First Nations' role in Canada's economy

A DISCUSSION PAPER FOR THE COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATION AUGUST 8, 2007 ABOUT THE ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national, political representative of First Nations governments and their citizens in Canada, including those living on reserve and in urban and rural areas. [...] The role and function of the AFN is to serve as a national delegated forum for determining and harmonizing effective collective and co-operative measures on any subject matter that the First Nations delegate for review, study, response or action and for advancing the aspirations of First Nations. [...] This kind of human rights discrimination is currently being demonstrated by the refusal of the Government of Canada to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. [...] When the importance of resource development in this country is considered – from fur trapping during the fi rst wave of European arrivals through to logging, fi shing, mining, oil extraction and all of the various ways in which the richness of this land has fed the economy of Canada – the idea of putting it at risk due to a lack of an appropriate consultation and accommodation process to address F [...] A recent paper completed by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada has indicated a similar fi nding and opinion held amongst its constituents.iii While we are encouraged by the recent efforts of the federal government to work with us to address the specifi c land claims process, it is only part of the solution.