Thomas Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, said it’s not fair that B.C. has not been provided its fair share of funding under the Enhanced Prevention Focused Approach,a federal child welfare initiative that works to prevent children from being taken into care.
It was introduced in 2007, and $452 million has been spent over five years to 2012, but no money for B.C. delegated agencies like the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s Usma program.
“There is no excuse for that,” said Mulcair. “The kids need it and they deserve their fair share.”
Mulcair was in Port Alberni on May 21 as part of a tour of the West Coast. Billed as a meet and greet, Mulcair entered the tightly-packed Solda’s restaurant to talk about what the federal NDP stands for and to answer questions from the crowd.
Ha-Shilth-Sa was able to get two short answers to a couple of questions during the visit. The second question was about the biomedical experiments done at Alberni Indian Residential School. Mulcair told Ha-Shilth-Sa that there should be full disclosure from the federal government about the experiments. All information, he said, should be made available to survivors.
Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser was by Mulcair’s side during the visit and introduced the federal leader, re-counting his illustrious career in politics.
Mulcair was one of the architects of the ‘Orange Wave’ that swept across Canada during the last federal election, said Fraser.
In his opening remarks Mulcair reminded people that Port Alberni was once a place of high average household income, but times have changed. He blamed the downturn on government policies like those governing the export of raw logs.
Quebec, he said, has banned the export of raw logs and they’ve got lots of fine furniture companies.
“Canada’s resources should be used for creating jobs for Canadians rather than shipping raw resources out and buying finished products back,” said Mulcair.
When it comes to Aboriginal people in the province he noted there are very few treaties in B.C., but there are still inherent rights that need to be respected.
“There are treaties being negotiated in the province, but there’s no real progress; Harper has gotten it all wrong from A-Z,” said Mulcair.
He went on to say what the NDP would do for Canadians if elected. Mulcair talked about the need for sustainable development, cracking down on ATM fees, Payday Loan rates, and fuel pricing. He also talked about things government can do to stimulate job growth, like offering tax incentives to employers.
With regard to aboriginal fisheries, Mulcair said First Nations are standing up for their rights, but have had to go to the Supreme Court for each and every battle.
The NDP party, Mulcair said, is serious about developing a nation-to-nation relationship with first nations.
The fix, he said, is going to cost the government money.
“But it’s an investment we have to make to do the right thing,” Mulcair said, adding that it’s going to cost far more if we don’t do the right thing for first nations.
