Close X
Monday, November 18, 2024
ADVT 
National

Aboriginal Economic Board Urges Federal Action To Target Unemployment

The Canadian Press, 17 Jun, 2015 11:52 AM
    OTTAWA — One of the Conservative government's go-to people on aboriginal issues says Ottawa needs to focus its efforts on a profound need for employment among First Nations if the fortunes of Canada's native communities are to improve.
     
    And Chief Clarence Louie of B.C.'s Osoyoos Indian Band has a thick, detailed report to back up his case.
     
    "It comes down to that word: jobs," Louie said in an interview. "To deal with the deplorable state of First Nations people in this country, our people need employment."
     
    Louie is the chairman of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, which has released a new report on the large — and growing — social and economic gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.
     
    The report says First Nations have made modest gains during the five-year span of 2006 and 2011 but "significant gaps remain" between the two groups.  
     
    In particular, the gaps have widened between First Nations members living on-reserve and non-aboriginals in areas such as employment, reliance on government transfers, and college and university completion rates.
     
    The report's conclusions are based on social and economic indicators from the five-year period of the study, including income, employment and education statistics.
     
    Louie said the government needs to focus more time and effort on building up on-reserve programs.
     
    He said the issue reaches back to when the reserve system was created and aboriginal people were "shoved out of the economy."
     
    "The colonial approach toward First Nations has always been native people don't need the best land, the settlers do," Louie said.
     
    A key recommendation urges the federal government to concentrate on upholding First Nation treaty rights and obligations, which have been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.
     
    "We've got to get back to that original treaty relationship, which was a business relationship," Louie said.
     
    In 2012, the board developed a goal to achieve "economic and social parity" between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians by 2022. It also agreed to measure progress and report on its findings every three years.
     
    The report's conclusions indicate aboriginal people are not currently on track to achieve equality with non-aboriginal Canadians. It said more action is needed to get results.  
     
    "We really, really believe that that can happen and it is realistic to work toward," said the board's vice-chair Dawn Madahbee. "There needs to be a concerted effort made ... I think this is the way forward."
     
    The report's other recommendations include calls to improve access to education, to bolster employment skills and training tailored to aboriginal people, and to develop a national aboriginal youth strategy.
     
    Madahbee said when aboriginal people have access to a basic standard of living that is comparable to other Canadians, it is beneficial to the Canadian economy.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Philippe Couillard Not Excluding Possibility Of Tightening Quebec Language Law

    QUEBEC — Premier Philippe Couillard is not excluding the possibility of tightening Quebec's language law to force major retailers to include French wording in their commercial trademark English names.

    Philippe Couillard Not Excluding Possibility Of Tightening Quebec Language Law

    Arguments Over Evidence Puts Duffy Trial On Pause Until Next Week

    Arguments Over Evidence Puts Duffy Trial On Pause Until Next Week
    Justice Charles Vaillancourt will hear arguments Monday in what is called a voir dire, basically a mini-trial within the main trial.

    Arguments Over Evidence Puts Duffy Trial On Pause Until Next Week

    Statistics Canada Says Underground Economy Totalled $42.4 Billion In 2012

    OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says the underground economy totalled $42.4 billion in 2012, roughly 2.3 per cent of gross domestic product.

    Statistics Canada Says Underground Economy Totalled $42.4 Billion In 2012

    McMaster University To Increase Female Faculty's Pay After Review

    McMaster University To Increase Female Faculty's Pay After Review
    HAMILTON — Female faculty at McMaster University will be getting a raise after a two-year study showed differences in salary between the sexes at the Hamilton school.

    McMaster University To Increase Female Faculty's Pay After Review

    Trial Of Accused Terrorists Gets First Look At Pressure Cookers Lined With Nails

    Trial Of Accused Terrorists Gets First Look At Pressure Cookers Lined With Nails
    VANCOUVER — A B.C. Supreme Court jury has had a firsthand look inside the pressure cookers that were allegedly turned into bombs and left to detonate outside the provincial legislature.

    Trial Of Accused Terrorists Gets First Look At Pressure Cookers Lined With Nails

    Court Hears Of A Mother's Pain At Sentencing Hearing In Loretta Saunders Murder

    Court Hears Of A Mother's Pain At Sentencing Hearing In Loretta Saunders Murder
    HALIFAX — The mother of Loretta Saunders has told a court that her heart constantly aches since the death of her daughter, whose remains were found inside a hockey bag along a highway in New Brunswick last year.

    Court Hears Of A Mother's Pain At Sentencing Hearing In Loretta Saunders Murder