MKO 22nd LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Annual General Assembly Opaskwayak Cree Nation
September 9, 10, 11, 2003

Tansi Elders, Chiefs, Councillors, First Nations Citizens and Friends. It is my honor to provide you with a report on my portfolios. Our organization was faced with many challenges over the past year and I commend the leadership, management, technicians and support staff of MKO who have worked diligently to address the needs of MKO First Nations through difficult circumstances.

This is a critical time for First Nations. We are confronted with the introduction of new legislation into the Parliament of Canada by the Federal Government which will limit our ability to fully exercise First Nations jurisdiction and authority. This is a time when we must work together in unity and diligently to restore our nations, institutions, cultures, economies and people. These are our rights and we must be free to exercise our Treaty and Aboriginal rights.

We are progressing well and moving forward on major initiatives in our pursuit for the restoration of First Nations jurisdiction, rights and needs.

Aboriginal Justice Inquiry-Child Welfare Initiative

Our organization is still actively involved with the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry-Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI) and we continue to work to achieve the objective of restructuring and improving the Child and Family Services system in Manitoba. Since its inception in August 2000, I have played a key role in this initiative, on behalf of the MKO First Nations, serving as the MKO representative on the Joint Management Committee, a senior officials body responsible for the management of the AJI-CWI.

Significant strides have been made to achieve greater control by First Nations over the delivery of child and family services to MKO children and families regardless of their residency. Enabling legislation was introduced and passed in the Manitoba Legislature to establish four new governing institutions, including a Northern First Nations Child and Family Services Authority. At our insistence, our people had a key role in the development of this historic legislation. Proclamation on the new Authorities is expected to take place as early as October 2003. We face a tight timeframe and a complex undertaking.

MKO, in conjunction with the northern First Nations Child and Family Services Agencies, have established a Northern First Nations Child and Family Services Authority which is accountable to MKO First Nations. A new Board of Directors, appointed by the northern agencies, will replace the interim board. A Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Diane Kematch of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, a Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Cheryl Freeman, Legal Counsel, Ms. Kaye Dunlop, and policy staff, Colin Kinsella, have been hired.

Work is underway on a comprehensive framework for planning and implementing the new Child and Family Services system and the Northern Authority staff are working with the five northern agencies to design optimal service delivery for MKO First Nations. Considerable work has been done to complete a draft detailed implementation plan which outlines changes to the system to enable First Nations to take a new approach to serving MKO children and families. Most importantly, this plan returns to First Nations the right to develop and control the delivery of our own child and family services.

During the implementation and stabilization process, in my role as a MKO senior official, I will continue to provide effective leadership on behalf of MKO First Nations to ensure that the needs and interests of our people living throughout the province are met under the AJI-CWI.

Child and Family Negotiations within the Manitoba Framework Agreement Initiative

The Child and Family Initiative within the Manitoba Framework Agreement, lead by MKO is moving forward this year and we continue to work towards the restoration of full First Nations jurisdiction over Child and Family matters. Negotiations on a Agreement in Principle on Child and Family Matters have been on-going with Canada. Also, Manitoba has been involved in the discussions at the negotiating table. It is anticipated the Agreement in Principle will be signed by the end of this fiscal year.

The Internal Working Group continues to compile research and solidify First Nation positions on outstanding issues for the development of the draft Sectoral Agreement in Principle (AIP)on Child and Family Matters. The draft AIP has been developed in conjunction with the Southern Chiefs Organization and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. This relationship will continue throughout the development of the agreement. As much as possible, we will continue to keep the grassroots membership involved in the development of the Agreement. Our northen agencies will continue to be actively involved in this work by providing advisory support to the Working Group.

The next steps will be to negotiate further with Canada on the content and substantive issues of the agreement. Difficult issues remain to be addressed during the negotiations. Federal positions on issues such as the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights, aggregation and delegation, legal status and capacity of First Nation Governments, are not acceptable. Even though there are difficult issues to resolve, we are still targeting March 2004 for completing the draft AIP. The Framework Agreement Initiative itself will be up for renewal in 2004.

As the Lead Negotiator for the FAI / Child and Family Table, I will continue to maintain that our goal of restoring jurisdiction over Child and Family Matters is a priority. I will work diligently to ensure that First Nations regain our responsibility for the care of our families and children.

Working Group on Romanow Health Care Report

The Romanow Commission was established by the federal government to examine the future of health care in Canada. The Commission traveled across Canada and heard from various presenters about the challenges and hopes for medicare.

The Romanow Report released in November 2002, provided options for First Nations to consider as temporary measures to address health issues. Overall, what Romanow recommends about aboriginal health is to circumvent jurisdictional gaps by forming health partnerships between all levels of government and health organizations, and to consolidate all sources of health revenues towards the creation of a more comprehensive health delivery system for aboriginal people.

In January 2003, Grand Chief Flett met with the provincial Minister of Health, AMC and SCO Grand Chiefs, and an agreement was reached to establish a working group to advise the government on appropriate practical arrangements. To date, twelve meetings have taken place involving senior representatives of all governments. A Terms of Reference was drafted and distributed; discussions on Federal involvement to adequately address health issues that go beyond Manitoba's jurisdiction and responsibility. Two brainstorming sessions occurred to identify potential target areas of collaboration to address First Nation health issues in Manitoba.

It appears the Working Group on Romanow was established to accomplish very specific, short term objectives, namely to assist the Province to both prepare a response to the Romanow Commission and make recommendations for change.

Concerns were shared between the First Nations in a few areas, to name a few: the short time frame within which to accomplish objectives, the limited scope of objectives (working towards recommendations rather than immediate substantive changes), the limitations of the Working Group process to outline a comprehensive approach to change in the health system, and the level of disregard for the work and recommendations put forth by RCAP and Health Canada-First Nations Working Group.

The Province of Manitoba appears committed to working in partnership with First Nations and are providing an opportunity to address First Nations specific health matters. Initially it appeared that the Working Group on Romanow was created to get First Nations to rubberstamp something that was already predetermined. However, after more thought, this appears to be an excellent opportunity to both bring First Nations health concerns to the forefront and at a senior level, and at the same time participate in the redesign of both the provincial and federal health care systems.

Support to the Political Office

Due to the high number of MKO community issues and policy directives by the Leadership, I have undertaken to address issues on behalf of the Grand Chief. We want to carry out the direction and address the needs of the communities in a timely manner and we did not want any issues to be neglected. As Vice Chief, I was cognizant of the heavy demand in the Political Office and was pleased to assist in pursuing the needs and requirements of our communities.

Responsibility for overseeing the Administration Office

There has been several changes within the Administration Office of the organization. MKO said farewell to the former Executive Director who was on leave from MKO. In May 2002, I was assigned the responsibility for overseeing the MKO Administration office until May 2003. I congratulate staff and management team for pulling through in difficult circumstances and we also welcomed Steven Clarke of Norway House Cree Nation as the Executive Director in May 2003. In the area of the financial health of the organization: the deficit of $359,000.00 MKO carried at the opening of the reporting year was drastically reduced. At the direction of the Chiefs in Assembly, a Resolution was passed to develop a Financial Management Plan. The Plan was implemented through October 2002 to March 2003. I am extremely pleased to report a surplus of $26,000.00 at the end March 2003 and the financial status of the organization was greatly improved. The action taken within the Financial Management Plan has proven to be worthwhile and effective.

Other areas the Administration Office addressed and continue to work on are:

• Communication and regular reporting to the membership and Leadership through various means: these include Assemblies, Executive Council meetings, Chiefs' Committee meetings, Portfolio Chiefs' meetings, Radio Shows and Newsletters
• Technical support and resources were in place to address major pressing political issues that occurred over the year within the Grand Chief's office. A major issue that continues to affect all First Nations is the Federal Government's First Nations Governance Act
• NAC's Provincial Territorial Organization Review. A major change within the funding for MKO is the approval for the submission of workplans and budgets from MKO has been transferred from Manitoba Region to the ADM level at INAC Headquarters.
• Another area that the Administration Office addressed over the past year is the Taxation Issue. We have had to address a Canada Customs and Revenue Agency reassessment of MKO employees incomes in the 1995/96 tax year. From information that our office has collected, some 30 individuals (may possibly be as high as 58) have been assessed as owing a total of $700,000 in taxes. The resources expended include legal, financial and technical support and included expert negotiations with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to explain the decisions, policies, legal implications of the CCRA and communicating with collection officers and employees.
• Throughout the reporting year we continued to review our organization: our constitution, our governing structure and the Administration office. Along with our Tribal Council colleagues, we developed the concept of reconstituting MKO as a governance body of the sovereign First Nations in Northern Manitoba.
• MKO invested in its staff with resources to ensure the organization has the capacity and skills to fulfill the mandate of MKO. With active team building and committed staff we are restoring a healthy workplace which will enhance the focus and effectiveness of the organization.

In closing, we want to thank the staff for their continued commitment, thank the Grand Chief for his political support with Government and other agencies, the Executive Council for their direction and leadership, the Chiefs in Assembly for their overall support of all programs and initiatives of MKO. We know a lot was accomplished in this year in difficult circumstances, we commit to continue to strive to keep MKO in the forefront and on top the issues that affect all our membership. We will strive for good progress for the coming year and we will be diligent in our work on the restoration of First Nations jurisdiction, rights and needs.