Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs

Health Issues

The AMC Chiefs Committee on Health Secretariat staff and various technical committees are involved in a range of coordinating activities relating to First Nations health. Coordination activities encompass issues of provincial health reform, non- insured health benefits, proposed joint management arrangement for the regional office of Medical Services Branch and development of a regional health survey.

Treaty Land Entitlement Is Good For All Of Manitoba

Nineteen First Nations of the Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) Committee in Manitoba are presently in negotiations with the Crown to fulfill the land provisions of the various numbered Treaties to which they are signatory. The success of these negotiations would not only fulfill an obligation that has existed in some cases for over 120 years, but it would also provide significant benefits to the entire provincial economy.

The TLE Committee commissioned a study by Symbion Consultants which assessed the economic impact on the provincial economy as a result of the expenditure of TLE settlement funds. The study showed that there would be two distinct economic impacts. Initially there could be short run, start-up impacts lasting up to five years as a result of new business creation, capital expenditures and construction. In addition, operational long run impacts could be expected from continuing employment generated by the new enterprises.

The study considered a TLE settlement fund of $100 million that when combined with interest on the funds and the leverage of additional loan funding, could increase the total TLE spending power to $254.4 million. Through the use of Manitoba Bureau of Statistics economic methodology, it was determined that the total TLE spending power could translate into gross expenditures in the Manitoba economy of $381.6 million during the start-up period and $199.6 million annually as a result of the operational impacts.

As a result of direct and indirect expenditures, positive impacts could be expected to extend through various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, housing, retail services and community infrastructure and development. The activity in these sectors would create significant impacts regarding provincial employment. It was demonstrated that the expenditures of TLE settlement funds in the provincial economy could generate 4,032 person years of employment during the start-up period, and 2,993 person years of employment annually as a result of continuing operations. It was estimated that over one half of the employment generated would involve First Nation people. Increases in employment and spending in the Manitoba economy would also increase government taxation revenues at the local, provincial and federal levels.

Some perspective of this impact can be gained through comparison of the greatly publicized 1993 Canada/Manitoba Infrastructure Program. This program was expected to produce a total investment to the provincial economy of approximately $204 million and employment generated of approximately 3,000 person years.

The expenditure of this level of funds from a TLE settlement in Manitoba would have a positive influence and therefore add to the important contribution made by First Nation people to the provincial economy. This is an especially critical contribution during these times of local and global economic uncertainty. It is clearly demonstrated that the settlement of the TLE issue is greatly beneficial to the entire Manitoba economy.

Pathways

Human Resources Development Canada's Aboriginal labour market training program Pathways to Success has been a difficult issue for many years. The program required creation of status-blind aboriginal management boards to oversee utilization of aboriginal training funds. These boards were not compatible with existing First Nation educational, service and administrative organizations. After some five years of developmental activity and negotiation, policy barriers have been removed and the program transferred to First Nation control. This places more than $14.5 million in training funds under First Nations control. Work continues on addressing jurisdictional issues through the Framework Agreement Initiative process.

Procurement Policies

Election promises to utilize federal procurement programs to promote aboriginal business development have been monitored by AMC. AMC, technical and chiefs committees on economic development have facilitated information dissemination and coordination on this emerging and promising initiative.

Statistics Canada Census

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Statistics Canada negotiated an agreement to supervise the census in First Nations communities which successfully hired and trained approximately 200 First Nation employees. The agreement was also to ensure that each community had direct employment on each reserve with employment being supervised by 1996 Census Regional First Nation Manager, Prairie Region and the Provincial representative at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

The total estimated budget for Manitoba First Nations was approximately $750,000. This number encompassed training, administration, travel and salaries.

Housing is considered a treaty right by First Nation peoples throughout Canada and in Manitoba this is no exception. Since the well-being of First Nations is behind the treaties, the Federal Government has a trust responsibility to help provide adequate housing for First Nations people.

When the treaties were originally signed, the First Nations leadership demanded that, in exchange for the surrender of huge tracts of land, the Crown would provide for the signatories in times of hardship. In modern times, the severe housing shortage that has been allowed to develop is considered a hardship by the First Nations people. Furthermore, the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed that treaties must be broadly interpreted in liberal and modern terms.

Housing

Historically, housing on First Nation communities has lagged behind standards set for mainstream Canadians. This has always been an issue for Manitoba Chiefs. At one time it was easy for Canadians to ignore the poor housing on reserves because many of them are so isolated from public view. But in the last twenty years shocking pictures in television newscasts have revealed the squalid conditions many First Nations people have to live under. Conditions thought to be exclusive to Third World countries were discovered right in our own backyards.This is an embarrassment for Canada. And although some corrective measures have been taken through the years, according to the First Nations, it has always been a case of insufficient steps being taken to combat a constantly deteriorating situation.

According to figures provided by Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) for 1994/1995, there are 61 First Nation communities in Manitoba, with an on-reserve population of 59,000. On these communities there were 11,592 housing units, with 273 special purpose housing units such as nursing homes. Of the units, 2,420 needed major renovations, 3,472 needed minor renovations and 1,535 needed total replacement. 3,915 needed indoor plumbing, well over half didn't have waterworks and water was supplied by some other means besides piping.

What must be kept in mind is that these are relatively recent figures. Although well over half the housing units need renovations or total replacement, it is only after many years of struggle by First Nation leadership that even this amount of progress has been made. It is not surprising then that beginning in the late Fifties, early Sixties, (and continuing on to this day) First Nation peoples have made an exodus to urban centres to find a better life.

The situation with urban First Nations is a story in itself. What many found was poverty in a different location. And while some did find success - usually those who were able to get an education - far too many again had to live in poverty.

The most current figures put the First Nation off-reserve populations at 30,709. Because of Federal Indian Affairs policy to deal only with Indians on reserve, there was very little First Nation leadership could do for their urban people. Regardless of their good intentions, Manitoba Chiefs could merely strive to deal with the situation on reserves, while off-reserve members floundered in the urban areas.

To make matters worse, people who try to move back to their First Nation community found they had another dilemma. Housing in First Nation communities does not meet the needs of those who currently live there. It is not very difficult to figure out that if an urban First Nation person wanted to move back to their community, there would be no housing for them. Some people move back to their community and live with relatives, in hopes of getting a house if a new housing initiative is undertaken. This is impractical if there are two or more children involved. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear of two families of fifteen living in one house. Anywhere else this would be considered unacceptable. In First Nation communities it is a reality the leadership and their people try to deal with.

Added to the mix in recent years has been the Bill C-31' . Bill C-31 was an amendment to the Indian Act given assent June 28, 1985. It restored Treaty status to women who lost it by marrying a non-treaty First Nation man.

First Nation leadership never had a problem with the basic concept of doing away with the sexual discrimination in the Indian Act - it should be noted that First Nation men who married non-treaty women did not lose their status. What the leadership were leery of was the financial commitment behind these changes. First Nation leadership anticipated (and rightfully so) a huge influx of people flocking back to their home communities.

The Federal Government admits they underestimated the numbers of people who would make their way back to First Nation communities. Numbers they projected to be in the thousands very quickly turned into hundreds of thousands throughout Canada. The lack of financial commitment of the part of the Federal Government has let the problem fall squarely on the shoulders of First Nation leadership. It is the Chiefs who are forced to make many people wait for housing - sometimes for years- not because they don t want to help, but because they can barely meet the needs of the people already residing in the communities.

In dealing with figures that reveal the condition of housing on-reserve, it should be understood that these figures don t account for the occupancy numbers. As stated previously, many homes accommodate more than one family, resulting in an accelerated wear and tear of the home. The figures also don t account for the Bill C-31's and they don t account for the urban First Nation people who cannot move back to the reserve. What the figures also don t reveal is the frustration of Manitoba Chiefs who must face the brunt of criticism when First Nations people feel their needs are not being met.

Over the years, measures have been taken to house First Nation people living off-reserve. The Indian Off-reserve and Eskimo Housing Policy implemented in 1967 was one of these. The policy assisted First Nations people in purchasing homes. The First Nation member had to be employed full-time and be in the lower income bracket. Because of cut-backs, the policy was ended in 1985. Approximately 500 homes were purchased by First Nations in the policy's existence.

Other programs like the Urban Native Program made possible the formation of Native housing corporations that in turn provided First Nations with low rental housing in urban centres. These programs have also since fallen by the wayside because of budgetary considerations.

On July 25 of this year, the Federal Government announced details of a new approach to on-reserve housing for First Nations in Canada. The new approach is based on the First Nation Innovative Housing Demonstration Initiative launched in 1995. This program was developed within the parameters of tight fiscal constraints.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Committee on Housing harshly criticized the new federal policy. According to the Chiefs Committee on Housing, nothing in the new federal policy recognizes First Nation treaty rights, or recommendations and policy proposals put forth by First Nations.

In addition, the Committee also says control over guidelines, criteria, funding and approval for housing remains exclusively with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) This, AMC says, contradicts the recognition of the inherent right to self government and the Canada-AMC Framework Agreement Initiative on First Nations Jurisdiction.

The new policy also contains little new funds to address the enormous backlog of needed on-reserve housing or additional maintenance and insurance costs for existing and new units. First Nations are required to re-direct already inadequate funding from other programs and services and to seek generally unavailable funds from the private sector.