Don Descoteau and Sarah Simpson

Black Press

NDP candidate Alistair MacGregor is not shy about saying any work his party does with regard to First Nations issues has roots in current NDP MP Jean CrowderB次元官网网址檚 office.

Crowder is the NDPB次元官网网址檚 aboriginal affairs critic.

B次元官网网址淚t was through a lot of her work over the last few years that we really developed our policy platform on this,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪he travelled from coast to coast to coast and really listened to a lot of people. The hard work she did is really reflected in this policy.B次元官网网址�

MacGregor said the NDP want to establish a new era of relations with First Nations.

B次元官网网址淭hat comes with starting at the top where weB次元官网网址檝e used the term B次元官网网址楴ation to NationB次元官网网址� to describe our approach,B次元官网网址� he said, explaining that should Tom Mulcair be elected as CanadaB次元官网网址檚 next leader, the party would form a cabinet committee with him as the chair.

B次元官网网址淭hat upper level committee is going to examine all the interactions that the federal government has with First Nations and make sure we are respecting aboriginal rights and titles so that weB次元官网网址檙e forging a new way forward right from the top,B次元官网网址� MacGregor said.

He also noted that within 100 days of being in office, the NDP would call a national enquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women.

The NDP would also implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

The drying up of the Cowichan River in the summer is an important issue to solve, but in concert with other pressing issues in Cowichan and beyond, he explained.

B次元官网网址淭he riverB次元官网网址檚 got such cultural significance for Cowichan Tribes. ThatB次元官网网址檚 part of a larger plan where we want to improve essential infrastructure on reserves across Canada B次元官网网址� housing, roads, drinking water facilities B次元官网网址� those all need a lot of work. We have so many First Nations people that are living in conditions worse than a third-world country right now and I think itB次元官网网址檚 pretty shameful.B次元官网网址�

Improvements to aboriginal education are also a priority, as is not leaving the Truth and Reconciliation CommissionB次元官网网址檚 work to gather dust on a shelf.

B次元官网网址淲e do want to implement those findings, in consultation, just to make sure weB次元官网网址檙e doing it appropriately,B次元官网网址� he said.

Liberal candidate Luke Krayenhoff said the TRC was "very powerful" and a good way to help deal with the emotional wounds of the past.

At the same time, he is very conscious of the fact that the Commission made a number of recommendations for current and future governments to consider, as a way of moving forward and determining how not to repeat past wrongs.

B次元官网网址淚 completely support that process and I'm really glad it took place,B次元官网网址� he said.

It is crucial, he added, that the next federal government start to implement those recommendations as a show of good faith in the process and the Canadians it represented.

One of the Liberal Party's commitments to First Nations, he said, is to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, with special emphasis on women and children's rights. The policy resolution that includes this commitment also vows to implement provisions in the 2005 Kelowna Accord, which sought to improve education, employment and living conditions for Canada's aboriginal people; and recommendations from the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

Noting that the Douglas Treaties are in place on the South Island and that other treaties remain outstanding, Krayenhoff pointed to agreements with the Nisga'a and the Tsawwassen nations as good models with which to move forward on other unsettled land claims.

B次元官网网址淚t has been shown around the world that if you want to bring economic prosperity to an area, you've got to have certainty around land title,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that doing so allows First Nations to create businesses, improve housing and education and further develop community.

As for the proposed Steelhead LNG project on Malahat Nation lands in Mill Bay, Krayenhoff said if it meets the three-pronged criteria, which is: First Nations approval, passing the environmental review process and getting community licence or social buy-in from the greater community, then there's no reason the Malahat people should be prevented from pursuing that form of economic development.

KrayenhoffB次元官网网址檚 LNG view is a stark contrast to that of Green Party candidate Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, who has been vocal in her opposition.

Hunt-Jinnouchi, who has been both a successful businessperson and elected chief of the Quatsino First Nation, admits there are many challenges around economic opportunities for aboriginal peoples in Canada.

B次元官网网址淏ut I'd say a common denominator, whether we're talking about B.C. or Manitoba, is aboriginal rights and title,B次元官网网址� she said.

An example of the Green Party's commitment to First Nations, she said, is that both the federal and provincial branches of the party sent letters to the provincial and federal governments and the RCMP, supporting the Unist'ot'en people B次元官网网址� who oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline B次元官网网址� in their right to require consent for the use of their lands.

B次元官网网址淚t was telling that no other party has supported them, and this is a longtime public standoff,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hat I find is we make our commitments explicit and we actually walk the talk. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what makes me very proud to be standing with the Green Party.B次元官网网址�

As for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its 94 recommendations, she said, B次元官网网址淎s much as that report brings that dark history out of the shadows, it also brings us an impetus to come out of the shadows like never before.B次元官网网址�

Aboriginal people in Canada have long been living under colonial and paternalistic policies of governments, she said, but she was struck by the public reaction to the TRC and its findings.

B次元官网网址淭he response of Canadians across the country B次元官网网址� and people seem ready to say 'letB次元官网网址檚 deal with this' B次元官网网址� I havenB次元官网网址檛 seen that in my generation,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 see that as such an opportunity, and I think the Green Party is the right party to move that forward. We make very straightforward statements and commitments, not motherhood statements.B次元官网网址�

Conservative candidate Martin Barker said the current government has taken a number of steps to help First Nations people and improve their lives already.

B次元官网网址淲e have included aboriginal people within the same protections under the Canadian Human Rights Act. It was also Prime Minister Stephen Harper who made a public apology for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 residential school system, the only prime minister to have done so,B次元官网网址� Barker said. B次元官网网址淭his included a four-year Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a one-year extension. There was also a $2.2 billion reparation fund.B次元官网网址�

He said the Conservatives have focused on improving opportunities for self-governance, by creating the First Nation Funding Authority. It provides low-cost borrowing for infrastructure needs, which generates economic opportunities locally, he said. B次元官网网址淚t was through this program that the Malahat band was able to use to purchase the Bamberton property.B次元官网网址�

As well, he said the Conservative government has been consulting with First Nations to responsibly develop resources. "The energy and mining sector are by far the largest employers of aboriginal people across Canada, providing economic development opportunities for a number of communities,B次元官网网址� Barker added.

He further touts that since 2006, six modern treaties have been signed.

Health is an important component of supporting those living on First Nations reserves, Barker said.

B次元官网网址淭hat is why our government invested over $2.5 billion on First Nations health, and $330 million invested in accessible clean water on reserves,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥verall the latest budget showed an increase in First Nation investment of 33 per cent. This includes annual funding to build 400 homes and renovate 1,000 homes on reserve.B次元官网网址�

And thereB次元官网网址檚 more where that came from.

B次元官网网址淭he Conservative Party is taking concrete action to help improve the lives of aboriginal people across Canada, and if re-elected we will continue this record,B次元官网网址� he said.

Candidate Alastair Haythornthwaite and the Marxist-Leninist Party consider CanadaB次元官网网址檚 First Nations as independent and sovereign.

B次元官网网址淲e will establish relations on a new basis of respect and equality, as Nation to Nation relations,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n all matters, agreement must be beneficial to both sides. No stronger party should coerce another into one position or another, but rather, any agreement will be based on a dialogue between equals.B次元官网网址�

He said the history of colonialism in Canada, with the attendant marginalization of First Nations and their people, is a blot on our history and energetic measures must be taken to move past that shameful legacy and into a new era of respect and equality.

B次元官网网址淐anada needs a modern constitution, free from the entrenched privileges of wealth and race,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淐ommunities will play a central role in the creation of that constitution and the First Nations will be part of that process.B次元官网网址�

As a first measure, the Marxist-Leninist party calls for an immediate inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women.

B次元官网网址淭he protection of our most vulnerable populations is the first priority of any democratic government,B次元官网网址� he said.