Premier Christy Clark rubbed shoulders with golf pros and later earned the praise of First Nation leaders during a whirlwind kickoff Wednesday to the Council of the Federation summit in Vancouver.
Clark was at her charming best early in the day, leading off a friendly putting competition with her fellow premiers at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, where the RBC Canadian Open is under way.
The country’s premiers, who are in town for the annual summer meeting that runs until Friday, then joined Clark, the chairwoman of the meeting, to schmooze with Canadian golf pros, including David Hearn and Matt Hill.
It was a typical Clark photo-op, full of 100-watt smiles and witty lines – the kind that has made the premier the subject of recent
criticism. The way she handled a discussion on Senate reform while in meetings with Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently and her flip-flop on the proposed gas hike to fund the Evergreen Line haven’t helped.
But if her reception Wednesday by the leaders of the National Aboriginal Organization is a sign of things to come, Clark has weathered the storm and will use the next two days to present a different face and flex her
political acumen.
Clark was praised by the aboriginal leaders following a marathon meeting in downtown Vancouver for focusing on action and solutions as opposed to lofty promises and talk.
“We had a terrific and I think very productive meeting today,” Clark said succinctly during a brief news conference afterward.
Clark said the premiers and aboriginal leaders discussed topics ranging from education to violence against aboriginal women to disaster planning and economic development, and concluded the meeting with specific goals and agreements to work co-operatively on key projects.
Specifically, the premiers agreed to support a “virtual institute” of economic development that will serve First Nations communities across the country, as well as to press the federal government for support for a third National Aboriginal Women’s Summit.
Decisions were reached unanimously between the premiers and First Nations leaders, Clark said.
In the interim, Clark said some of the premiers have agreed to form a small group to work with national aboriginal organizations to “make sure our voices are heard on some of those issues where we think the federal government can take action very
quickly.”
Official talks between the 12 premiers (Quebec Premier Jean Charest, the 13th premier, is being represented by Pierre Moreau) is scheduled to begin today. Topics will include the economy, Asia-Pacific trade, disaster planning, families and health care.
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