From Oka to Okanagan: former Prime Minister Paul Martin, the 13 provincial and territorial premiers, and Native leaders gathered in British Columbia's beautiful Okanagan Valley, hoping to come up with a plan to end the terrible living conditions among Canada's First Nations People.(FIRST NATIONS--KELOWNA SUMMIT)

Publication: Canada and the World Backgrounder

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The goal of the meeting was ambitious: make a 10-year commitment to raising the standard of living of Aboriginal Canadians so that it would be equal to all other Canadians.

The catalog of issues needing attention is large: health, education, economic development, relationships between government and Aboriginals, and housing. Despite this comprehensive agenda there was a bit of grumbling from a number of Native leaders. They wanted to get some action on treaty rights and self-government. These are the people who signed treaties with Ottawa between 1871 and 1921. Under these agreements, the federal government gained large tracts of land in the Prairies, the North, and northwestern Ontario.

For more than three decades negotiations on these and other treaties have been underway. Topics such as self-government and Aboriginal rights are very complex. For some Native leaders they are the most important issues that need to be dealt with.

Bill Evans spoke for Manitoba's Native leaders. He said all band chiefs are confronted with poverty, poor quality water, unemployment, and sub-standard housing problems. These have to be dealt with, he agreed, but not at the expense of treaty rights. He didn't think exchanging some of those rights for money to solve social problems was a good trade.

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador believed it had sniffed out a conspiracy. It refused to attend the meeting saying the federal government is trying to offload its responsibility for Aboriginals onto the provinces. About 200 other bands boycotted the event.

However, the absences and the small peeves didn't upset the general mood of goodwill in Kelowna. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine set the tone. In his opening remarks he said: "My message to Canada and all of you gathered here today is straightforward.

"Poverty among First Nations can be eliminated. Eliminating it requires respect, dignity, and the willingness to empower First Nations people.

"This goal is achievable in the near--not the distant--future.

"It is my firm belief ... that collectively we can succeed in realizing this absolutely necessary goal. It is long overdue.

"And, when we do eliminate First Nations poverty in Canada, Canada as a whole will benefit as much as First Nation peoples and communities.

"I also firmly believe that Canadians want this as much as First Nations people do."

After two days of talks, Mr. Fontaine was jubilant. He called the meeting a breakthrough for his people. "All of the targets we've set are achievable," he said. "We're driving this process and we're forcing government to respond to our plan." Speaking for Canada's quarter of a million Metis, Clement Chartier echoed Chief Fontaine's words. He said the conference was a turning point for the Metis.

What fills these and many other Aboriginal leaders with hope is the First Nations Implementation Plan, which was agreed to at the close of the Kelowna gathering. In broad terms this is a $5 billion program to "close the gap between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians in education, health, housing, and economic opportunities." That's what the Prime Minister's Office said of the deal. The plan includes:

* $1.8 billion for education, to create school systems, train more Aboriginal teachers, and identify children with special needs;

* $1.6 billion for housing, including $400 million to address the need for clean water in many remote communities;

* $1.3 billion for health services; and,

* $200 million for economic development.

Let's look at some of these proposals in more depth.

EDUCATION

As is the case everywhere, the best route to getting out of poverty is education. Without education people are trapped in dead-end, low-paying jobs or no job at all. The opposite is almost always true; the...

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