Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) A pair of Canadian indigenous leaders shared experiences and expertise with their Taiwanese counterparts in a workshop on Canada's aboriginal self-governance and economic development Wednesday in Taipei.
"In terms of aboriginal relations and development, Canada was far from perfect -- it even made some mistakes in the past. But it can share its experience in aboriginal affairs with Taiwan," said David Hamilton, director of general relations of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) at the workshop, which was co-organized by CTOT and Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples.
From 1870-1950, Canadian aboriginals went through a long period of discrimination just like aboriginals in other countries, said Larry Chartrand, a professor at the University of Winnipeg who also serves as the director of Canada's Aboriginal Governance Program.
It wasn't until 1969 that aboriginals in Canada mobilized and responded through massive protests and pushed for a new relationship between the Canadian government and aboriginal people. After three subsequent constitutional amendments in 1982, the Canadian government began to negotiate one by one with aboriginal tribes on self-governance issues, he said.
However, Canadian aboriginals still face great challenges today such as land claims, the scope of self-governance, and continuing poverty and discrimination, Chartrand noted.
"It's our belief that what you do today will affect seven generations later," said Romeo Crow, a Blackfoot tribe chief of the Siksika Nation, who also serves as president of the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association.
The Blackfoot tribe, a group of nomads that followed buffaloes in the past, has been trying to build its own business, increase the group's educational enrollment rate while at the same time preserving its tradition and culture, Crow said.
Self-governance is one thing, a vision to plan for the future instead of dwelling on the present is another, he said.