Federal ministers and FSIN demonstrate improved relationship
National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde said having three federal ministers speak at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations spring assembly sends a strong message about nation to nation communication in Canada.
“When you bring more political people in, it makes more relevance, more responsiveness here for our chiefs to have direct access to the ministers of the Crown,” he said.
The FSIN spring assembly took place Wednesday and Thursday in North Battleford and saw chiefs from the 74 Saskatchewan First Nations and hundreds of others participating and observing. Three federal ministers, MaryAnn Mihychuk, Amarjeet Sohi and Ralph Goodale, spoke before the assembly.
“We’re working together, we’re re-building the relationship and having three ministers of the Crown come to the FSIN assembly is huge,” Bellegarde said. “It’s key that we work collaboratively together, we have strong ties, communication ties, cooperative ties and we’re going to have stronger legislation and policy moved forward.”