As the Canadian Indigenous Peoples Reconciliation Committee continues to debate the issue of the missing indigenous women, many riveting debates have occured. Blocs are forming quickly, with delegates taking opposing sides on the best way to solve this issue.
Discussing the methods of increasing accessibility to resources for indigenous women, many delegates have supported the increase of facilities. However, it’s essential to consider the issue of access in rural areas, as the President of the Congress of Indigenous Peoples discussed. Furthermore, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communication pointed out that there’s the issue of whether anybody would come. As there is a lack of trust currently, it is important to recognize all signs of this issue.
Other ideas being discussed include the promotion of indigenous peoples in the RCMP, as well as a rather innovative plan that deals with the indigenous peoples working together with government funding to create the facilities they feel are necessary for their success. The Times of India managed to get an inside look on what this idea entails when speaking with the Chief and Elder of the Neskantaga First Nation, who are the leaders of this bloc. They spoke on the importance of self-government for the indigenous people, and propose doing this by using the government money provided. Additionally, they urge the committee to remember that there is not an unlimited amount of money available, and it must be used wisely.
Although that position is strongly supported by the members of that bloc, it is not so loved by the rest of the committee. In order to gain insight into other blocs’ standpoints, the Times of India spoke with the Minister of Health and Regional Officer of New Brunswick and PEI, as they attempted to merge their stances together. On the Minister of Health’s side, the main focus is finding a systematic way to solve the issue. The Minister wants to focus of “having [the] government allocate resources to different organizations that are already in place”, and prioritizing the most pressing issues first. Likewise, the Regional Officer of New Brunswick and PEI wants to collect all programs together that are already in existence. Clearly, the two blocs share many ideas, and hopefully will merge together in the future.
All in all, the IPRC has made considerable progress in their debate, and seem to be working towards a multi-faceted, effective solution.
Discussing the methods of increasing accessibility to resources for indigenous women, many delegates have supported the increase of facilities. However, it’s essential to consider the issue of access in rural areas, as the President of the Congress of Indigenous Peoples discussed. Furthermore, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communication pointed out that there’s the issue of whether anybody would come. As there is a lack of trust currently, it is important to recognize all signs of this issue.
Other ideas being discussed include the promotion of indigenous peoples in the RCMP, as well as a rather innovative plan that deals with the indigenous peoples working together with government funding to create the facilities they feel are necessary for their success. The Times of India managed to get an inside look on what this idea entails when speaking with the Chief and Elder of the Neskantaga First Nation, who are the leaders of this bloc. They spoke on the importance of self-government for the indigenous people, and propose doing this by using the government money provided. Additionally, they urge the committee to remember that there is not an unlimited amount of money available, and it must be used wisely.
Although that position is strongly supported by the members of that bloc, it is not so loved by the rest of the committee. In order to gain insight into other blocs’ standpoints, the Times of India spoke with the Minister of Health and Regional Officer of New Brunswick and PEI, as they attempted to merge their stances together. On the Minister of Health’s side, the main focus is finding a systematic way to solve the issue. The Minister wants to focus of “having [the] government allocate resources to different organizations that are already in place”, and prioritizing the most pressing issues first. Likewise, the Regional Officer of New Brunswick and PEI wants to collect all programs together that are already in existence. Clearly, the two blocs share many ideas, and hopefully will merge together in the future.
All in all, the IPRC has made considerable progress in their debate, and seem to be working towards a multi-faceted, effective solution.