Canadian PM: 1876 Indian Act needs change

OTTAWA, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a summit of Indian chiefs in Ottawa Tuesday he wants to modify the federal Indian Act of 1876 to meet modern needs.

Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston hosted Indian chiefs and elders from across the country for talks in what was called the first Crown-First Nations gathering, Postmedia News reported.

He said his Conservative government was committed to "replace elements of the Indian Act with more modern legislation and procedures, in partnership with provinces and First Nations.

"To be sure, our government has no grand scheme to repeal or to unilaterally rewrite the Indian Act. After 136 years, that tree has deep roots. Blowing up the stump would just leave a big hole."

In turn, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo also used a metaphor from nature in his address, calling the current act

"Like a rock that sits in the middle of the road, a boulder that blocks the path of collaboration, remains the Indian Act," Atleo said.

Harper called the summit in response to a nationally publicized living standards crisis that arose on the Attawapiskat reservation in Northern Ontario in December. Images of uninsulated, moldy plywood shacks at the onset of winter drew criticism from the liberal media, while their conservative counterparts showed images of a brand new, fully equipped hockey arena on the reservation.