CANZUS INDIGENOUS ISSUES CONSULTATIONS ADDRESS

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000594 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL AND WHA/CAN STATE PASS TO DPT OF INTERIOR (ERIC WILSON, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV AS NZ CA SUBJECT: CANZUS INDIGENOUS ISSUES CONSULTATIONS ADDRESS EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. (CANZUS) officials met recently in Ottawa for consultations on indigenous issues. Governmental changes since the last meeting in July 2006 have resulted in a number of new policy directions on aboriginal issues. Between now and the next CANZUS session, participants pledged to share best practices on performance measures and outcomes, economic development frameworks linking education and employment, and data collection to inform better policy-making. CANZUS officials will review the work program during a January 2010 conference call. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Senior government officials from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. (CANZUS) met in Ottawa in late May in an inaugural four-party forum to discuss indigenous peoples' issues. Moderated by Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister for Indian and Northern Affairs Fred Caron, the consultations built upon on a July 2006 meeting in Canberra, which had brought together Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand officials. The Ottawa meetings also aimed at better sharing of best practices in light of the global economic downturn. Consultative Agenda -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The consultations addressed five topics: -- overall relationships between governments and indigenous peoples, the ways these relationships are defined ("Closing the Gap," "Realizing Maori Potential," "Reconciliation," "Nation to Nation") and consultative mechanisms; -- collaboration between different levels of government on indigenous issues, including indigenous governments and bodies themselves, and how issues are being addressed in urban areas through performance indicators; -- improving indigenous educational outcomes; -- indigenous economic development, especially in the wake of the global economic downturn, and how indigenous communities are engaging with businesses in resource development; and, -- the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and possible plans for the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Changes in Government and New Directions -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Changes in government have brought policy changes in all four countries. Australian officials described "major changes" under new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The new U.S. administration has increased funding for Indian programs. In New Zealand, where government-tribal relations flow from the Treaty of Waitangi, which require meetings on key priorities areas, the Maori party was asked to join a government coalition. Canada's fairly broad aboriginal agenda enjoys a wide consensus and is regulated by constitutional provisions and judicial involvement, although the main political parties do diverge on some issues. Conservative Party Prime Minister Harper's government favors practical approaches and working with "willing partners." Relations with Aboriginal Organizations -------------- ¶5. (SBU) National aboriginal organizations in Canada are powerful voices, and the federal government provides funding for aboriginal political organizations at all levels. Consultative mechanisms have expanded as a result of court decisions, as well as a general sense by all parties that they are conducive to good government. Provincial and Qthey are conducive to good government. Provincial and territorial governments have become increasingly involved in aboriginal issues. Aboriginal governments are developing relations with provincial and territorial governments, and in some cases with private sector developers. ¶6. (SBU) In Australia, the Commonwealth, state, and territorial governments have developed compacts and targets in program areas. Since the 1980s, the federal focus has shifted from rights and self-determination to practical outcomes and finding the balance between rights and practical results. No national consultative aboriginal body now exists, although Australian interlocutors said one might be re-established by 2010. The private sector expects governments to be involved as partners in arrangements with tribal communities. In New Zealand, Maoris expect consultation, although the nature of the consultations varies by issue. ¶7. (SBU) The U.S. National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) does not receive federal government funding. The NCAI is in the process of establishing an embassy of tribal nations in Washington D.C. In most cases, tribes have direct relations with the federal government, with little state involvement. Some tribal leaders head multi-million dollar enterprises. Aboriginal Services and Programs -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Service delivery in remote, urban, and tribal areas remains a challenge. Governmental departments attempt to coordinate program delivery using program performance measures, accountability arrangements, and success indicators. In Canada, the Auditor General recently criticized the multiple reporting requirements for many First Nation communities. ¶9. (SBU) Promising arrangements in Australia include research by the National Productivity Commission and the development of a National Indigenous Reform Agreement and other agreements. In the U.S., tribes can co-mingle funds, and submit a single report for large numbers of programs. Tribes entering this arrangement must meet certain criteria and be audited every three years. Over the past 20 years, 230 of 562 tribes in the U.S. have joined the Self-Governance Program. Education and Economic Empowerment -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Participants agreed on the importance of education for individual success, and as a priority area for governments. The discussion showed a variety of arrangements from the "dump and run" experiences of early devolution arrangements, to direct federal delivery, as well as federal funding arrangements to band/tribal or state/provincial/territorial levels. Several governments are involved in developing new national educational strategies, such as the recent Inuit Education Agreement in Canada. Measuring and monitoring the educational success of students and schools were vital activities in some jurisdictions. Canada's First Nations Student Success Program (FNSSP) was designed to help schools develop success plans, conduct student assessments, and put in place measurement systems to monitor and report on school and student progress. Participants agreed that school success plans should focus on literacy and numeracy levels as well as student retention. In the U.S. -- in line with the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" -- performance is closely measured against state reading and mathematics standards. The Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Education has several initiatives to increase reading and mathematics instruction in Bureau of Indian Affairs-run or tribal-operated schools, including reading coaches, technology-based systems (to tailor teaching to student learning styles),and replacing teaching and administrative staff who do not meet standards. ¶11. (SBU) Participants emphasized the importance of early childhood education, family and community involvement, and Qchildhood education, family and community involvement, and expectations for success and role models. The Maori language nests and schools had started to revive the Maori language but also offered early childhood schooling and community involvement. Family and school authority expectations for success of indigenous students have a profound impact. In New Zealand, 90 percent of Maori secondary school students graduate. Work opportunities for school graduates provide important models for students still in school. Confronting Unemployment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The economic downturn in 2008 has increased unemployment in many indigenous communities and prompted the development of strategies to deal with the consequences. These include requirements for indigenous employment in government contracting, development of indigenous employment or job retention strategies, especially in remote areas, focus on green jobs, health care jobs, and the construction sector, as well as facilitating the transition from education to employment through internships and partnering with trade unions. Partnership arrangements between business schools and the U.S. Native American Business Development Institute have been mutually beneficial, according to U.S. representatives. UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Participants shared their perspectives for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and experiences to date with the Universal Periodic Review (Canada, New Zealand). They also discussed the Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Rights. All agreed to maintain close contact on these international issues, primarily through CANZUS Foreign Ministries. They noted that, in September 13, 2007, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. had all voted against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in the UN General Assembly. Follow Up Steps -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Between now and the next CANZUS session, working groups will be established on the topics below and contact people identified for each working group: -- performance measures and outcomes for government programs in aboriginal communities; -- an economic development framework, looking at education through to participation in the economy; -- data collection to enable better policy work. Also, Canadian officials are exploring opportunities to visit peer countries to observe first-hand their work on education reform and to share experiences. ¶15. (U) Canada's Department of Indian and Northern Affairs' contact persons are: Director General for External Relations and Gender Issues Line Pare; Director for International Affairs Marilyn Whitaker; Director General for Education Kathleen Keenan; Director General for Strategic Policy Allan Clarke (economic development); and, Director for Research and Analysis Dan Beavon (data collection). A conference call is planned for January 2010 to review the status of proposed work. Conference calls on international issues will continue as issues arise or on a quarterly basis. ¶16. (U) Participants: Canada (selected) -------------- Neil Yeates, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Fred Caron, Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of the Federal Interlocutor, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Christine Cram, Assistant Deputy Minister, Education and Social Development and Partnerships Sector, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Line Pare, Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Marilyn Whitaker, Director, International Relations Directorate, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Paul Gibbard, Director, Aboriginal and Circumpolar Affairs Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Elizabeth Sanderson, Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice Australia -------------- Bernie Yates, Deputy Secretary, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs QHousing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Greg Roche, Branch Manager, Indigenous Programs, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Shane Hoffman, Branch Manager, Indigenous Policy Branch, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Jody Hamilton, Group Manager, Indigenous Group, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations New Zealand -------------- Te Puni Kokirir, Ministry of Maori Development Lucy Te Moana, Acting Director, Culture, Ministry of Maori Development United States -------------- Bart Stevens, Deputy Director, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of Interior Sharee Freeman, Director, Office of Self Governance, Department of Interior Robert Middleton, Director, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, Department of Interior Jerry Gidner, Director, Field Operations, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Interior Eric Wilson, Program Analyst, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, Department of Interior Lynn Sicade, Multilateral and Global Affairs, Department of State Alexander Schrank, Political Officer, U.S. Embassy Ottawa Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / BREESE