Mr. Speaker, public commissions can build nations and create legacies or gather dust and achieve nothing. “A commission is only as good as the government it's advising”, the first nations voice of experience said yesterday.
The 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was supposed to be about gathering strength. Instead it has been gathering dust. Of 400 recommendations, only four have been fully implemented. Meanwhile aboriginal families lives are ravaged by poor health from birth to premature death.
AFN national chief reminded us yesterday that aboriginal Canadians have been waiting for years to move their third world health to 21st century Canada.
Our commitment to improve health for all Canadians will be measured in the improved health of our aboriginal peoples.
The Prime Minister is committed to working in full partnership with the provinces and territories to implement Romanow. This ignores the critical health commission recommendation that aboriginal health will only be improved by working in full partnership with first nations. This needs to start with first nations inclusion in the upcoming first ministers talks.