Document Information

Date: 1980-09-08
By: Continuing Committee of Ministers
Citation: Federal-Provincial Conference of First Ministers, Report of the Continuing Committee of Ministers on the Constitution to First Ministers, Annex (Ottawa: 8-12 September 1980).
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DOCUMENT: 800-14/
CONFIDENTIAL

FEDERAL—PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE
OF
FIRST MINISTERS

Report of the Continuing Committee of Ministers
on the Constitution to First Ministers

ANNEX
Results of the Meeting of the CCMC Sub-Committee
with the Leadership of the Three National Native Organizations

August 26, 1980

Ottawa
September 8-12, 1980

Meeting of the CCMC Sub-Committee
with the Leadership of the NIB, NCC and ICNI

l. On August 26, 1980, a Sub—Committee of the CCMC met with the leadership of the NIB, NCC, and ICNI. This meeting was arranged in response to the CCMC Record of Decisions of June l7, 1980, Agenda Item 4(a).

2. In attendance at that meeting were the Ministers who form the Sub-Committee: Messrs. Jean Chrétien (who acted as Chairman), Roy Romanow, Gerald Mercier, and Dick Johnston; other members of the CCMC who were able to attend: Messrs. Edmund Morris, Rodman Logan, Claude Morin, – Thomas Wells, and Garde Gardom; and, officials representing Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. The delegations of the Native organizations were led by Messrs. Del Riley (President) and Sykes Powderface (Vice-President) in the case of the NIB; Mr. Charlie Watt (Co-Chairman) of the ICNI; and Messrs. Harry Daniels (President) and Louis Bruyére (Vice-President) of the NCC.

3. The leaders of the Native organizations presented briefs to the Sub-Committee. These documents were circulated to the CCMC and are attached to this report. It should be noted that the NIB tabled three submissions (numbered 830-85/003, 004 and 005).

4. The CCMC agreed:

a) To communicate to First Ministers the views of the leaders of each of the three organizations.

b) To confirm the invitation to the national Native organizations to attend the September meetings with First Ministers as observers. (This is the same as the status they had at the October 1978 and February 1979 meetings, and means that they would be able to observe all public sessions of the Conference.)

c) To recommend to First Ministers, as per their agreement of February 1979, that the item “Canada’s Native Peoples and the Constitution” be on the agenda in the future round of V negotiations and that Native leaders be able to meet with First Ministers at the negotiation table at that time, as a step in the consideration of this item.

d) To recommend to First Ministers that Native leaders be free to raise any of their constitutional concerns under the heading of “Canada’s Native Peoples and the Constitution”. Those discussions could lead to constitutional changes. Whatever might be deciced at the September meeting of First Ministers would not preclude subsequent constitutional changes which reflect Natives‘ concerns.

e) To confirm the invitation to Native leaders by the Chairman of the Sub-Committee meeting to have them meet with the Chairman of the CCMC Sub»Committee of Officials on the Preamble to discuss the content of a possible constitutional preamble.