Intergovernmental Forum Wraps Up in Whitehorse

Friday, 26 April 2019 16:12

(Left to right) Deputy Premier Ranj Pillai, Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O'Regan, and Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Peter Johnston

Council of Yukon First Nation Grand Chief Peter Johnston, Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O' Regan, and Yukon Deputy Premier Ranj Pillai provided updates today on the recent intergovernmental forum today in Whitehorse.

Council of Yukon First Nation Grand Chief Peter Johnston, Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O'Regan, and Yukon Deputy Premier Ranj Pillai provided updates on the recent intergovernmental forum today in Whitehorse.

While loan forgiveness, proper funding for Yukon First Nations and economic development were all topics of discussion at the briefing, Johnston says there's still progress to be made in advancing reconciliation.

"One again, we reiterated to the government that there's a lot of low-hanging fruit. That includes to just recognize our citizens like we do as one people and to not discriminate them as status vs. non-status. Right there, that would alleviate a lot of the funding shortfalls that we are facing."

Regen also highlighted in the briefing his top priorities when he gets back Ottawa, including keeping more Indigenous children with their families at an early stage of their life through enhancing regulatory processes.

"Bill C-92, which will be my top priority when I get back to Ottawa, is to basically take what's been developed here in the Yukon, and help other First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities across the country and see their rights and responsibilities when it comes to Child and Family Services. That means we're going to stop an end to the apprehension of children."

Pillai says the Yukon has already received some benefits with reconciliation and the established government-to-government relationship with one another.

"The economic success that the Yukon is having has been based in many ways upon our commitment to reconciliation. The foundation of reconciliation has led to very respectful relations government-to-government. In turn, that has turned the stability that is need for investors, not just in Canada, but international investors, to put their money into this territory."

Despite the recent removal of former Attorney General of Canada Jody-Wilson Raybould from office, Regan says his government is still one hundred percent focused on tackling Indigenous issues in Canada.

"She was an important voice around the cabinet table, but one of many. This is definitely a cabinet-driven government. Each and everyone of us is committed to reconciliation. It is all about the work.I realize in the past it's gotten a lot of media attention, but we have been lazor focused on the work."

CHON-FM will have detailed coverage of the next quarterly Yukon Forum as it happens.