MONTREAL — National Chief Perry Bellegarde wants First Nations and other Canadians alike to get involved in the federal election campaign and push for reconciliation.
In the first keynote address to the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting, Bellegarde said First Nations voters need to make a point of making themselves heard in polling booths across the country.
The time is right, he says, because the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recent report has captured the attention of Canadians with its description of the residential school legacy as "cultural genocide."
"As thousands of brave people shared their experiences and spoke the truth, Canadians woke up to a chapter of their history that must be forever remembered and never forgotten," Bellegarde told an audience of First Nations leaders from across the country.
This is Bellegarde's first meeting as national chief.
He is also calling on the government to respect traditional territories and honour its legal duty to accommodate First Nations people.
"Reconciliation means nothing less than keeping the promises the government of Canada first made to our people to share and live together," Bellegarde said.
"Reconciliation involves all Canadians ... I believe Canadians want their political leaders to do the right thing."
Bellegarde has been calling for all federal parties to address indigenous issues in their election platforms.
Indeed, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will deliver back-to-back speeches this afternoon as both parties roll out election promises aimed at aboriginal affairs — although federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt will not be present.
Mulcair plans to offer a "new era" of nation-to-nation relations with indigenous communities if he becomes prime minister after this fall's federal election. The NDP plans to commit to a "government-wide" approach to address aboriginal affairs.
Trudeau is scheduled to speak immediately after the NDP leader. He plans to announce a series of campaign-style commitments, including a promise to bolster funding for aboriginal education.
Trudeau also plans to address the need to overhaul the relationship between First Nations and the federal government, such as targeting the growing socio-economic gap that exists between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians in areas including employment.
The Liberals have already tapped AFN regional chief Jody Wilson-Raybould to run as the Grit candidate in the new B.C. riding of Vancouver-Granville.
The government's relationship with aboriginal people has been under the microscope in recent weeks following the release of a scathing report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The commission's summary report said the current relationship with the federal government and aboriginal peoples is "deteriorating" due to ongoing conflicts over education, child welfare, and justice.
Aboriginal education has been a particularly thorny issue for both the government as well as the AFN.
In February 2014, federal Conservatives thought they had the support of the AFN's then-national chief Shawn Atleo and other indigenous leaders when they announced $1.9 billion in federal money for a First Nations education act.
But some indigenous leaders were opposed to the legislation because they felt it gave the federal government too much control.
The deal subsequently dissolved and led to Atleo's departure as head of the AFN that May.
Valcourt continues to defend the government's legislation and says it met the conditions outlined by the AFN and aboriginal leaders. But there has been no sign of any meeting of the minds that would allow an education deal to progress.
The minister's office has confirmed he is not attending the assembly's annual gathering.
"Minister Valcourt is attending important events for the people of Madawaska-Restigouche, in New Brunswick," said press secretary Emily Hillstrom. "He remains committed to working with all willing First Nation partners on shared priorities such as economic development, skills training, education and addressing section 35 rights."
