Canada should spend less fighting Aboriginal Peoples in court: economic adviser

The Liberal government budget, which contained $8.4billion over five years to address First Nations issues, should not
be viewed as a "first step" in reshaping the relationship withindigenous peoples, says the only aboriginal member of FinanceMinister Bill Morneau's economic advisory council.

Carol Anne Hilton, an entrepreneur recently tapped to offer thegovernment advice, said each federal budget offers a chance to buildrecognition and understanding of First Nations priorities.

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"Every single budget is an opportunity for Canadians tounderstand the relationship with First Nations people, not based
solely on need but on recognition," she said.

The country has a backlog of obligations to deal with dire needsin areas like education, health and water in First Nation
communities, Hilton added.

Morneau's maiden financial blueprint was met with some criticismlast week, notably from First Nations child welfare advocate CindyBlackstock.

As president of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society,Blackstock and the Assembly of First Nations spent nearly a decadefighting the federal government over chronic underfunding of childwelfare services on reserve.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal eventually ruled against thefederal government, saying it had shortchanged native child welfare.

An investment of about $200 million is required this year aloneto close the gap, Blackstock said.

"We sometimes don't acknowledge that these poor little kids arestill being treated that they are worth less," she said. "I don'tthink that's OK ... I can't be grateful for a child receiving lessbecause of their race under any circumstance."

Canada would be well advised from a budgetary perspective tospend less money fighting Aboriginal Peoples and spend more meetingits own obligations and commitments, Hilton said.

"The tribunal has named a human rights issue where Canada hascontinually underfunded First Nation children," she said. "Itwill be seen very clearly in the next budget if Canada intends toapproach the issue as a response to the tribunal's findings."

The federal government decided not to appeal the January tribunaljudgment.The ruling found First Nations are adversely impacted by theservices provided by the government and, in some cases, deniedservices as a result of the government's involvement.

In a post-budget interview with The Canadian Press, IndigenousAffairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the federal government isdetermined to overhaul the First Nations child-welfare system,saying $635 million committed to child and family services over thenext five years is significant.

"We are very interested in working together to have lesschildren in foster care, get children back to their communities aswe've heard time and time again in the pre-inquiry hearings onmissing and murdered indigenous women and girls," Bennett said.

The tribunal could end up ordering the government to provideadditional funding, Blackstock said, adding it is not the federalgovernment's role to reform the system.

"I think that's the role that's best left to First Nationsexperts and child welfare experts and something we have been workingactively on for the last two decades," she said.

"What we need from the federal government is for them to ensuretheir funding regimes are non-discriminatory and provide theflexibility in order to achieve those outcomes."