October 11, 2007 - “I want to congratulate Premier McGuinty on his re-election and I look forward to continuing the important work and discussions that we have been engaged in” said Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, in response to the Liberal Party election victory in the October 10 provincial election.

The Liberal Party of Ontario, led by Premier Dalton McGuinty, retained power with a decisive election victory winning 71 seats with 42% of the vote. The Progressive Conservative Party secured 26 seats, and the New Democratic Party won 10 seats.
“I also want to recognize and congratulate all party leaders for their hard work during the campaign process and for providing voters in Ontario with the opportunity to make a choice in leadership” stated Chief Toulouse.

Regional Chief Toulouse pointed out that the re-election of the McGuinty government provides an opportunity for First Nations and Ontario to continue building upon the working relationship that has been developed over the previous four years. “There is a lot of work to do in follow up to the important recommendations outlined in the Final Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry. This work must be done jointly and in a collaborative manner and I am encouraged by the fact that the Premier, and the Government, has committed to address this in partnership with First Nations” said the Regional Chief.

Regional Chief Toulouse indicated that the Premier has conveyed his commitment to improving and strengthening Ontario’s relationship with the First Nations that reside within the province. “A fundamental aspect of improving this relationship includes the full recognition and implementation of our Treaties. It also means ensuring that First Nations have the opportunity to fairly share in the wealth created from the development of resources within First Nations traditional territories” said Chief Toulouse. The McGuinty government announced in the October 2005 Speech from the Throne that they would embark on “a new approach to Aboriginal peoples to share fairly in the benefits of natural resource development”.

Additionally, First Nations are optimistic that a deal can be reached on a gaming revenue sharing agreement, which will enable First Nations to build capacity, and address infrastructure and economic needs within their communities in a more comprehensive manner.

“Premier McGuinty has won the right and privilege to govern Ontario for an additional four years and First Nations are confident that together we can achieve progress on the priorities we have identified as well as addressing the many challenges that we face” stated the Regional Chief. The Regional Chief expressed his belief that improving the educational, social and economic outcomes for First Nations will also benefit Ontario, and all Ontarians. As Premier McGuinty said in his acceptance speech last night “when one of us moves forward, we all succeed.”