Cuthand: First Nations need to carve out role with new government

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This week’s first ministers conference in Saskatoon set the Canadian economic agenda for the next decade. The clarion call now is economic development and massive change in trading partners and allies.

To establish this, the transportation corridors and trade routes will change from the United States to international markets, particularly Europe and Asia. Trade with the United States will continue at a reduced amount but the future course is diversification to reduce the dependency on one nation.

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First Nations have a chance to see real change because much of the new developments will take place on our traditional land. The challenge is to make it work.

The provincial governments must recognize that we hold the key to Canada’s future, including the workforce, the community infrastructure and the ownership of the land. We cannot be shoved aside.

Our leaders must widen their world view and negotiate serious relationships with the corporations and the federal and provincial governments.

In the past, we have been offered jobs and a chance at some contracts. These old days are over. Our leaders must negotiate for equity in the resource projects, resource revenue sharing, along with jobs and increased education funding to train our people. We must put forward a serious set of items that will serve our people long into the future. Job creation is important but wealth creation for the entire community will make a significant difference.

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Prime Minister Carney calls it nation building. We need to call our end of it “First Nations building.”

The old strategy of simply saying no to resource projects won’t work anymore. Opposition is easy. Saying no brings an end to the negotiations. All too often, we have been left behind. Negotiating a wide-ranging agreement that will serve future generations will be hard work, but the landscape has shifted and we need to be proactive.

Consultations must not only concentrate on rights but also the pros and cons of resource development. The government reps must come to the table with an understanding of treaty and Aboriginal rights. In the past, too many government negotiators didn’t understand or respect our rights and the talks were doomed to fail.

I fear that if passed, Bill 5 by the Ontario Legislature may poison the well. First Nations and environmental groups oppose this bill to fast track the approval process for new resource projects and disrespect the First Nations treaties, in particular Treaty 9 which includes the proposed Ring of Fire project as well as the Ontario portion of the Hudson’s Bay watershed.

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Historically, we have faced crises and change before. One of the greatest changes that our people encountered was when the treaties were signed.

During the Treaty 6 negotiations, Chief Poundmaker spoke to the assembled chiefs, elders and headmen. He said, “We all know the story about the man who sat by the trail too long, and then it grew over, and he could never find his way again. We can never forget what has happened, but we cannot go back. Nor can we just sit beside the trail.”

The country is in a crisis and Canada’s role as a branch plant economy to the Americans is over. New trading partners must be found and new alliances forged. We can no longer count on the Americans. Trump has proven again and again that his signature is worth nothing.

When our ancestors negotiated the treaties, it was told to us that our lifestyle wouldn’t change and we would share the land with the newcomers. Over the years, we were restricted to reserve land, our resources were transferred to the provinces and our rights to hunt, fish and gather were reduced by settler governments.

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Our role as treaty partners was ignored, and the provincial governments claimed everything. Now we are in a crisis and the only way forward is to recognize our treaty and Aboriginal rights and fairly include us.

They say that a time of crisis is also a time of opportunity. We must take a proactive stance and not fight a rearguard battle.

Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.

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