Prime Minister Trudeau made global headlines with his speech at #WEF2018 but made no mention of Indigenous Peoples #FindingLegitimacy
Share articlePeople in Canada and Indigenous Peoples across the world must share in the prosperity of the global economy #WEF2018 #FindingLegitimacy
Share articleAction, not words, is needed to help Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, says Allan Clarke of @PPForumCA #WEF2018 #FindingLegitimacy
Share articleWe put our vision for government into practice through learning partner projects that align with our values and help reimagine government so that it works for everyone.
On the day that Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, was addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and highlighting the importance of progressive trade in “creating and sustaining growth, prosperity and well-paying middle-class jobs,” his Minister of Indigenous Services, Jane Philpott was back in Canada describing the disturbing socio-economic outcomes of Canada's Indigenous Peoples.
For example, life expectancy for Indigenous People is up to 15 years shorter than for other Canadians, infant mortality rates are two to three times higher, tuberculosis rates are 270 times higher for Inuit, only 44% of First Nations on-reserve (age 18-24) have completed high school, compared to 88% for other Canadians, Indigenous children are significantly overrepresented in the child welfare system and, although Indigenous children represent less than 8% of the general population, they make up 52.2% of children in foster care in private homes. 7% of children in Canada live in poverty, but for Indigenous children it is 38%.
Minister Philpott was applauded by some for her candid and stark description of the challenges that lay ahead to improve outcomes for Canada's Indigenous Peoples, an improvement that is necessary if the government expects to achieve its stated - and laudable - goal of reconciliation.
At our recent Finding Legitimacy roundtable in Regina, Saskatchewan, participants were overwhelmingly of the view that action must be taken - we need to move beyond sentiment and words. The legitimacy of the government in delivering on its ambitious Indigenous agenda depends upon it.
Perhaps what was missing from Prime Minister Trudeau's speech in Davos was an acknowledgement that Indigenous People in Canada and Indigenous Peoples across the world must share in the prosperity of the global economy. And that national leaders must make the implementation of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples part their own economic development goals.
