Where they stand: on aboriginal issues Each Monday through the election, The Globe will try to cut through the campaign rhetoric by examining one issue - and each party's position on it. This week: the decline and possible rebirth of the Kelowna Accord to fight aboriginal poverty JOE FRIESEN From Monday's Globe and Mail September 22, 2008 at 4:50 AM EDT Was the Kelowna Accord a groundbreaking moment in the relationship between aboriginal people and the government of Canada, or was it nothing more than a glorified press release?The Liberal Party, which spent 18 months negotiating the accord before the defeat of Paul Martin's government in 2006, believes Kelowna must form the basis of any future negotiations between the Crown and aboriginal peoples. The Conservative Party, which initially committed in principle to the Kelowna Accord, has ignored its provisions and now describes it as badly flawed. It's an issue that affects more than a million aboriginal Canadians, and there are 70 ridings where aboriginal voters make up more than 5 per cent of the population - yet neither political party will pay the issue much attention during this campaign. Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine complained last week that while Canada has spent $22-billion on the war in Afghanistan, it has neglected native concerns. "The response we're looking for from each of the parties is next steps in regards to the eradication of first nations poverty," he said. Native issues will play a more significant role in a handful of northern seats dominated by aboriginal voters and in some urban ridings in the West. And as the country tries to move beyond the historic apology for residential schools, aboriginal issues remain an important point of ideological divide.

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