Martin Liberals produce hints of hope for the North

The new Paul Martin government will develop an economic strategy for the North, pay more attention to aboriginal social issues, and give a full GST rebate to municipal governments, Monday’s throne speech promised.

But the Liberal government’s policy blueprint for the next few months contains little detail about how Martin’s reconfigured cabinet plans to address aboriginal social conditions – which they now describe as “shameful.”

“While some progress has been made, the conditions in far too many aboriginal communities can only be described as shameful. This offends our values,” Governor General Adrienne Clarkson said in delivering the speech.

Shortly after he became prime minister, Martin set up a special cabinet committee on aboriginal affairs, which he chairs. He also created an aboriginal affairs secretariat in the Privy Council Office to better co-ordinate aboriginal policy across the government.

The rest of the throne speech promises re-hashed versions of old aboriginal programs.

For example, the government said it will “renew” its longstanding training and employment agreements between HRDC and aboriginal organizations.

In the Arctic, that agreement is co-ordinated by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and flows though ITK to regional Inuit economic development organizations such as Kakivak Association in the Baffin region.

The throne speech also contains a reference to Ottawa’s longstanding “Brighter Futures” program, which provides money that’s supposed to be used to better the health and well-being of infants and small children.

“Our goal is to see aboriginal children get a better start in life as a foundation for greater progress in acquiring the education and workforce skills needed to succeed,” the speech said.

The speech did, however, promise the creation of a northern economic development strategy, based on mining and the energy sector.

“It [the federal government] will develop a northern strategy, ensuring that economic development related to energy and mining is brought on stream in partnership with Northern Canadians, based on stewardship of our most fragile northern ecosystems,” the speech said.

But it’s too soon to say if this strategy might include a long-sought-after economic development agreement for Nunavut, and an agreement to devolve responsibility for non-renewable resource development from Ottawa to Nunavut.

Jose Kusugak, the president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, welcomed this commitment in a press release this week.

“This offers tremendous potential for our land claim organizations to develop investment opportunities,” Kusugak said.

He also welcomed the government’s frank description of aboriginal social conditions in Canada.

“At the outset, the government finally admits publicly its treatment of aboriginal peoples in Canada (and Inuit are included) has been shameful,” Kusugak said.

But he also warned that this isn’t the first time that Ottawa has made big promises to aboriginal people.

“We have heard optimistic forecasts in throne speeches and budgets in the past and still, our condition, to use the government’s own term, is shameful,” Kusugak said.

On Tuesday, after Martin spoke in the House of Commons, Kusugak issued a harsher response, saying that the prime minister’s promises contain “more hype than hope.”

As for Nunavut’s municipal governments, they will likely benefit from tax break that Martin is offering to all municipalities. From now on, municipal governments in Canada will be exempt from the Goods and Services Tax, or GST.

Over the long-term, the government will work out a deal with municipalities to give them a share of the national gasoline tax.

Right now, however, it’s not clear how much extra money this would create for Nunavut’s small communities.

Throne speeches, which are delivered in the Senate chamber by the Governor General before the start of each session of the House of Commons, are supposed to describe the government’s upcoming agenda.