THUNDER BAY – June 15, 2002 – Ontario’s First Nations today announced their commitment to oppose the Federal Government’s First Nations Governance Act, introduced yesterday in the House of Commons by Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault.

“This legislation is wrong in substance and wrong in the way it was developed,” said Vice-Chief Fox, Ontario representative on the Assembly of First Nations. “It maintains the federal government’s dominance over First Nations and violates our Inherent and Treaty Rights and our sovereignty. We’ve been predicting that this is what the government would do for over a year and now it’s done it,” continued Chief Fox.

The Act lays down specific rules about selecting leaders, the size and composition of Councils, appeal mechanisms and terms of office. It lays down conflict-of-interest guidelines for Band Council members and rules about spending, loans, remuneration and debt management. It also gives the Minister of Indian Affairs discretionary power to intervene in First Nations affairs in a variety of financial circumstances.

Fox maintained that most First Nations handle their affairs very effectively. “Most of us do a good job managing our finances and we’re answerable to our own communities already,” he said. “This legislation interferes with our internal affairs and is unacceptable.”

“By both law and convention, the relationship between First Nations and Canada is a ‘Nation-to-Nation’ one,” Fox explained. “How can one nation say to another ‘we won’t deal with you unless you change your internal rules’? he asked.

One of the key components of the Act referenced by Minister Nault in correspondence was the inclusion of a non-derogation clause – thereby underlining that the Act has no impact on First Nations’ Sovereignty and Inherent and Treaty Rights. First Nations have reviewed Bill C-61 and the non-derogation clause is not contained. This is just one of the many objectionable components in the Act.

“This legislation, imposed on us from the outside has no standing with First Nations. The government of Canada must be prepared to change a great deal of it before it has any hope of being recognized by us,” Fox said.

The Vice Chief challenged the implication in the statement by the Minister that, in consulting with 200 Chiefs, Nault’s department had their consent. “There are 633 First Nations across the country,” he explained. “I have not heard that any First Nation is in agreement.”