HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald says his province and Canada's First Nations are engaged in a similar "battle for fairness and justice" when it comes to dealing with Ottawa.
In remarks before the opening of the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Halifax, MacDonald told aboriginal leaders that the federal Conservative government broke its promise to honour the Atlantic Accord, which gives the province the full benefit of its offshore gas revenues.
But the premier added that although he has been fighting to restore the offshore agreement for the past five months he knows that "simply does not compare" to the past injustices faced by First Nations over many decades.
MacDonald later clarified for reporters that he thinks the fights are similar because Ottawa failed to honour the Atlantic Accord in much the same way that it failed to honour the Kelowna Accord.
The wide-ranging agreement, signed with the former Liberal government under Paul Martin would have seen $5 billion dollars go toward native education, employment and anti-poverty initiatives.
MacDonald says he believes Ottawa should reinstate the Kelowna Accord because "when an agreement is in place it should be honoured."
