Government must act for First Nations now: Turmel

Conservatives must meet commitments made at summit and act now for Aboriginal families

OTTAWA – Today, one week after the First Nations Summit in Ottawa, NDP Leader Nycole Turmel met with National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn Atleo, to discuss the immense challenges faced by First Nations.

Following the meeting, Turmel urged the Conservative government to keep their word and take immediate concrete action to help First Nations.

“The government must take immediate measures to improve the situation. If the prime minister visited the reserves, he would see the poverty that exists as well as the deteriorating living conditions and see that his track record is appalling,” said Turmel.

The NDP Leader and National Chief Atleo agreed that the first step to rebuilding trust between First Nations and the government was to establish a government to government relationship.

“It’s only then that we’ll see real progress. By working together we’ll succeed in resolving the situation. The government says it wants to renew its relationship with First Nations, but its solution is to form a working group. First Nations want action now,” said Turmel.

The Indian Act also remains an obstacle to the improvement of Aboriginals’ living conditions. A new fiscal relationship must also be established.

“The government must put an end to the status quo. If it wants to show it has the development of First Nations communities at heart and wants to change things, it must act now,” concluded Turmel.