The following statement was issued today by Premier Danny Williams. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise today to inform my colleagues of the outcome of the First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal Peoples that was held in Kelowna, British Columbia last week. I was accompanied by my Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Tom Rideout.

We were pleased to be joined by Aboriginal leaders from this province including William Andersen III, Ben Michel, Anastasia Qupee, Mary Ann Nui and Chief Mi'sel Joe, among others.

These meetings represented an historic occasion, as provincial and territorial leaders gathered with the Prime Minister and leaders of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis people of Canada.

Working together with our counterparts throughout the country, we accomplished great things for the Aboriginal people of Canada including a firm and unequivocal commitment from everyone involved to work collectively to improve the lives of Aboriginal people.

They key outcome of the meeting was a commitment of funding from the federal government of $5.1 billion over a five-year period.

This funding represents a clear recognition that the serious gaps that continue to exist between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Canada are no longer acceptable.

Included in the funding is: $1.8 billion for education; $1.315 billion for health care; $1.6 billion for housing and infrastructure; $200 million for economic opportunities; and $170 million for relationships and accountability.

In addition to the funding, there was also a clear acknowledgement that monitoring of progress and accountability must occur on a go forward basis.

I am very proud to say that outcomes were achieved by consensus between the premiers, the Prime Minister and Aboriginal leaders. Despite competing needs around that table, at the end of the day there were no dissenting voices.

Rather, there was an overwhelming desire by all to work together to address the critical issues facing Aboriginal people. In fact, the comment was made several times that never had such cooperation occurred at the First Ministers� table.

I want to say how impressed I was with the presentations of the Aboriginal leaders, both leading up to and during the meeting.

My ministers and I met with Aboriginal leaders from our province a few weeks ago, including a special meeting with representatives from Aboriginal woman�s groups.

They clearly and passionately articulated for us the challenges they face daily. And they also expressed their hope for the future and the opportunities that exist in their communities.

In particular, issues facing Aboriginal women were brought to the forefront at these meetings and progress made in assisting Aboriginal women face the challenges the deal with every day of their lives.

I also took the opportunity to make representation to the federal government for funding on two fronts for the Aboriginal people of this province.

First of all, I requested assistance in establishing a centre of excellence in Labrador for ethical and professional research on the root causes and best approaches to dealing with social challenges like addictions, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, violence and suicide.

Secondly, I requested federal assistance to establish a long-term therapeutic foster home in Labrador for at risk children, whereby young people who need help can be referred for assessment, counseling, substance abuse treatment or long-term care. This would allow Labrador youth to get help in an environment closer to their own cultural background.

I am hopeful that we will have a positive response from the federal government on these two requests.

The challenge is now ours to ensure that the FMM is not just another meeting with billions of dollars in drive-by funding. We must all work together to ensure that this money is used to improve the lives of all Aboriginal people in this country, especially for the children and youth.

The needs are great, however, the FMM demonstrated this country�s willingness to allocate resources where they are needed, and I am confident that over the course of time we will build upon the successes of last week.

On Thursday, the Nunatsiavut Government will officially be formed, and I look forward to that ceremony which is another step on the journey to a brighter future for Aboriginal people in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada.


2005 11 28                                   1:45 p.m.