Thank you very much.
Thank you to all the committee members for inviting the Assembly of First Nations to present today on behalf of the national chief, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, and the entire executive. Again, we are very honoured to be here and to have the opportunity to share some perspectives.
As you know, hopefully, the Assembly of First Nations is the national and political representative of first nations governments and citizens across the country. Our role is not to act as a government; we're clearly not a government. We're an advocacy body on behalf of first nations and are directed by them as to what areas they want us to be responsible for. We try to harmonize and coordinate as best as we can. There is a wide range of diversity across the country, as I'm sure you can appreciate.
This conversation on Canada's 150th anniversary comes at an important time, I think, with respect to our position, the first nations position in Canada. It has been around seven generations since Confederation started, and in many aboriginal cultures, including mine--I'm from Curve Lake First Nation--seven generations is an important cultural touchstone. We try to think seven generations into the future in all the decisions we make and in regard to what impact we'll have on those generations, and we try to guide our planning and priorities appropriately.
So it has been seven generations since Confederation began and, as you know, our collective joint histories have taken many turns throughout this history. Really, it started off as an economic relationship. By no means were there embassies of peace and friendship sent across the ocean: they were looking for trade missions and wealth to bring back. Our first relationship was very much an economic one.
Quickly, as our history unfolded, it turned into a military relationship, where there was some antagonism and some support. Without the first nations in the War of 1812, we probably would be American right now. We probably would not be Canadian, in all honesty. So I think there's an important joint history there that we've shared in developing this country together.
Then we have this idea of treaties, of treaty building and nation building across the country. Some would argue that it was to open up more economic development and westward expansion, and some would argue that it was a broader vision. I think that's a part of our reflection upon 150 years of Canada as a country.
Then we move to darker times of assimilation, where first nations were no longer needed economically. They were no longer needed militarily. They were no longer needed as joint partners in Confederation; now they were challenge and a burden to the rest of the country. The famous Duncan Campbell Scott killed “the Indian in the child”. Residential schools, the banning of ceremonies of potlatch, and determining who was an Indian through federal legislation, which still exists today, are all part of the first 150 years.
It really seems that why it's important that this conversation is happening today is that we're starting to have a bit of a switch into maybe more of a recovery aspect. We had an historic apology in the House of Commons on the residential school issue. Canada has recently endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which sets out a pretty broad framework with respect to how to partner with first nations, with indigenous peoples around the world and, in particular, the first nations here in Canada.
This conversation today also comes on the heels of The National's lead story last night about Attawapiskat and the horrific infrastructure that exists there today. This committee is not struck to get to the bottom of Attawapiskat or any of those infrastructure issues on first nations, but you need to reflect that it's a part of the legacy of 150 years of partnership in Canada. If we do nothing else here today, it would be wonderful to be able to set in force some kind of movement so that 150 years from now, at some committee celebrating the 300th anniversary of Canada, we're not reflecting upon shameful conditions in first nations communities across the country.
To contextualize this existing relationship, it is all based, in our view, on treaties. They really were, in our view, the fundamental principles of a nation-to-nation relationship between original peoples in this country and the crown. The early treaty-making of course is characterized by shared and clear objectives around coordination and today I think we should try to find mechanisms that actively reflect that nature and spirit of cooperation and working together.
We've talked a little about our long history of interference in this trust with each other, and how I think this comes at an important time, because we may be turning the corner on that. There are unique opportunities for this committee and the Department of Canadian Heritage, frankly, in the short term, and to maybe set a tone in the long term for how we work together.
We've always had an ambitious agenda for change, particularly always in self-determination and wanting to govern our own communities and affairs, but our self-determination is firmly grounded in language, culture, and traditional decision-making processes, all of which are mandates of Canadian Heritage outside of this particular study you're doing today.
There are things we can do in a more immediate sense. We can support first nation languages. You know, we spend more in Canada supporting primarily European art forms of ballet, dance, and things of that nature than we do on supporting and maintaining the first languages of this continent, which are going to be lost forever if they disappear. That's something important to reflect upon on Canada's 150th birthday, and something this department can do.
We can look at developing curricula for all schools that provide full and clear histories of first nations with respect to treaties and those relationships that we have.
We can have sustained support for first nation artists and the kind of work they do to help tell those stories, to help believe in the revival in communities and really to help be that first wave of change.
You can support full recognition and commemoration of first nations in this country in Canada's 150th anniversary. One of our leading elders all across the nation, Elder William Commanda from Kitigan Zibi, passed away recently. He had a real vision for Victoria Island being a gathering place in the nation's capital, an important touchstone, ceremonially and also in the commemoration aspect, which is something that this committee could get behind as well.
We could create a hall of leaders to recognize the contribution of first nation leaders across this country.
There could be an indigenous peoples library, both real and virtual, to catalogue and consolidate historical contributions that indigenous peoples have made to this country moving forward.
So Canada at 150 is an opportunity to share and fully support first nation peoples and an understanding of their histories and supports of this country. I think that through supporting those histories, perspectives, and aspirations we can support the way forward to ensure that the next seven generations have a much better path than the previous generations.
Thank you very much