Premiers Meet With Top Aboriginal Officials

Premiers Meet With Top Aboriginal Officials

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 at 13:12

Canada’s Aboriginal leaders are meeting with premiers in Regina today.

It’s part of the Council of the Federation, in which the premiers from across the country meet with one another to discuss issues that affect their citizens.

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Lawrence Joseph will be attending as an observer.

Joseph says premiers need to do something about the poverty facing First Nations, including the “third world conditions” on some reserves, and the holdbacks or caps on education and health funding.

Joseph says the premiers need to acknowledge there is a big gap between the living conditions of non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people, and respond to Aboriginal leaders’ advice on how to shrink that gap.

“If the council is really going to be a factor in developing First Nations, they will hear and should hear and act on the solutions provided by our national chief,” Joseph says.