"Real substantive change in the relationship between First Nations and Canada will have to involve provincial governments.
"Provinces, not the federal government, are responsible for the management of public lands, natural resources, education, health care and many other key policy areas at the core of First Nations demands.
"This won’t be easy. First Nations, many of whom have signed treaties with the Crown, are reluctant to engage in formal relations with provinces.
"Treaties, they argue, established a nation-to-nation relationship with the Crown in Right of Canada, not the provinces. ...
"It may be time for everyone to take a deep breath, sit down and talk. The federal-provincial division in responsibilities over First Nations made sense from a colonial perspective 100 years ago. In the era of aboriginal rights and self-determination, it doesn’t anymore."
Full article: Provinces need to be at negotiating table with natives.
Martin Papillon is an associate professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa.
