Deborah Coyne responds to APC Leadership Questionnaire

February 4, 2013

The Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada was pleased to receive a response to our Leadership Questionnaire from Liberal Leadership candidate, Deborah Coyne.

View her responses below:

Q1: Have you had any personal involvement with Aboriginal issues, either through Aboriginal communities in your riding or otherwise?

I have often addressed Indigenous issues over the course of a lifetime of involvement in politics and policy. I worked closely with Indigenous peoples during the Meech Lake Accord, for example.  With chiefs and activists across the country, we challenged the exclusion of Aboriginal recognition in the Accord, alongside a host of other issues.”

Q2: Do you support the idea of the Government of Canada negotiating with First Nations on a nation-to-nation basis toward replacement of the Indian Act?

I am calling for an ambitious, results-oriented treaty-making process, which will replace the archaic Indian Act with comprehensive self-governance arrangements. Through negotiations, I want to help empower First Nations to assume responsibility for the long-term management of local economies, and the efficient delivery of services. I’ve written more in a policy essay, “A way forward for Indigenous Canadians” and a blog “We must stand against omnibus changes to indigenous rights”.”

Q3: Do you support the establishment of a royal commission to investigate the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women?

Yes, the treatment of Indigenous women in this country is an enduring source of shame, and it is time we face up to the problem.”

Q4: Statistics show that the number of people speaking Aboriginal languages as a first language is falling but the number of people speaking Aboriginal languages as a second language is increasing. Do you support federal funding of Aboriginal language programs and offering federal services in Aboriginal languages where numbers warrant?

Yes, language is an essential component of identity, and the loss of Indigenous languages is a loss experienced by all Canadians.”

Q5: Would you support lifting the cap on education funding increases so that Aboriginal students have access to the same quality of education as other students?

Yes, on-reserve schools need to be properly and equitably resourced. But that is only the first step. We should look carefully at the February 2012 report of the panel on K-12 on-reserve education, a joint initiative of the AFN and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It sets out some ideas on how to professionalize school management, primarily by introducing democratically-accountable local school boards.”

Q6: Would you support efforts to address the funding disparity between First Nations children in welfare care and those non-Aboriginal children in provincial care?

Yes, the constitutionally-unique position of Indigenous people cannot be an excuse for any kind of inequity in the provision of childcare services.”

Q7: Would you support re-introduction of the Kelowna Accord?

The Kelowna Accord was an important accomplishment of which we as Liberals should feel rightly proud. But I also believe that we cannot rest on our laurels. The principled commitments of the Kelowna Accord should be honoured, but my government will adopt a more holistic approach – one that addresses governance and land alongside the provision of social services.”

Q8: Do you believe it would be appropriate for the Liberal Party of Canada to formally apologize to Aboriginal peoples for introduction in 1969 of a White Paper whose intent was assimilation of Aboriginal peoples?

The White Paper was a grievous error in moral and practical judgment, but the policy was formally retracted in 1971 and at that time the federal government acknowledged its mistake. I believe there are more important and immediate challenges for us to meet.”

Q9: Would you support efforts to increase understanding within Aboriginal communities of the issues of Two-Spirited peoples?

Yes, our goal should be to make all of Canada a safe and tolerant space for sexual diversity.”

Q10: Do you agree that the Government of Canada has a duty to consult with Aboriginal peoples regarding natural resource development on Aboriginal territory and that such development should only proceed with the substantial consent of the affected Aboriginal peoples?

Our courts have made it exceptionally clear that a legal duty to consult with Indigenous people exists before development can occur on Aboriginal territory.  There is also a moral duty to consult. But ultimately, consultation is too limited of an idea.  We need to push beyond that, and place Indigenous people at the very centre of development decision-making on their land.”

Q11: Do you agree that the Government of Canada is legally bound to comply with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?

Yes, as a signatory – albeit a very late signatory, thanks to the Harper Conservatives – we must honour the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

Q12: Would you support efforts to establish a consultative process between the Government of Canada and Aboriginal communities to deal with the crisis of lack of clean drinking water in Aboriginal communities across the country?

Yes, the very fact that clean water is of grave concern in Indigenous communities is absurd, considering that Canada has one of the highest standards of living on the planet. This needs to be addressed immediately, in consultation with First Nations.”

Q13: Recognizing that some of the largest Aboriginal communities now are in urban centres, would you support efforts to promote Aboriginal culture within the larger community and increase opportunities for urban Aboriginal people to stay connected with their Aboriginal heritage?

The federal government must take the lead in improving all aspects of life for urban Aboriginal people, but it cannot accomplish this alone. My Council of Canadian Governments is designed to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation on complex issues like this one. As chair, I will pursue the creation of a set of ambitious development goals for urban Aboriginal peoples, which all Canadian governments will commit to achieving.”

Q14: How would you work to ensure greater participation among Aboriginal people in the Canadian political process?

I believe that more Indigenous people will become involved in the political process when they see that the Canadian government is delivering results in their communities. I hope that my solemn promise to end the Indian Act will win the support and participation of Indigenous peoples.”

Q15: How do you envision the path forward between the Crown and Indigenous Nations with respect to Aboriginal title and inherent Treaty rights?

Aboriginal title and treaty rights can never truly coexist with the Indian Act regime. Both will be finally realized when we move away from the Indian Act, and towards new, comprehensive governance arrangements.”

Q16: Canada is home to the suicide capital of the world: the community of Pikangikum. In Canada, suicide rates among Inuit youth are 11 times the national average. For First Nations youth, they are five to seven times higher than non-First Nations. Would you support an Aboriginal suicide prevention strategy?

Yes. A suicide prevention strategy will have to involve both culturally-appropriate programming, and a commitment to mobilize the human resources required to help remote communities like Pikangikum.”

Q17: The Government of Canada provides a Non-Insured Health Benefits program for certain Aboriginal groups. Considering the dramatically lower general health outcomes for Aboriginal Canadians, would you support an expansion of the program?

The program should apply to all medically necessary services, but that alone is not sufficient to address lower general health outcomes of Indigenous communities. We need to get serious about community-based team primary care, preventative care, a Canadian Medical Officer of Health with the authority to coordinate national health crises.”

Q18: Recent statistics have shown that a young indigenous person in Canada is more likely to go to prison than to graduate from high school. With the recent introduction of Bill C-10 the statistics will only get worse for Aboriginal incarceration. Would you support repeal of C-10 and the appointment of a “Deputy Commissioner for Aboriginal Corrections” to the Correctional Service Canada Executive Committee?

Yes, every shred of evidence suggests that the Conservative approach to crime prevention is wrong. Indigenous people are also often particularly vulnerable to the failings of the criminal justice system that Stephen Harper is building.  My approach is evidence-based, which is why I want to create an independent Criminal Justice Council to advise the government on all proposed changes to the Criminal Code. The Council will include representation from Indigenous communities so that the impact of new legislation on Indigenous people will be fully understood and considered.”

Q19: Aboriginal people in Canada – especially those living in the North – face serious problems of food insecurity due to climate change and the of the high cost of food. Would you support development of a culturally sensitive food security program for Aboriginal people of Canada?

Yes, food security is a leading public health issue in Aboriginal communities – a widely-acknowledged fact that the current federal government has gone to remarkable lengths to deny. In the North, we should expect climate change to exacerbate these problems. This must be addressed, but in a way that accounts for the harvesting and sharing practices that distinguish Indigenous communities from non-Native communities.”

Q20: The Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada has expressed concern that the funding provided will not be sufficient for the completion of its mandate. Would you support an increase in funding for and an expansion of the TRC mandate to include day schools?

The Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission must be given the time and resources to complete its mandate. However, this must be accomplished within a reasonable timeframe, in recognition that after a decades-long wait, survivors deserve to witness the commission deliver its conclusions.”

Q21: Are you committed to having at least 10 Aboriginal candidates in the next federal election?

My policy is that the leader should never appoint local candidates, to fulfill quotas or otherwise. However, I will make an enthusiastic recruiting push in Indigenous communities. My Liberal Party will be the party with the plan and dedication required to finally rid this country of the Indian Act.  I believe that this will help make Indigenous representation in the party stronger than ever before.”

Note 1: Additional posts from the leadership candidates will be posted upon receipt;
Note2: This post does not constitute an endorsement of the candidate by the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission