Cdn govt shafts Aboriginal deals: Straightgoods.com
 
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 20:05:11 -0600 (CST)

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from: http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=8
Deep-sixing the Kelowna Accord and UN Declaration

Measuring the federal government's commitment to Aboriginal rights.

Dateline: Tuesday, January 02, 2007

by Chuck Wright with Ed Bianchi, for Kairos Canada

The Kelowna Accord and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous 
Peoples are regarded as two important instruments to address human rights 
issues facing Aboriginal peoples in Canada. This briefing paper examines 
the current federal government's position on these two agreements as a way 
of measuring its commitment to Aboriginal peoples' rights.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been under 
development for more than 20 years, making it one of the most intensely 
debated and carefully scrutinized human rights instruments in UN history. 
Uniquely, the primary beneficiaries of the Declaration, Indigenous peoples 
themselves, have been an integral part of its development. Unfortunately, 
the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to 
oppose the Declaration at several key UN votes, which could prevent the UN 
General Assembly from ever adopting the Declaration.

The Conservative government has also demonstrated a lack of commitment to 
Indigenous peoples' rights in its decision to not honour the Kelowna 
Accord, a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from Aboriginal 
peoples and their supporters, as well as from federal and provincial 
politicians who were involved in its creation. Established in November 
2005, the Kelowna Accord was an agreement between Aboriginal peoples and 
federal, provincial and territorial First Ministers that set out benchmarks 
for addressing Aboriginal poverty and marginalization the areas of 
education, health, housing and economic opportunities. For example, 
government and Aboriginal leaders agreed to reduce the housing gap between 
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people through new housing initiatives, 
changes to current housing delivery and provisions for social and 
affordable housing....

more at: http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=8

Penney Kome, author and journalist
http://penneykome.ca
Editor, Straight Goods, http://straightgoods.com