With a record seven aboriginal MPs elected to Parliament, the head of Canada's largest aboriginal organization says he's confident the government will respond to the needs of his people.
When the House of Commons resumes, the next Parliament will have the highest number of aboriginal MPs in Canada's history.
"(There) are major issues and challenges that I think have plagued this country for a long time. I believe that the prime minister recognizes that," Shawn Atleo, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told CTV's Power Play Monday. "We're in a new situation with this government now (because Harper) has a four year mandate and a majority, and the prime minister has indicated a willingness and interest to work on issues like education."
Atleo is pushing for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who said in writing last December that he would meet with First Nations leaders.
"I'm very hopeful that over the next weeks or months we sit down with the government and set out a plan for the next four years that can be really transformational -- for the first time in Canada's history -- when it comes to First Nations issues," he said.
In particular, Atleo said education is a priority issue, pointing out a 49 per cent high school graduation rate for First Nations children.
"We have deep inequities in the area of education and it's time we invested in their potential," he said.
He also mentioned clean drinking water.
"There's about 75,000 First Nations on any given day who are very exposed and vulnerable to not having access to clean drinking water," Atleo said.
While aboriginal issues didn't receive much national attention on the campaign trail, Atleo saw some positives to draw from the election.
He called First Nations' engagement in the election "unprecedented," saying social media played a role in getting more people interested and involved.
