A Major First Step, but A Long Way to Go

Yesterday I watched the residential schools apology proceedings as they were taking place. While others can certainly find some fault with the proceedings, I really do believe the official proceedings all went as well as could be expected and I found it very moving to watch, especially as I was there watching it among people for whom it was so important and rightly so.

The fact is this was long overdue and I know from my discussions with many Native groups over the years it has been something they have been waiting for far too long. From my discussions with them, they have said that an apology would have been more meaningful to them than any sort of compensation. But a true apology is not just words, but the actions from the one asking forgiveness after the apology matter just as much if not more so. I hope that the apology will be a first step towards better cooperation, and even trust between the Canadian Government and Aboriginal Peoples going forward.

This much overdue apology really only began a short time ago, with the Chretien government when Jane Stewart was Indian Affairs Minister and continued with Paul Martin and the appointment of Frank Iacobucci and the Residential Schools financial settlement. However, the truth of the matter is, what means the most is the official apology from the Government of Canada by the Prime Minister, and it has taken far too long to arrive at. I applaud all the parties for stepping up and saying all the things that needed to be said in their apologies to the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada and also for allowing the Aboriginal leaders to speak with frankness from the floor of the House of Commons.

But while this is a major step in closing an extremely tragic dark chapter in our country's history let us not forget the troubles our Aboriginal People's still face today. This does represent a major step in opening up the ability of us to, perhaps for the first time, to really come together as equals and working on our futures together. Perhaps if an apology occurred earlier, we could have been a little further in our relationship with each other, but we must not let those thoughts enter flood either side with bitterness. There is much work to be done and I hope all parties can ensure that we will arrive at a day when we will be hearing Aboriginal groups from across the country saying "thank you for hearing our call - I am proud to consider myself both, an Aboriginal and a Canadian".

We still have a long way to go, but it is the duty of the government of Canada to ensure our First Nations are never again left behind and that they can enjoy the same standard of living and opportunities as all Canadians do. We must listen to their calls and we cannot fail them again.

NB: I will not be talking about the Poilievre scandal because I believe that regardless of any ill action, more attention should be paid to the historic value of the apology and what we will be doing as a nation to move forward in peace together. I hope all parties can focus on that much moreso going forward than we have in the past.

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An Issue for 2008: Enforcing Standards of Practice for Canadian Mining Companies Operating Abroad (Liberal Policy Series #1)

This is something that I've wanted to post about for awhile, but I believe with the new year, it's about time something finally get done on this issue.

I have been a supporter for some time of the idea that much more must be done to ensure “Canadian” mining companies (many solely claim Canadian status for the tax incentives) uphold the same environmental and human rights standards that they would if they were mining in Canada.

Specifically, I authored a policy on this issue that my Brant Young Liberals put forth that calls for the Government of Canada to implement the March 29, 2007 recommendations of the "National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries." The recommendations were derived from a series of national roundtables involving the public and governmental and non-governmental experts that were originally commissioned by the former Liberal government in the fall of 2005. The full report can be found here. For shorter summaries of the recommendations and how they came about, please see: here and/or here.

In short, Canada could become a world leader on Corporate Social Responsibility if the federal government and other stakeholders acted on these recommendations. The Brant resolution also noted that if the Government of Canada refused to implement the recommendations, then the Liberal Party of Canada should make it official party policy that they will try to implement them should they form the government in the near future.

This policy is extremely important as it relates not only to upholding basic human rights and environmental standards, but also to protecting and enhancing Canada's international reputation. When these mining companies, (which, at often times are only Canadian for the tax incentives that Canada offers to companies), are responsible for major human rights and/or environmental abuse abroad (of which there are countless examples), it reflects poorly on our country and can even breed resentment in some of these countries of Canadians in general. The recommendations of the March 29 2007 report merely ask that Canadian mining companies adhere to similar practices abroad as they do here at home and a series of incentives and punishments are advocated to ensure compliance. This is an instance where Canada can once again take the lead on an important issue and be a role model to the rest of the world, much as it has been with countless other efforts, such as the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, for example.

This resolution was passed at the OYL Summer Fling as one of the top 3 policies favoured by young liberals and it is my hope that it will be lobbied successfully to the senior party. So far there is much work to be done in that regard; however, this is really is an issue the Liberal Party of Canada should take a clear stance on. The NDP has also taken some interest in this issue and I applaud them for that and I would actually be quite happy if the two parties worked together to get something done on this issue.

That said, I welcome any and all feedback or advice you could provide to improve upon the resolution that was passed to ensure what goes forward from this point on is as sound as possible.

This issue affects a huge number of people in the 3rd world and we can no longer turn a blind eyet to it. The time has come to help ensure Canadian companies don't tarnish our good name and operate responsibly overseas.

UPDATE: I noticed the link to the full report was broken. It's been fixed.

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