Canada and Self-Governing Indigenous Governments Co-Develop New Self-Government Fiscal Policy
News release
August 27, 2019 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Ensuring that self-governing Indigenous governments have stable, predictable and sufficient funding to exercise their inherent right to self-determination, will improve social and economic outcomes and ensure they can chart their own path to a brighter future for their communities based on the spirit and intent of their treaties with Canada.
Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, met with leaders of self-governing Indigenous governments as she announced a new fiscal policy that will better support self-government arrangements. This policy delivers on Canada's commitment to a new fiscal relationship with self-governing Indigenous governments.
Co-developed through collaboration between Canada and self-governing Indigenous governments, the new fiscal policy will provide self-governing Indigenous governments with the fiscal resources they need to realize the full potential of their self-government agreements and begin to close the social well-being gaps between Indigenous people and other Canadians.
Through Budget 2019, the Government of Canada made a commitment to support the new costing approaches of the new policy. Through this collaborative work, Canada's fiscal policies can evolve more quickly to meet the changing circumstances and needs of self-governing Indigenous governments.
Quotes
"Reconciliation and a true nation-to-nation relationship requires Indigenous governments have the tools and resources they need to govern themselves and implement their vision for their communities." The Collaborative Fiscal Policy framework is an example of what we can accomplish when we work together in true partnership with Indigenous people. Canada is truly grateful for the hard work and successful collaboration that has resulted in this new co-developed fiscal policy which articulates the responsibility of Canada to the self-governing Indigenous groups."
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
"Huu-ay-aht is proud to have worked with Canada and its fellow Indigenous governments on an updated fiscal policy. We have engaged in meaningful work, necessary to guide the fiscal relationship between self-governing Indigenous governments and the Federal Crown from this point onwards. This process and the policy itself demonstrate the commitment of the government to active and continued reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Huu-ay-aht looks forward to walking the path of reconciliation and the strengthening of Confederation by further implementing this policy to its fullest."
John Jack
Elected councillor of Huu-ay-aht First Nations and
Director and Chair for Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
"We are on the verge of changing the world. Our world. And making a huge step forward in Reconciliation in this country. We have decolonized ourselves and built a new nation-to-nation relationship with Provinces and Territories. We have done all that despite having inadequate funding from the beginning. By working together in collaboration we have built solutions together. This means we can improve the lives of our people and it also means we are serious about breathing life into our Agreements."
Grand Chief George Mackenzie
Tłı̨chǫ Government
"The Nisga'a Nation congratulates the Minister on working with the Nisga'a Nation and others to collaboratively develop a new policy for its fiscal relationship with self-governing Indigenous governments. The collaboratively developed policy is a significant step forward in improving the fiscal relationship among the treaty partners. We particularly welcome the new approach to governance funding, which better reflects the role, responsibilities and jurisdictions of Indigenous governments. The new policy is a good example of what can be accomplished when Canada works with its treaty partners to collaboratively develop policies that affect them and the lives of their people "
Secretary-Treasurer Corinne McKay
Nisg̱a'a Lisims Government
Quick facts
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Canada and self-governing Indigenous governments began working collaboratively on the development of a new self-government fiscal policy in May 2016.
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In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada committed to supporting the new policy's co-developed funding approaches and models, including for governance, community infrastructure and land and resource management. Joint work on other aspects of funding is ongoing.
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Under the new policy, new fiscal transfer agreements to support existing self-government agreements have been reached with 18self-governing Indigenous governments. Canada will continue to negotiate with the other self-governing Indigenous governments to seek renewed fiscal transfer agreements.
Associated links
Contacts
For more information, media may contact:
Matthew Dillon-Leitch
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
819-997-0002
Media Relations
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
819-934-2302
RCAANC.media.CIRNAC@canada.ca
Alison Butler
NVision Insight Group Inc.
abutler@Nvisiongroup.ca
(604) 505-5428
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