Tue Mar 4, 5:46 PM
By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Canada's First Nations and the country's mineral prospectors signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday committing themselves to greater co-operation and mutual understanding.
Following an elder-led traditional pipe-smoking ceremony, Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine and Patricia Dillon signed the document aimed at ensuring development works for both aboriginals and industry.
"It's really a commitment on the part of the corporate sector to focus its efforts to ensure that we are able to participate in a significant way in whatever development that the corporate sector represents," Fontaine said in an interview.
"This is a good basis for the work that we want to do with various business interests."
Among the elements covered by the memorandum are access to jobs for First Nations, training, the ability to secure investment, and ensuring that aboriginal peoples can supply goods and services to developers.
The signing ceremony took place at the downtown Metro Convention Centre - situated on land that was part of the Mississauga of New Credit First Nations traditional territory - where the association was holding its annual convention and trade show.
Dillon called the memorandum a "demonstration of trust" and said the association aims to enhance its "understanding and respect" for First Nations.
"One of the lessons we can learn is to be more aware of our surroundings, their history and their meaning," she said.
"This is important for prospectors because ... our activity affects others, and to be respectful, we need to engage in a dialogue with First Nations peoples to understand their practices and beliefs."
The signing came the same day Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant weighed in on a lengthy dispute over mining rights in the traditional territory of a remote northern aboriginal community known as the KI or Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation.
The aim is to ensure the developers, Platinex, consult with the KI and allow them to share in the profits of the development, Bryant said.
He said he hopes his proposed memorandum of understanding will serve as a template for settling similar disputes between industry and First Nations.
The assembly and the association said they agreed that First Nations and the mineral industry are "natural partners."
Particularly in northern Canada, exploration and development provides one of the few opportunities for First Nations to benefit from the generation of wealth.
The two sides also committed themselves to a closer partnership in terms of public policy issues.
"It's important that we establish a good understanding by which development is going to take place on First Nations lands or in our traditional territories," Fontaine said.
"Whatever development takes place, that development must honour always the integrity of our communities."