First Nations leaders call throne speech 'paternalistic'

Several First Nations leaders are criticizing this weeks throne speech, describing it as "colonial"and "paternalistic."

Patrick Madahbee, Grand Council Chief of Ontario's Anishinabek Nation, took issue with the Conservative governments promise to improve education on reserves.

"When the Governor General mentioned more effective, more accountable on-reserve education systems, to me that sounded a lot like former government messaging when they were legislating residential schools for First Nations and we all know how that turned out,"Madahbeesaid.

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He also accused Ottawa of taking a "top-down-approach" byattempting to legislate solutions to problems facing First Nations, instead of letting the communities solve them.

Nothing they some bureaucrat dreams up in Ottawa works in terms of the realities of what happens in our communities, Madahbee said.

Alvin Fiddler, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief, said the throne speech had a paternalistic tone.

"NAN First Nations are growing increasingly frustrated by the federal government's disregard for our history, culture, Treaty and inherent rights, and its continued failure to engage with First Nations in a respectful, nation-to-nation basis," Fiddler said.

He also said statements that Canada was an empty land before settlers arrivedand that a country was forged "where none would have otherwise existed" shows a continued colonial attitude andsets the wrong tone for the upcoming Parliamentary session.