HALIFAX - Native leaders condemned the federal government's assertion Thursday that the defunct Kelowna accord was nothing more than an "expensive press release," saying the comments do nothing to improve already strained relations with Ottawa.
Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of First Nations said the remarks by a parliamentary secretary for the minister of Indian and Northern Affairs reflect the Conservatives disregard for a document he says could have improved the lives of natives across the country.
"It's wrong to suggest to Canadians that the Kelowna accord is just an expensive press release," Fontaine, national chief of the assembly, said on the last day of the organization's annual meeting in Halifax.
"It's simply wrong. It's irresponsible (and) too dismissive. We deserve better from the government."
Fontaine was responding to a comment by parliamentary secretary Rod Bruinooge who, when asked by reporters why the government shelved the accord, said the arrangement was a mere public relations exercise by the Liberals before the last federal election. "The previous government made an election promise at the last hour," Bruinooge said. "This was later dubbed the Kelowna accord. ... There was no agreement. It was a press release."
The comments echo those made by Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice who recently referred to the accord as a "very expensive press release."
A dismayed Fontaine rebuffed the claims, saying the creation of the accord involved 1,000 people, 18 months of work and the agreement of the provinces, territories and aboriginal leaders.
"Once again the government has dismissed this important arrangement," he said. "The accord represents an opportunity to finally turn the corner to make things right."
Rick Simon, an Atlantic regional chief with the assembly, said the reference could further damage aboriginal relations with Ottawa as they try to move ahead with a backlog of stalled land claims and overall improvements to living conditions on reserves.
"For him to say there's nothing there, I think it's terrible," he said as the meeting wrapped up.
The wide-ranging Kelowna accord, signed with the former Liberal government of Paul Martin in November 2005, would have seen $5 billion go toward native education, employment and anti-poverty initiatives.
The Conservatives had said they were committed to meeting the accord's goals, but did not support a private member's bill backed by the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois, and NDP that passed in March. As a result, the government wasn't obliged to support the accord financially.
The Tories say they are taking a more "targeted approach" to dealing with specific land claims, concluding the residential schools settlement agreement and extending human rights protection to natives living on reserves.
Some native leaders wondered why Prentice didn't attend the annual meeting to explain the government's position.
Bruinooge said the minister was in Belgium attending ceremonies marking the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, where his great-uncle fought in the First World War.
Prentice's office sent a release stating he is also there to honour Cpl. Francis Pegahmagabow, Canada's most decorated aboriginal soldier who served at Passchendaele.
"We think we were snubbed by him not making the time to come here," Simon said. "It just shows where the priority is, and we're not."
Both Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and NDP Leader Jack Layton addressed the conference Thursday and decried the Tories failure to revive the Kelowna accord.
"I saw the work we did to come to this accord," Dion told hundreds of natives at the meeting. "It did not come overnight - it took a lot of work - but it seems that overnight the current government decided to get rid of this accord, and I share your disappointment."
The assembly passed more than 30 resolutions over the course of the meeting, many dealing with ways to improve conditions on reserves that have become so bad in some cases that international aid agencies have had to provide help.
