Vice Chief Bob Merasty speaks at the event. Photo by Manfred Joehnck.
A new federal government, with a new attitude towards First Nations, is the impetus behind a major economic development forum underway in Regina.
This is part two of a three-part series, called “Prosperity through Partnerships.”
The event, organized by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), is about finding ways of creating more economic opportunities both on and off reserves.
FSIN Vice Chief Bob Merasty says it brings together municipal, provincial, federal officials and First Nations leaders with the objective to learn from one another and to work together.
He credits the new Liberal government with providing the proper atmosphere for constructive workshops like this one.
“Those days of being adversarial and making political statements to hammer different governments, those kinds of politics do not work these days,” he said. “It’s about sitting down in a respectful way and sitting and agreeing to work on things that make sense that are a win-win situation.”
Regina’s mayor, Michael Fougere, admits he has still has a lot to learn, but says the city is a big proponent of urban reserves and understands the value of partnerships with First Nations.
“So we have a lot to learn and if you speak about the value of a true partnership you talk about what I need to learn from you to be successful and visa-versa, that is what I think this forum is all about. If we had the answers we wouldn’t have to hold this conference because we would have had it all solved, but we don’t have it solved,” Fougere said.
Regina currently has five urban reserves and is in the process of completing a sixth one with the Sakimay First Nation.
The conference will run for two days in Regina, then wrap up with another two-day event in Saskatoon in March. Saskatoon hosted the first of the three conferences last month.