TORONTO - The federal, provincial and territorial governments agreed Thursday to work closely with aboriginal organizations to help improve the quality of life for Canada's First Nations, but there's still no agreement from Ottawa for a first ministers meeting on aboriginal issues.
A daylong gathering of aboriginal affairs ministers and the Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Native Women's Association and the Metis National Council was the first such meeting in four years.
"Each and every one of us recognizes there are huge socio-economic gaps between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in this country," said Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid, who chaired the meeting.
"We've agreed to work together to prepare and present recommendations on two key priorities, education and economic development to the premiers in August 2010."
Duguid said he was "inspired" by the level of co-operation at the talks and the determination to eliminate gaps between non-aboriginals and Canada's First Nations.
"If we are to come out of this recession at our best, our First Nation, Metis, Inuit, Aboriginal Peoples across the country must also be at their best," he said.
The First Nations' organizations at the talks welcomed the promises of more co-operation from governments to improve the lot of aboriginal Canadians, and said even the swine flu outbreak has proven how well that co-operation can work.
"I believe today was a very effective engagement that occurred, talking about things that people care and are concerned about like H1N1, recognizing that we have levels of co-operation on that issue that are unprecedented," said AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo.
"Let's not lose the opportunity to build on that sentiment."
The ministers and First Nations' leaders also talked about the need to work together to address the plight of 500 missing aboriginal women across Canada and to end violence against aboriginal women.
"We finished the day by focusing a strong emphasis on the issue of murder and missing women across this country," said Atleo.
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said the issue of violence against aboriginal women must be dealt with.
"The underlying issue of our place within our communities is going to be determined by how much effort we put into eliminating that violence against aboriginal women," said Lavell.
"Once that's done, I'm sure our women will be able to take their rightful place within our communities, within the workforce and within Canada as a whole."
The aboriginal leaders, the provinces and territories agreed to work towards a first ministers meeting in 2010 on aboriginal issues, but there was still no commitment from Ottawa, noted Duguid.
"The federal government obviously has responsibility for making that decision, and certainly we'll be doing all that we can to encourage that to happen," he said.
Federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said it would be up to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to agree to the request for a full first ministers summit on aboriginal issues next year.
"The ministers made it clear they want a first ministers meeting, I understand that, but . . . that will be a call of the prime minister and that's above my pay scale," Strahl said after the meeting.
