Indigenous Peoples Day is approaching and so is the one-year mark since the Liberal government released the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW). The report outlined 231 steps that need to be taken by the governments and Canadians including establishing a national Indigenous and human-rights ombudsperson; creating a national Indigenous and human-rights tribunal; funding Indigenous-led efforts to improve the representation of Indigenous people in popular culture; and creating a national action plan to ensure equitable access to employment, housing, education, safety, and health care.
While the Liberal government is rightly facing criticism over inaction on these recommendations, the Conservative silence on Indigenous issues is equally concerning. Conservative Party leadership contenders are missing a real opportunity for thoughtful debate on how to improve life for Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is a political conversation that cannot come soon enough.
The policy proposals and issues that actually have been raised by Conservatives lately feel very familiar. For the most part, Conservatives seems content with playing the greatest hits of the 2011 campaign – boutique tax credits, balanced budgets, mandatory minimum sentences and more. While this worked in the past (and are still popular amongst the Tory faithful), the 2019 General Election was proof that the party’s sales pitch needs a definite rethink. Leadership contenders, however, are refusing to engage in big conversations and on pressing issues that range from reconciliation to climate change. Considering the candidates are running to be the next Prime Minister, more energy should be spent on looking to the future and less on trumpeting the past..
The path to resonating with younger Canadians won’t be through tax credits. According to a poll by Abacus Data, what’s top-of-mind for that demographic is affordability, cost of living, the environment, housing and inequality. All of these issues impact millennials, but they are also acutely felt by Indigenous peoples – yet Conservatives seem content to have Canada’s left control the narrative on these discussions. If the Conservatives want to be taken seriously by millennials, and those even younger, they need to find a way to tackle issues like climate change and other social policies in a way that is genuine and forward-looking.
A good place to start would be addressing the systemic challenges facing Indigenous Canadians.. Conservatives pride themselves on being the party to champion families and the role they play in the development of children and communities. These are also core values to many Indigenous communities. Yet, there was only one mention of reconciliation in the Party’s 2019 election platform. Conservatives should not shy away from the reconciliation conversation as a lot of their concerns – including economic opportunity and support for families – are a part of that dialogue. Canadians were the ones to separate indigenous children from their parents and tear families apart.
To his credit, Erin O’Toole’s platform does acknowledge the challenges that Indigenous peoples face on a daily basis. His plan focuses on restoring broken relationships through respect and trust-building, Both of which are necessary for true reconciliation. The policy ideas he puts forth are a good start. They address important issues such as resource-benefit sharing, supports for victims of domestic violence and ensuring communities have access to clean drinking water. Here’s hoping other candidates step up to the plate to put forward their own ideas, including reflecting on recommendations from the MMIW inquiry.
Conservatives alone will not improve the lives of Indigenous peoples. Every Canadian has a role to play and as a country, we should aim to do better. Where Conservatives should feel motivated to act is in recognizing Indigenous peoples are hurting. Many of their families and communities are broken. Conservatives have an opportunity to lean into policies that emphasize the importance of family. They can provide pathways to help future generations heal from the wounds that previous generations – and ours – inflicted. The CPC leadership race needs to be more about compassion than credits.
By Daniel Perry, Research Consultant at Summa Strategies
