NIPISSING FIRST NATION – Liberal Candidate Anthony Rota met with staff and students at Nbisiing Education Centre on Thursday to discuss the Liberal Party platform on Aboriginal and First Nation Issues.
“The Liberals are committed to working in partnership with the First Peoples of Canada,” says Mr. Rota. “This partnership will be forged on a strong foundation of respect, and recognition of aboriginal governments.”
Mr. Rota cites the historic First Ministers’ Meeting on Aboriginal Issues that was held last November in Kelowna, B.C., as an example of how the Liberals have helped establish a new government-to-government relationship, and tangible partnerships between aboriginal people and the federal government.
“The Kelowna Accord is being seen as an unprecedented agreement between the Federal Government and the First Peoples of Canada, whereby more than $5 billion will be invested over the next five years to close the gap between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians in education, health, housing and economic opportunities,” says Mr. Rota.
According to Mr. Rota, “Recent comments made Conservative MP Monte Solberg, indicating that the Kelowna agreement is “something that (the Liberals) crafted at the last moment on the back of a napkin on the eve of an election” shows tremendous disrespect to the Assembly of First Nations and the Metis National Council – and many others who spent nearly 18 months working towards the historic First Ministers Meeting.”
He goes on to say that “The Liberals remain committed to working hand-in-hand with the First Peoples of Canada, and using a solutions-based partnership approach to deal with complex and long-standing social issues.”
