Native Leaders Espouse Virtues Of Partnerships

Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 13:00

 

 

Partnerships, investment and the future of Aboriginal business are again being discussed at a national symposium in Saskatoon today.

 

Much of the discussion yesterday focused on how Native communities can wean themselves off social assistance and into profitable partnerships.

 

Figures presented at the conference yesterday revealed the federal government only spent about 4 per cent of its $8.2-billion Aboriginal transfer budget on economic development in 2004-2005.

 

The chief of the Assembly of First Nations is championing the idea that private enterprise is the key to helping end poverty on reserves.

 

Phil Fontaine says Ottawa and the Canadian business community will spend close to $200 billion on economic development over the next decade.

 

He notes much of it will be on traditional Aboriginal land.

 

Fontaine says many corporations are starting to realize that the cost of poverty in the young Aborginal workforce is simply too high to ignore.

 

Meantime, the chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says he doesn’t see why the private partnership formula can’t work for everyone in the province.

 

Lawrence Joseph says more and more economic opportunities are emerging for bands in all regions, even fly-in communities.

 

Joseph adds partnerships will work as long as they’re based on mutual respect.