Premiers Meeting

The meeting of Provincial and Territorial Premiers and the leaders of Canada’s five National Aboriginal Organizations in Churchill this week was very comprehensive.

Mary Simon and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger at the August 4, 2010 pre-Conference of the Federation meeting held in Churchill, Manitoba

My discussions with the Premiers touched on many topics, with one of the positive outcomes being their collective agreement to ask the Prime Minister to convene a First Ministers’ Meeting on Aboriginal Education within a year.

Closing the education gap between Inuit and other Canadians will require a fundamental reshaping of our education system. However, as Inuit live in two provinces and two territories, provincial, territorial, and federal buy-in is vital for a successful outcome.

I also took the opportunity to restate the importance of renewing the Aboriginal Healing Foundation as an essential component of the Prime Ministers apology to residential school survivors. The foundation supported mental wellness programs across Canada. Unfortunately, its funding came to an end on March 31, 2010.
With only a couple of hours allocated for our discussions each year, it is difficult to have detailed discussions of such significant issues. Aboriginal leaders must be given a greater role in Premiers’ Council of the Federation discussions where Aboriginal issues are concerned and I have also called upon the Premiers to make this change.

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