2. Women's Perspectives - Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure ...
2. Women's Perspectives - Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure ... 2. Women's Perspectives - Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure ...
distrust of leaders and officials. Decision-making processes must be accessible and responsive to the views of the people as a whole, to communities, families and individuals. We have seen that more and more Aboriginal women are taking on positions of leadership in social, economic, cultural and political institutions. We expect this trend to continue. The increased political participation of Aboriginal women testifies to the increased willingness of Aboriginal women to participate in decisions aimed at improving the living conditions of not only their families but their communities and their nation. [translation] Michèle Rouleau Quebec Native Women's Association Montreal, Quebec, 27 May 1993 I think women now have to start working…on changing those very ideals that our politicians hold. They have to hold their politicians accountable and a little more responsible to the social needs. How can we advance as a people and as a society if we can't even look in our own backyard….We have to start taking that responsibility. Margaret M. Eagle Yellowknife, Northwest Territories 7 December 1992 Aboriginal women are also ready to define codes of conduct they see as crucial to responsible leadership. In 1992, Pauktuutit's annual general assembly passed a resolution calling on all Inuit organizations to develop and implement codes of conduct for their leadership. These codes are to be developed with the active participation of Inuit women….Inuit women have been very clear about what they expect from their leadership. Good leaders have…the following qualities: fairness, high moral standards, commitment, honesty, the respect of their communities, kindness, understanding and the willingness to listen. Characteristics and behaviours which are unacceptable in leaders include dishonesty, insensitivity, unfairness, abuse of alcohol or drugs, wife battering, child abuse, racism, prejudice. Martha Flaherty President, Pauktuutit Ottawa, Ontario, 1 November 1993 In Volume 2, Chapter 3, we noted that a government must have three basic attributes: legitimacy, power and resources. Legitimacy refers to public confidence in and support for government. It depends on such factors as the way the structure of government was created, the manner in which leaders are chosen, and the extent to which the government advances public welfare and honours basic human rights. To put in place fully legitimate governments, Aboriginal peoples must enjoy the freedom, time and resources to design 74
their own political institutions, through a genuinely inclusive process that involves consensus building at the grassroots level. The capacity to exercise self-determination is vested in Aboriginal nations that share a collective sense of identity. There is a pressing need for nations to reconstitute themselves as modern political units. We agree with the views of many Aboriginal women who spoke about the need to rebuild nations. In our discussion of governance, we noted that there are many ways for Aboriginal nations to conduct their internal affairs to ensure fairness and accountability. Aboriginal governments could establish charters or other instruments to protect individual rights and curb abusive uses of power by government. Whatever measures are adopted, Aboriginal women must be actively involved in their development and implementation. As Aboriginal women continue to voice their concerns and take action at the community and regional level, other developments are occurring. The involvement of women in the design and development of a new government for Nunavut is a good example. The Nunavut Implementation Committee (NIC) responded to concerns expressed by Inuit women by considering ways to ensure balanced representation of men and women in elected positions. In a December 1994 discussion paper, NIC commissioners committed themselves to the principle of sexual equality. 99 The discussion paper notes that women make up just over half the population but are systematically under-represented in politics. The paper acknowledges that women have always played a prominent role in Inuit society. Communities in the eastern Arctic could not function without the contributions made by women — in the home, in the workplace, and in a wide range of organizations. But women remain significantly under-represented in electoral politics; only one of the 10 MLAs for the Northwest Territories from the eastern Arctic (the area that will become Nunavut in 1999) is a woman. The NIC proposed that the future Nunavut legislative assembly guarantee balanced participation of men and women by having two-member constituencies. The familiar 'first past the post' system would continue to be used, but voters would choose two members in each riding, one woman and one man. The model could work whether consensus government or a party politics system was used. The Nunavut Implementation Committee acknowledged the work of Pauktuutit and an informal network of prominent Inuit women leaders as well as the support of many Inuit men who believe in equal participation of women in politics. The committee noted that these people have helped create a social and political climate amenable to the discussion of sexual equality in electoral politics. More generally, Aboriginal women are actively pursuing discussions on self-government and other major issues on their own, at conferences, meetings and workshops: We are looking for solutions to improve the situation in terms of the relationship between the men and the women….There has to be a process in place whereby the women are 75
- Page 17 and 18: identity and everything to do with
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- Page 89 and 90: 48 Bill C-31 Summary Report, p. 5.
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distrust of leaders and officials. Decision-making processes must be accessible and<br />
responsive to the views of the people as a whole, to communities, families and<br />
individuals.<br />
We have seen that more and more <strong>Aboriginal</strong> women are taking on positions of<br />
leadership in social, economic, cultural and political institutions. We expect this trend to<br />
continue.<br />
The increased political participation of <strong>Aboriginal</strong> women testifies to the increased<br />
willingness of <strong>Aboriginal</strong> women to participate in decisions aimed at improving the<br />
living conditions of not only their families but their communities and their nation.<br />
[translation]<br />
Michèle Rouleau<br />
Quebec Native <strong>Women's</strong> Association<br />
Montreal, Quebec, 27 May 1993<br />
I think women now have to start working…on changing those very ideals that our<br />
politicians hold. They have to hold their politicians accountable and a little more<br />
responsible to the social needs. How can we advance as a people and as a society if we<br />
can't even look in our own backyard….We have to start taking that responsibility.<br />
Margaret M. Eagle<br />
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories<br />
7 December 1992<br />
<strong>Aboriginal</strong> women are also ready to define codes of conduct they see as crucial to<br />
responsible leadership.<br />
In 1992, Pauktuutit's annual general assembly passed a resolution calling on all Inuit<br />
organizations to develop and implement codes of conduct for their leadership. These<br />
codes are to be developed with the active participation of Inuit women….Inuit women<br />
have been very clear about what they expect from their leadership. Good leaders<br />
have…the following qualities: fairness, high moral standards, commitment, honesty, the<br />
respect of their communities, kindness, understanding and the willingness to listen.<br />
Characteristics and behaviours which are unacceptable in leaders include dishonesty,<br />
insensitivity, unfairness, abuse of alcohol or drugs, wife battering, child abuse, racism,<br />
prejudice.<br />
Martha Flaherty<br />
President, Pauktuutit<br />
Ottawa, Ontario, 1 November 1993<br />
In Volume 2, Chapter 3, we noted that a government must have three basic attributes:<br />
legitimacy, power and resources. Legitimacy refers to public confidence in and support<br />
for government. It depends on such factors as the way the structure of government was<br />
created, the manner in which leaders are chosen, and the extent to which the government<br />
advances public welfare and honours basic human rights. To put in place fully legitimate<br />
governments, <strong>Aboriginal</strong> peoples must enjoy the freedom, time and resources to design<br />
74
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