Ministry of Indigenous Affairs (Ontario) facts for kids

The Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation (often called IAFNER) is a special part of the Government of Ontario. Its main job is to work on issues important to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Ontario. The person in charge of this Ministry is called the Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Currently, that is Hon. Greg Rickford. He is part of the Executive Council of Ontario, which is like the main team of leaders for the province.

Understanding the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs

This Ministry helps make sure that the government works well with Indigenous communities. It focuses on building strong relationships and helping Indigenous people have good opportunities.

How the Ministry Helps Indigenous Communities

The Ministry has several important goals to help Indigenous people in Ontario:

• It helps different government departments work together on policies and programs for Indigenous people.
• It sets goals and checks how well Ontario is doing in its work with Indigenous communities.
• It helps government staff learn more about Indigenous people and how to work with them respectfully.
• It works with the Canadian federal government to make the best use of money for Indigenous programs.
• It helps Indigenous people find and use government programs, services, and information.
• It works to improve the process for settling land claims, which are historical agreements about land.
• It encourages more Indigenous people to work in the Ontario Public Service.

The Ministry focuses on four main areas:

• Building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities.
• Improving living conditions for Indigenous people.
• Creating economic chances and lasting success.
• Helping to settle land claims and work towards reconciliation.

What are Land Claims?

Land claims are about land that Indigenous peoples say was never properly given up or bought by the government. The Ministry helps the Ontario government talk with First Nations and the Canadian government to solve these historical land issues. These talks aim to find fair solutions for everyone.

For example, the Ministry is currently working with the Government of Canada and the Algonquins of Ontario First Nation. They are discussing a large area of land in eastern Ontario, about 36,000 square kilometres. The Algonquins believe this land was never officially given away, and their rights to it were not recognized. An agreement was reached in 2016 to help solve this long-standing issue.

How the Ministry is Organized

The Ministry is set up with different teams to do its work:

• The Minister's Office, led by the Minister.
• The Deputy Minister's Office, which helps manage the Ministry.
• The Negotiations and Reconciliation Division, which handles land claims and other agreements.
• The Indigenous Relations and Programs Division, which builds relationships and runs programs.
• The Strategic Policy and Planning Division, which plans for the future.
• Legal Services Branch, which provides legal advice.
• Communications Branch, which shares information with the public.
• Corporate Management Division, which handles the Ministry's daily operations.

Source: Government of Ontario.

Ministers of Indigenous Affairs

Over the years, different people have been in charge of Indigenous affairs in Ontario. At first, this role was often handled by the Attorney General (Ontario's chief lawyer) or other ministers. In 1985, Ontario first named a specific minister just for "native affairs." Later, in 2007, a full Ministry was created. The Ministry's name has changed a few times to reflect its evolving role and focus, including becoming the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in 2016, partly in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's report.

Here is a list of the people who have served as ministers responsible for Indigenous affairs in Ontario:

	Portrait	Name	Term of office		Tenure	Political party Ministry	Note
	Minister Responsible for Native Affairs
		Ian Scott	June 26, 1985	October 1, 1990	5 years, 97 days	Liberal (Peterson)	Also served as Attorney General.
		Bud Wildman	October 1, 1990	February 3, 1993	2 years, 125 days	NDP (Rae)	Also served as Minister of Natural Resources.
		Howard Hampton	February 3, 1993	June 26, 1995	2 years, 143 days		Also served as Minister of Natural Resources.
		Charles Harnick	June 26, 1995	June 17, 1999	3 years, 356 days	PC (Harris)	Also served as Attorney General.
		Jim Flaherty	June 17, 1999	February 8, 2001	1 year, 236 days		Also served as Attorney General.
		David Young	February 8, 2001	February 25, 2003	2 years, 17 days		Also served as Attorney General.
		Norm Sterling	February 25, 2003	October 22, 2003	239 days	PC (Eves)	Also served as Attorney General.
		Michael Bryant	October 23, 2003	June 29, 2005	1 year, 249 days (first instance)	Liberal (McGuinty)	Also served as Attorney General.
	Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs
		David Ramsay	June 29, 2005	June 21, 2007	2 years, 123 days		Also served as Minister of Natural Resources.
	Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
		David Ramsay	June 21, 2007	October 30, 2007			Concurrently Minister of Natural Resources.
		Michael Bryant	October 30, 2007	September 18, 2008	324 days (second instance) (2 years, 209 days in total)		Concurrently Government House Leader.
		Brad Duguid	September 18, 2008	January 18, 2010	1 year, 122 days
		Chris Bentley	January 18, 2010	October 20, 2011	1 year, 275 days (first instance)		Concurrently Attorney General.
		Kathleen Wynne	October 20, 2011	November 5, 2012	1 year, 16 days		Concurrently Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
		Chris Bentley	November 5, 2012	February 11, 2013	98 days (second instance) (2 years, 8 days in total)		Appointed as interim minister. Concurrently Minister of Energy.
		David Zimmer	February 11, 2013	June 13, 2016	5 years, 137 days	Liberal (Wynne)
	Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
		David Zimmer	June 13, 2016	June 28, 2018
	Minister of Indigenous Affairs
		Greg Rickford	June 29, 2018	present	7 years, 40 days	PC (Ford)	Concurrently Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.

Related Links

• Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation [1]
• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada - This is the Canadian federal government branch that works on similar issues across Canada.