TORONTO — Federal, provincial and territorial ministers will gather this coming Thursday for a summit on aboriginal issues that's being billed as the first of its kind in Canada.Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid is hosting the one-day meeting in Toronto, which has been in the works for about a year.
His federal counterpart, Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, is also expected to attend along with leaders from five national aboriginal organizations.
The conference will focus on education and economic issues with the goal of sharing ideas, pulling together a common plan to improve the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples and push for more action from Ottawa, he said.
The federal government has jurisdiction over aboriginal matters and the provinces aren't trying to take over that responsibility, he said.
"None of us could afford to if we wanted to," Duguid said. "What we're suggesting is that we need to work together, and we cannot allow the status quo to continue."
Underfunding in Ontario, for example, means $2,000 to $9,000 less goes to an aboriginal child who attends a school on a reserve than to a non-aboriginal child who attends a public school, he said.
That's "unacceptable," he said. But there are ways the provinces and Ottawa can work together to improve the quality of education for aboriginal people.
"I think there's a growing recognition among the provinces that while we don't have jurisdiction for many of these issues - at least, complete jurisdiction - we are faced with the challenge of facing the repercussions of actions not taken," Duguid said.
The meeting was put together after Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper last year to hold a First Minister's conference on aboriginal issues, Duguid said.
The five aboriginal groups attending are the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Metis National Council, the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
for some country Christmas tunes along with a whole lot of the classic stuff you all know and love. I have an A list line up of entertainers that day so make sure you drop by. There will be free eats and other items of interest as the Westbrook is also having their customer appreciation day as well. Show time is 1-4 pm. December 24th.
