Editorial - Fontaine's legacy of goodwill
Winnipeg Free Press
Mon Jul 20 2009
Page: A10
PHIL Fontaine is a man who thrives on the political game.
Having stepped away from the top native leadership
role -- the election for a new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations
takes place in Calgary Wednesday -- after three terms, he wants people
to believe he is carving a career now in the private sector, shifting
his personal priorities to get reacquainted with his kids and grandchildren.
Canadians can thank Mr. Fontaine for a job well
done -- so far. They should not be fooled into thinking they have
seen the last of this passionate champion of native rights and priorities.
Mr. Fontaine has accomplished a lot in his 38 years
of working to improve the living standards and to assert the legal
rights of First Nations, first as a young chief of his home reserve at Sagkeeng,
then for three terms as grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
and then on the national level, with the First Nations assembly.
Most Canadians can identify some of those achievements,
foremost among them Prime Minister Stephen Harper's
unconditional apology a year ago for the federal residential school policy,
which aimed to assimilate native people.
A less forthright "expression of sorrow" from Pope Benedict XVI
in Rome this spring came during a meeting the Pope requested
with Canada's native leaders.
Those historic landmarks were important to resolving
long-standing grievances. In more practical terms, however, Mr. Fontaine's
work to put the poverty, economic development, health care and
education of native people on Canada's political priority list
has had discernible impact, despite the failure of the Kelowna Accord,
a bid by the AFN to write a plan for closing the shameful gap in standards
of living enjoyed by Canadians compared to those of aboriginal people.
Today, all serious political leaders in Canada embrace the necessity of
improving employment and social conditions for all native people.
Those priorities have been central for every native leader of
note in the last quarter of a century. The difference is that
Mr. Fontaine, a quiet, compromising politician and a wily negotiator,
has used the political process shrewdly to force the federal
government to the table. Other AFN leaders, such as Manitoba's Ovide Mercredi
and Quebec's Matthew Coon Come took a confrontational approach
on Parliament Hill, saw doors close there and the sympathies
of ordinary Canadians weaken.
Mr. Fontaine's cosy relationship with Liberals -- he is rumoured
to be contemplating running for the party in the next federal election -- has
not tainted his ability to work with the Harper administration. Aside
from the historic apology, Mr. Harper has made the speedier resolution
of specific Indian land claims, another lead item on the AFN's to-do list,
a top priority.
Too many items remain undone, however. To a degree, that reflects the
complexity of the issues that dog First Nations in Canada. Under
Mr. Fontaine's leadership AFN and reserves across the country have made
only limited headway in the need to improve accountability in band
governance, for example. As well, the federal government continues
to get away with short-changing social programs, such as schools and
child welfare, on reserves. Health care, particularly in remote
and isolated communities, is substandard and the health status of
many native people is grim.
That is the task before the next leader of the assembly. The next chief ought,
however, to take a page out of the book written by Phil Fontaine.
He leaves a lot of goodwill between mainstream politicians and the AFN,
something the new leader can capitalize on or waste if the tone turns hostile again.
Mr. Fontaine's prominence and record will serve him well as a
"consultant" in the private sector. His desire to spend more time with family
is honourable. The priorities of his country, however, may see him drawn
again to the political sphere, and that is something Canadians should welcome.
(c) 2009 The Winnipeg Free Press. All rights reserved
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