-CP-Mi’kmaq leaders from Nova Scotia are calling on Ottawa to urgently address the income assistance disparity they say is keeping some families on reserve in deep poverty. Ta’n Etli-tpi’tmk, which represents 12 of the 13 Mi’kmaq First Nations in Nova Scotia, says Canada must raise on-reserve income assistance rates to provincial levels. The group says there is a gap of more than $25 million a year between what First Nations people on reserve receive from Ottawa and what they would receive from Nova Scotia if they lived off reserve. Sen. Paul Prosper, who is a Mi’kmaq lawyer from Nova Scotia, says First Nations in the province are asking for basic human and legal rights, and poverty-reducing support that’s comparable to what others access off reserve. James Michael, a lead negotiator…
Register
