AMC congratulates St. Boniface – St. Vital MP Dan Vandal as Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Reconciliation
December 7, 2021
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
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Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) congratulates the Honourable Dan Vandal, the Member of Parliament for St. Boniface – St. Vital, for being appointed as the Chair of the federal Cabinet Committee on Reconciliation. As one of the few western Liberal Members of Parliament (MP), Minister Vandal was, however, left out of the agenda, results and communications committee, which is chaired by Prime Minister Trudeau and sets the government’s order of priorities and their overall strategic agenda.
AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas stated, “On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to extend congratulations and best wishes to Minister Vandal on his appointment to the Cabinet Committee on Reconciliation. This committee is very important to the First Nations in Manitoba for not only its significance to our many pressing priorities, but also for federal recognition and respect for the West, the prairie regions and the numbered Treaties that were signed in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. As the Minister for Northern Affairs, the AMC is confident that Minister Vandal will continue to do a commendable job in that role while also chairing the important Cabinet Committee on Reconciliation.”
“The AMC is disappointed, however, that Prime Minister Trudeau did not name Minister Vandal to the federal cabinet steering committee. The AMC is concerned that by not naming the Chair of the Reconciliation Committee, that the federal government is signaling that Reconciliation has dropped down on, the order of priorities. I would urge the Prime Minister to ensure that Reconciliation is and remains the government’s top priority,” concluded Grand Chief Dumas.