Are native issues a victim
of constitutional fatigue?

IN EARLY September, native
bands across the country received
publicity packages frora Elections
Canada designed to increase low
voter turnout among Canada’s
aboriginal population.

Included as part of the pre-
election educational materials was
a series of posters designed to
look like bingo cards urging peo-
ple to turn out on election day,

**Some people found the posters
extremely offensive,;’? says John
Borrows, director of the First Na-
tions Law program at the Univer-
sity of British Columbia. ‘‘It
reinforced all kinds of negative
stereotypes.”

A number of band councils
protested; but it stil! took Elec-
tions Canada two weeks to recall
the posters, Borrows says.

What. a difference two years
Y, makes. -

: In-the fall of 1991, Assembly of
. First Nations chief Ovide Mercredi
‘joined other native leaders at a
first. minister’s conference in
Whistler-to proclaim a new era in
relations’ between Canada’s _in-
’ digenous peoples and the provin-
_ ial governments.

’. Their -appearances heralded a
“new commitment to. solving the

divisive ‘issue of land claims and

self-government, Mercredi said.

‘In’. October 1992, aboriginal

leaders ‘endorsed a .constitutional

agreement hammered out. between-
the . federal government and the
provincial leaders acknowledging
their inherent right to self-
government.
“And a= meeting with the
premiers last month reiterated that
-uncerstanding. despite the over-
_whelming defeat of the Char-
" Jottetown Accord.”
But the discussion of native
“issues in general and self-govern-
ment specifically are conspicuously
absent from this year’s federal
election campaign: — a .victim
some Say of constitutional fatigue.
“In my opinion, the leaders are
shy about raising constitutional
issues during’ this election cam-
-paign given what happened. in
Chazlottetown,’’ Borrows says.
‘*You have the Whistler situa-
tion, a renewal of this commit-
ment.last year and a restatement
of those principles last month, and
it has still not translated into any
discussion at the federal level.

Maybe they feel the public isn’t

sophisticated . enough to -under-

stand it.” ;

: What ‘little coverage there has
-been about native issues in the

past six weeks has centred on the

Lonsdale & 19th
Medical Clinic

Open 9am - 9pm
365 days a year

f 1940 Lonsdale Ave.
(just south of London Drugs)

No appointment necessary.

al

THE ISSUE

. The following is the cighth instal-

ment in an ongoing series of
stories addressing soime of the
many issues facing Canadians as
they consider who to vote for in
the upcoming federal election.
Today’s story and responses on
native issues in Canada were
written and compiled’ by News
contributing writer Paul Dillon.

tense situation in Cornwall, Ont.,
where well-armed bands of smug-
glers are battling each other for
the lucrative cross-border trade in
‘contraband cigarettes.

The concept of an ‘“‘inhereat
right’’ to native self-government is
suitably amorphous for there to be
a certain consensus among the
mainstream parties.

In a recent article in The First
Perspective, an aboriginal news
and current affairs newspaper

based in Winnipeg, both the Lib--
“eral and New Democratic Party

leaders again endorsed the idea.

Prime Minister Kim Campbell
danced around the issue, saying
the government is prepared to res-
pond to community-based _ self-
government initiatives, provided
they originate from the established
negotiating process,

Of the four major federal par-
ties, only the Reform party rejects
the inherent right to native self-
government.

{nstead, the party proposes
eliminating the Department of In-
dian Affairs. anc Northern Devel-
opment and transferring those
funds to national and regional
native organizations.

“I’s my impression that they
want to sit down and discuss
(native self-government), but they
want to be assured those govern-
ments are accountable to the peo-
ple,’’ Borrows says.

night, he savs, it will not be
decided by Canada’s aboriginal
peoples.

Bingo posters notwithstanding,
he does not expect to sec any
significant increase in the number
of native voters.

Self-government finds support

CAPILANO-HOWE SOUND
CANDIDATES: =

__William Cameron
Natural Law Party

An all-party NUP government
would ‘support decentralization
with a shift of power to all levels
of responsibie local government,
where problems in their infancy
can best be managed.

Doris Fuller
Naiional Party

’ The ‘National Party supports the

rights of the First Nations peoples
to self-government and jurisdic-
tion over their lands and
resqurces. To remedy prior in-

THE RESPONSE

We asked the federal candidates
on the North Shore about where
they stand on the issue of native
right to self-government. The
following are the respenses to the
question: Do you support the in-
herent native right to self govern-
ment’.

justice and ensure that First Na-
tions will have control over their
destinies, we support regional
self-government and treaty
negotiations.

Herb Grubel
Reform Party
See Candidates page 11

You'we heard the

desperaie
“here are

the. facts.

® The Reform Party is committed to preserving the
Canada Pension Plan and Veteran's Pensions,

® Reform will guarantee Old Age Security (OAS) for
families whose houschold income is below the national
average—currently $54,000 per year. Reductions are
proposed only fer households above this average.

® ‘The greatest threat to Canada's social programs is
our increasing national debt which takes 32 ceats from
every tax dollar. image what we can do if these doliars _

stay home!

Only the Reform Party is bonest enough to tell you
up front bow it plans to protect your future,

Choose a Party that’s honest with you.

Capilano-Howe Sound
Constituency Office

768 Marine Dr. West Vancouver _

W7T 146
Telephone 926-6659

REFORM,

PARTY OF CANADA

Authorized by Doug Henderson, Official Agent for Herb Gribel

Whatever happens on election

FREE COURTESY CARS

QUALITY WORKMANSHIP
PRECISION REPAIRS

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

FREE ESmnuaS mE 24 HR, FORMATION) ;

289-9000

HF 61 LONSDALE AVE.
NORTH VANCOUVER

Ted White
Candidate.

1336 Main St.
North Vancouver

Telephone:
980-5300

- APOLOGIES AND CHOICES.

With just a matter of days to go ©
before the vote, it is time to tidy upa
few louse ends.

APOLOGIES

S had a call from Graeme

Bowbrick about last week's column. He ,

pointed out that it could be interpreted
thar he made a statement which accual-
ly came from a different source. | have
no personal argument with Graeme and
have no hesitation in apologising for
my inadvertent poor choice of words.
A CORRECTION

Also in last week's column, the
line which read that hundreds of doc-
tors had opted out of BC medical ser-
vices plan should have read that a num:

' ber of doctors had apred ont.

CHOICES

This coming Monday each of us
will have the opportunity to make a
choice which could change politics in
Canada forever. One choice is for old-
line parties and a system whch ignores
our input between elections. The other
choice is for Reform and changes to the
political system which will give us
ongoing input into the way the govern-
ment operates.

Reform offers rule changes in the
House of Commons co make free votes
possible without the fall of che govern-
ment. Reform offers accountability by
equiring MPs to put representation of

the Constituency ahead of the wishes of
the party. Reform offers recall legisla

tion so tliat you can fire an MP- who
does not properly represent the
Constituency.

There is also a choice to he made ;
about preservation of our social pro- #
grams. We MUST address the deficit ¥
and debt immediately if we are to avoid
complete collapse of these programs.

Here is an interesting quote from
“The Taxpayer” of Fall ‘93: “The interest
on this year’s federal debt: would be’
enough to double all old age income
supplements, cut income tax by 20%,

_give free tuition to 100,000 university
students, provide $10,000 down pay-,

~ ments to 100,000 newly married cou-

ples, eliminate the GST, and build a
$500 million Sky- Dome in each’
Province.”

Just think, if our federal govern-
ments had lived within their means we
would not have the GST and “our
income taxes would be 20% lower than
they are today!! Reform is offering a
comprehensive plan in writing to get
conuol of government spending and
save our social projrams. Please call my
office for a copy and conipare it with
what the other parties are offering.

On election day choose substance,
accountability and common sense.
Choose Reform. :

Authorized by Vie Bennet, Official Agerit for Ted White