to AFN chiefs. At the same time, First Nation groups are in a court battle with Trudeau’s Liberals over the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The Federal Liberal Party has been criticized for its decision earlier this month to appeal the Human Rights Tribunal ruling that would give First Nations children who were separated from their parents a share of $2 billion. Liberal candidate in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Terry Lake says the appeal is to give the government time to put together a more comprehensive response.

“It’s not just about writing a cheque,” he said. “We need to sit down with the AFN and other organizations to find out the best way to include as many people as possible who were affected by those policies and find the very best way to compensate them, and also to move forward in a positive way to reconciliation. This government has demonstrated with its record that it’s committed to doing that and that will be job one after the election.”

GREEN PARTY

Green Party candidate in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Iain Currie says appealing was wrong and the ruling would be accepted by his party.

“When there’s a tribunal ruling that says that the Government of Canada has discriminated against the most vulnerable among us — First Nations children in care that we have systematically discriminated against for decades — we need to step up, we need to not appeal that ruling. We need to pay the compensation that is due.”

Overall, the Greens are promising to phase out the Indian Act. Party leader Elizabeth May believes the Indian Act infringes on the right of First Nations people to define themselves and self-govern. Currie says the party is considering all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

NDP

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has condemned the Trudeau government for appealing the child welfare ruling. The party feels the Liberals haven’t done enough to get re-elected. One of his focuses has been on providing clean drinking water for all First Nations communities.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo candidate Cynthia Egli, a mediator by trade, says there needs to be true reconciliation by the federal government.

“That hasn’t happened, I don’t believe,” she said. “I feel the federal Liberals for the last four years, they have tried talking to some. Some will have made agreements with them, and then others they didn’t like their ideas. They just basically did what they wanted. They bought a pipeline.”

CONSERVATIVES

The Conservative Party, which had a contentious relationship at times with First Nations under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is trying to do things differently.

Local candidate Cathy McLeod feels economic reconciliation is a big part of improving government and First Nations relations.

“When I had the opportunity to travel across the country [as Shadow Minister for Indigenous and Northern Affair], what we found is there was both urban, rural and remote communities that had embraced economic opportunity,” McLeod said. “The communities had really started to thrive. The federal government has so many barriers still in the way to success in economic reconciliation that absolutely has to be the focus.”