Joyce Murray responds to APC Leadership Questionnaire

February 12, 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, and Member of Parliament, Joyce Murray.

View her responses below:

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

Yes, extensive experience. I was a founding partner of a reforestation and sustainable forest management business which has worked with First Nations communities for two decades and currently the company partners with six First Nations in northwestern BC helping create resource-based business success and profitability for their communities. As BC Environment Minister I expanded the province’s program of First Nations co-management of BC Parks. As a member of BC’s Cabinet Committee on First Nations relationships 2001 – 2004 I worked to shift the government’s relationship to one of respect, government to government consultations, and increased access to resource rights and revenues. My experience working with Aboriginal peoples has shown me that developing economic self-reliance within their traditional territories is extremely important for the health of indigenous communities. When companies and governments respect indigenous peoples’ decision making processes, listen to them, and treat Aboriginal peoples and groups as true partners, doors open to very exciting possibilities.”

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?

Yes. The current Act is an impediment to my vision of a truly Sustainable Society, as it locks in unsustainable inequities for indigenous individuals and communities – economically, socially, environmentally and democratically. It is a top priority that Canada achieve a twenty-first century framework that supports the transition away from this patriarchal and outdated Indian Act and toward a governance model consistent with a vision of equal opportunity and outcomes for indigenous peoples and non-indigenous peoples alike. This transition will require patience, thorough consultation, and walking the road together with other levels of government, indigenous peoples, and Canadian society as a whole.”

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

Yes. I am proud to have been the first leadership candidate to have called for a National Inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, on 17 December 2012. NWAC estimates that nearly 600 Aboriginal women and girls have been murdered or gone missing since 1970. The Canadian government must take responsibility for discovering the root causes of this tragedy, bringing justice to the women and their families, and putting in place measures to stop the violence and exploitation of aboriginal women.”

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?

I support federal partnership in projects that Aboriginal people have determined are effective and their priority for accomplishing key objectives. When funding limits are reached, choices must be made with input from the communities affected. That said, across the country, including in BC, there are some truly exciting examples of Aboriginal peoples reclaiming their language heritage stolen from them by the Residential Schools. The revival of the Mohawk language in the schools and communities in and around Kahnawake is one example. Musicians such as Wab Kinew and the general flourishing of Anishnaabemowin in Manitoba and Northern Ontario also show the exciting resurgence of Aboriginal languages.”

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?

Children on reserves have the right to similar per-capita funding levels for education as do children off-reserve. I would ensure that the current gap is closed, and work to achieve equal success and graduation rates for all children, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike. That will require building on the many successful initiatives and educational models already in place across the country, and ensuring no community is left behind.”

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, funding disparities are not acceptable. In addition my focus will be on prevention: supporting communities’ economic self-reliance is a key objective as chronic high unemployment undermines the health of communities. Like the Residential Schools, the legacy of the Sixties Scoop reminds us that a “New Relationship” must be based on respecting and empowering the communities themselves.”

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

Yes, I would support an updated and renewed Kelowna Accord – like process to work collaboratively with the provinces and indigenous communities to find and fund solutions to urgent quality-of-life disparities facing the communities in areas such as safe drinking water, housing, education and health.”

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?

I will need to consult more widely before answering yes or no. Apologizing for past mistakes is important, but more important still, is undertaking to lead real change. When Stephen Harper became Prime Minister, he apologized on behalf of Canadians, for the Residential Schools. He then proceeded to attack Aboriginal rights at every turn, ignoring calls for consultation and most recently, gutting environmental and fishery protections. As Prime Minister, my priority would be creating a new relationship with Aboriginal peoples based on principle and process, and working together to develop the tools needed to succeed economically, politically, socially and culturally.”

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

Yes I support efforts to increase understanding and respect of individual differences and of human rights, within all communities.”

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?

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the government must meaningfully consult and accommodate Aboriginal peoples before any decision is made which might impact them. As a member of the BC government from 2001 to 2005 I joined my fellow cabinet ministers in improving our government’s consultation and accommodation process whether it concerned hunting and trapping, fishing, parks management or resource development permits and revenues. The Harper Government has undermined this positive direction. Under my leadership, the Federal government would work with the provinces to find ways of transferring resource rights to aboriginal communities, similar to the BC “tenure take-back” project in which 20% of the tenure of the major forest rights holders was taken back… and half of that volume was distributed to indigenous communities in whose traditional lands the forest resource is located. Some of Canada’s greatest natural wealth sits on and under lands that were part of indigenous peoples’ traditional territory, and they must share in the opportunities these resources provide.”

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

The UNDRIP forms part of the customary international law and should be recognized as a guiding document when creating law and policy in Canada. Although some parts of the declaration require further study by experts, many sections contain important promises and statements which will go a long way to protecting the rights of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”

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. I will consult with indigenous organizations and communities to determine how best to address this issue, and make access to clean running water in every home my objective.”

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?

Yes, there is a role for the federal government to partner in support of efforts Aboriginal people are making to stay connected with their heritage. However I see the value of the creativity and initiative stemming from the grassroots, and federal programming should not replace that. Provincial/indigenous partnerships have also created some very effective projects in urban centres and schools, for example Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements in British Columbia.”

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

Making politics relevant to any given group is key to building greater participation by that group. Through Idle No More, more Aboriginal people than ever are engaged with the political process and I am an outspoken supporter of the Idle No More movement. I would hope to harness that commitment to consultation, to the environment, to the power of women in defending the well-being of their community, to get Aboriginal people – young and old – involved with making change. Having worked closely with First Nations prior to becoming an MP and while serving as BC Environment Minister, I understand the importance of engaging with Aboriginal peoples on their own terms.”

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

The way we have been doing things is not working. I envision creating a collaborative mechanism through which Canada will work with Aboriginal peoples and the broader society to create a vision for a New Era of respect, equality, justice and opportunity for indigenous peoples – as part of my vision of a truly Sustainable Society in Canada, a society we are proud that our children and their children will inherit from us. Just as the Liberal Party tackled the great inequalities of past decades with solutions such as publicly-funded health care, pensions, and a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so must we tackle and resolve the continuing great inequality of opportunity for indigenous peoples in Canadian society. I will not guess or pre-judge what form that New Era relationship will take, but it will necessarily include a renewal of our mutual rights and obligations related to title and treaty.”

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?

I support development of a national suicide prevention strategy, which would of course include indigenous peoples. The high rate of suicide in some Aboriginal communities can only be brought down by addressing the causes of suicide. In my experience, communities that get access to the means to develop their own economic self-reliance flourish in terms of their increased employment, motivation to complete an education, improved social well-being …and suicide rates plunge. Access to affordable high speed internet is a key infrastructure project that can help. It provides tools to improve remote community economic options, distance education, health diagnosis and care, as well as recording and preserving language and culture. As Minister of Management Services in BC 2004-05 I led “Bridging the Digital Divide”, a project to deliver affordable high speed internet to all communities in BC. 96% are now served, and the majority of the new connections were for First Nations communities. I would work to extend this program nation-wide.”

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?

My focus is on preventing the social and economic challenges underlying lower health outcomes of certain Aboriginal groups. An inclusive and collaborative review of existing approaches and programs will be needed to determine which programs are getting the best results in order to decide funding allocations based on evidence. The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program may prove to be a candidate for expansion.”

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?

Bill C-10 might be “tough on crime” but it certainly is not “smart on crime”. When it was in Parliament, I organized a variety of consultations and town halls in my riding to mobilize public concern, and I voted against it. I will repeal the sections that were introduced for ideological and not real public safety purposes, especially those that further disadvantage vulnerable populations such as aboriginal youth.”

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?

Access to affordable and culturally appropriate food is an issue which must be discussed in the context of all of the other pressing issues facing Aboriginal peoples. My priority for the North will be to ensure that resource development does not become an industrial “resource grab” but is carefully planned and monitored, ensuring indigenous peoples are respected partners in the opportunities and benefits, and that environmental sustainability is a fundamental objective.”

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 TRC and Justice Sinclair must be permitted to complete its current mandate, and provided with adequate resources to do that.”

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

The Liberal Party has a history of having excellent Aboriginal MPs, such as Leonard Marchand and Tina Keeper. I will work to attract qualified Aboriginal candidates for nomination across Canada by working with the APC and others to engage with indigenous communities on on issues close to their hearts, and by demonstrating by my actions that the Liberal Party represents their values. The ultimate choice of who will be a candidate should be left to the democratic processes of Liberal members in the ridings and, as Leader, I have committed not to appoint candidates.”

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