Video: AFN National Chief calls for policy work with impact, lauds MLI’s Ken Coates – MLI
In a speech last week, Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, called for a new approach to research on Indigenous issues, and pointed to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s work as an example to follow.
Bellegarde’s talk (beginning at about 52 mins of the video) was part of an event hosted on Nov. 18 and 19 by the University of Saskatchewan to bring Aboriginal leaders and university presidents together for an event titled “Building Reconciliation: Universities answering the TRC’s call for action”.
In his remarks about how universities can do work that is relevant to First Nations and Métis, Bellegarde pointed out that that while Canada is 6th on the UN Development Index, Canada’s Aboriginal peoples would rank 63rd,, with poor outcomes in terms of health and education, high incarceration rates, and boil water advisories on reserves. “We are all treaty peoples”, stated Bellegarde, but he lamented that too few Canadians understand Aboriginal issues.
