Manitoba First Nations leaders say they want to hear more about reconciliation in federal election

Some First Nations leaders in Manitoba say they're disappointed reconciliation has taken a back seat so far in the federal election campaign.

The issues of Canadian sovereignty, and which party will be most capable of handling U.S. President Donald Trump and the ongoing trade war, have overshadowed other issues that are important to Indigenous communities, says Renee Greyeyes, president and CEO of the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba.

"At the federal level we haven't heard a whole lot … especially when it comes to Indigenous businesses or what supports are going to be there" during the campaign, now in its second week, she said in an interview.

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky said he would like to see the prosperity of First Nations mentioned "in the same breath" as the rest of the country's, as parties make pledges to strengthen the economy amid U.S. pressure.

"I'm still waiting for that large announcement, whether it be in our infrastructure, whether it be in … our economic gaps that we have," he told CBC.

"We have all these communities with a lot of these low-hanging fruits and challenges … [which] I really believe that the federal government and the provincial government can really come together on, and to really start to build and create reconciliation."

During a campaign stop in Winnipeg Tuesday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney responded to reporters' questions about his commitments to reconciliation by pointing to actions he took soon after becoming prime minister, including meeting with the leadership of Indigenous organizations and doubling an Indigenous loan guarantee program.

"The process of reconciliation, which is fundamental to our country, fundamentally part of our being … must proceed," he said. "This is a long process, but we've taken those initial steps to move forward."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday his government would establish an Indigenous opportunities corporation, which would offer loan guarantees to Indigenous communities as part of a series of commitments the party says will speed up energy projects and end the sector's dependence on the U.S. market. 

"We want to give control to First Nations so that they can make these investments," Poilievre said. 

A spokesperson from the federal NDP said in an email the party remains committed to working alongside Indigenous communities as they "empower, uplift and demand justice for their peoples."

Meanwhile, the Assembly of First Nations is calling on all federal parties to commit to upholding rights and advancing nation-to-nation relationships if they form government. 

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in a news release Tuesday that more than $50 billion worth of projects are set to launch on traditional lands over the next decade.

"The potential benefit of these projects is in the trillions of dollars," she said. "They represent a cornerstone of Canada's future economic growth, but they won't advance without First Nations support."