Indigenous Government Program at IPAC
January,
2016 - guest blog post by Catherine MacQuarrie, Executive in Residence on Aboriginal Governance
It’s an
exciting time for First Nation, Inuit and Métis people in Canada. As we prepare to mark Canada’s 150th
birthday, it feels as if there is at last a collective will to deal with - as
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett put it - “the unfinished business
of Confederation”. From the attention
being paid by individuals, community groups and media to this country’s
devastating history of Residential Schools, to the growing celebration of talented
Indigenous artists and innovators, to the provincial premiers’ pledge to action
and an unprecedented federal government commitment... well, there are lots of
reasons to be hopeful.
But there
is a lot of work ahead to realize these hopes and ensure that Indigenous
peoples enjoy the same quality of life, living standards and opportunity as all
other Canadians. Public servants in all orders of government, including Indigenous
governments, will be deeply implicated in helping achieve these goals. It
will mean we need to find ways to work together and to be prepared to try new
things. For some, this will be the start of a brand new journey. Others may
already be well along the road, but are now challenged by all the expectations
and demands of citizens and political leaders.
I am so pleased
to be part of IPAC’s own efforts to support education, reconciliation and renewed
relationships. At the heart of IPAC’s
mandate for almost 60 years is the belief that shared learning and dialogue
around common challenges is the foundation of effective working relationships and
of public service excellence. Now IPAC is bringing its unique strengths to
support the development of new relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
governments: relationships built on respect, cooperation and partnership. As
Canada’s leading network of municipal, provincial/territorial and federal
public servants across the country, we are committed to strengthening the
capacity of our current membership to work more effectively and in partnership
with First Nation, Inuit and Métis institutions and governments. And we want to
increase our Indigenous membership, programs and services so that we can learn
together and from each other.
Although
I’ve just started as IPAC’s Senior Executive in Residence, there is already
lots to build on. The particular challenges of Indigenous government
administration have always had a place in our research, conferences and
learning activities. The most recent issue of Canadian Public Administration
for example, has two scholarly articles on two First Nations challenges:
Improving Drinking Water Quality and Medical Relocation. In early March in
Yellowknife, we feature a Northern Governance Conference – “Learning from One Another” being
organized by IPAC- NWT in partnership with the GNWT, the Tlicho Government, the
Johnson-Shoyama School of Public Policy, Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and
many others. Then, in late April as part
of its innovative “Cafe Pracademique” policy-making series, IPAC
Edmonton is hosting an exciting day-long workshop called “Connecting our
Futures: Building Reconciliation Today”.
This is a
just the start of what I hope will become an important and essential pillar of
IPAC’s great range of programs and services! If you want to be part of the
effort to grow our Indigenous membership, programs and services, or just want
to learn more, please get in touch: CMacQuarrie@ipac.ca; on twitter @camacq or by phone:
613-914-8598
