Fontaine worried by Tory aboriginal agenda
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 | 2:32 PM ET
CBC News
Although negotiated with the Liberal government, the deals are not partisan arrangements. "This is about Canada honouring its commitments," he said.
"I'm not here to speak against the Conservative party. I'm here to speak for these unprecedented agreements."
The agreements are a $5 billion deal to provide support for education, housing, health and infrastructure, dubbed the Kelowna accord after the B.C. city where it was announced, and compensation for the 15,000 aboriginals who attended residential schools.
- FROM NOV. 25, 2005: Ottawa pledges $5 billion to aboriginals
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Conservatives have suggested changing the deals, but that will create real problems, Fontaine said.
The residential school settlement is a legal deal, and "even the slightest of changes will undo the agreement," forcing survivors to resume class-action lawsuits and leaving them without justice, he said.
The Kelowna deal took 18 months to negotiate and was endorsed by the provincial premiers, the federal government and native leaders. It will be difficult to get all the parties to agree to changes.
The Conservative website says the party supports all of the objectives, targets and principles as laid out in the $5 billion deal, and will work "to develop a responsible fiscal plan to meet these objectives."
However, Fontaine said the Tories have made conflicting statements about the Kelowna deal.
Moreover, the Conservatives "say they have a better deal for us. If that is true, we have no involvement in it," and imposed solutions will fail, he said.
Some Métic reject endorsing Liberals
While Fontaine said he was not taking a partisan position, the Métis National Council and the Manitoba Métis Association have come out in favour of the Liberals.
That has angered some Manitoba Métis, who resent being told how to vote.
"I feel they're asking me to do something that I don't want to do, because I had no intention of voting Liberal in the first place," said Cliff Lamirande, a Manitoba Métis, who cast a ballot in the advance polls that ended Monday.
Richard De La Ronde, a member on the federation's board, also disagrees with the association's position.
