Following the auditor general’s report on Manitoba’s subpar efforts to implement the Path to Reconciliation Act passed in 2016, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) says they’re not surprised.
“The AMC is acutely aware of Manitoba’s failure to take meaningful action on a path to reconciliation,” says Acting Grand Chief Cornell McLean.
“In the past year, during this unprecedented crisis with the pandemic, First Nations people have experienced increased hardship as a result of Manitoba’s failure to honour the spirit and intent of its own reconciliation agreements by failing to engage in meaningful consultation with First Nations people on pressing matters which impact their well-being.”
McLean says the province failed to consult First Nations when developing or amending policies or legislation that directly impacted Indigenous people.
According to the auditor’s report, only one of the five departments reviewed mentioned significant initiatives to advance reconciliation.
—with files from The Canadian Press