August 26, 2022
Māori message heartens Canada indigenous minister
Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, says what she’s learning in this country will help her push for equity back home.
Minister Hajdu is looking around the country after signing an Indigenous Collaboration Arrangement.
Yesterday she visited Te Whanau o Waipareira and got an overview of its wok, including the development of data reporting tools it uses for operations and advocacy.
She says quantification of data is a critical part of holding government to account and proving that the right thing to do is also the smart thing to do.
“I am so making that argument along with other colleagues, that equity is not just something you do because you have to do it. You do it because you are a smart country, you are a smart group of leaders that understand when people have a right not just to survive but to thrive, as I heard yesterday, then the whole country does better,” Minister Hajdu says.
She says Maori are teaching non-Maori how to do things in a better, more sustainable way, and government would be wise to listen if it wants to deliver more effective services.