Nobody can say this money hasn't been spent. I've been doing some more reading and the native population might be higher by a couple hundred thousand but it doesn't change that much. We could still give every native family of four close to forty thousand a year. In fact, I would much rather do that than have the money wasted by incompetents in the Dept.Of Northern And Indian Affairs. Shut that whitr elephant down. The sooner the better.
BTW, the houses that were built near James bay for the families of the kids who were sniffing gas, were beautiful, modern homes. Have a look at them now.
There are many houses that were built for first nations people in the B.C. interior that were sturdy, modern, homes as well. They were junk in three or four years.
Absolutely true, and a complete shame. A lot of that stems from the lack of ownership amunst the psycy of tribal ideology. But I beleive it is more like a complete disregard for the value of anything, based solely on the fact that handouts come easy, even easier when the screaming starts.
Perhaps its multifactorial. Its not just about money. I did have the opportuniuty to work in Inuvik for a few weeks. In my contact with many native Canadians there one of the things that struck me about many of them was this pervasive lack of self esteem--this nihilism---I found it depressing. maybe this is the root cause---that in some ways the european intervention here has destroyed a culture---a social fabric that cant seem to repair itself and that a whole pile of money alone cant solve. It may sound corny but despite Canada 's wonderfull self image----and considering that these problems are so intractable--Canada-- is very much a fractured nation---its bleeding and much of that bleeding is done by the natives--. It must also be insulting that the fracture line is most often percieved as between the french and english--ie two " white tribes "----what are they arguing about----how to spilt up the spoils of conquest?
Oh--one more random thought----the contrast in the gut feeling that many middle class canadians have between here and south of here. IE---when considering say---any south american country many can easily be persuaded that the fault for the substandard living conditions of the native lies squarely with the european invader--ie--the spanish and portugeese--and yet HERE the fault lies with the natives. isnt that odd?
Because we look at ourselves through rose coloured glasses.
We have done the worst thing possible to the indigenous people in Canada. By making them wards of the state, we robbed them of their initiative. The luckiest were those who got away from the system and made it on their own. I don't hate the natives. I hate throwing hard earned dollars away for no good reason.
For someone I rarely agree with, you seem to be on the ball here.
But throwing money at the problem is an easy solution. The harder one looks like racism, and will be tagged as such by those that do not want to get up from the mire and do something. They will undoubtedly be supported by the professional activists and the corrupt leadership that will see their cash cow heading for slaughter.
Typical goverment waste will eat up huge chunks of budgets on such issues as redcorating offices and business luncheons. Yes the colonization of Canada was an invasion. While not as evil as the military conquest of the American west, we still missappropriated natives lands, infected them with communicable disease, herded them on to reservations, took advantage of a people with an oral tradition by having them sign away land rights. Eventually we took away their children and forceably tried to assimilate them in to white culture. Can you imagine if every immigrant had their children taken from them until they learned English and became Christian. You get much further than 200 mikles from US border in Canada and all you have is natives and a few miners. The Rangers are Canada's largest military unit. They exert our sovereignty over the north. Without them the Yanks would be drilling all over the place. What is the price on 400 years of abuse and neglect?
Another trusim. The buracratic waste is enormous. The funds eaten up in retrofitting offices is inexcusable and a heavey cost. But so are the endless make work projects continuously supported by our leadership, only because of their cut of the proceeds.
It's a lot easier for the government to heave large amounts of the taxpayers money at the native problem than it is to try to fix it. It;s like hucking rolls of quarters at an alcoholic friend instead of trying to help him put his life back to gether.
The money does not work, it just allows those with problems to continue to finance those problems. The Natives in Canada need a Plan, not a Paycheck.
Yes, but the real solution is a huge horse pill, that will not readily be seen as a good bit of medicine.
152 million dollars to re-locate less than 600 native Innu from Davis Inlet.........do the math, that is $250,000+ for every man, womaqn, and child, and NONE of the problems solved. Lovely homes built, now wrecked, sniffing still a major problem, and a band leadership claiming they are unable to produce receipts for their spending because they were stolen
"nuff said..
As usual, you are right on the mark. As an activist that neither agrees with either side, I feel helpless and alone. If not for the support our small groups has recieved from some of our perspective constituants, we would be completely lost.
I agree---I didnt say i thought you hate native canadians. And I agree that paying someone to do nothing is a horrible thing to do--perhaps that is the final phase of conquest. I did also observe during my brief stay in Inuvik that the Inuit were the best off--psychologically---and that was widely attributed to their relative independance and relative manitenance of their own traditional exixtence. However corny that sounds---isnt it better to be WITHIN ones own culture if that culture provides the customs and beliefs ways of being that make it possible to be independant , somewhat in control of ones future, and to have something to look forward to. The glue sniffing scenarios of native youth --to me--seem to be due to a collapse of an entire cultural apparatus that has resulted in a psychological collapse. Like any question the scientific attitude has to be adopted----so the really uncomfortable question is if an invading relatively advanced culture displaces and essentially destroys a pre-existing culture ---and later comes to regret it and feel guilty about it and wants to mend it---how does it do it ?---has THAT ever been done anywhere?
I dont know----
By making known the corruption, exposing the frauds on both sides and addressing the issue in a hardline manner, that would set the abusers and slothes back on their heels in an attack on the system, remenissent of the US's "shock and awe". Completely wiping out the current system of "zero" checks and balances and enforcing a rule of fiscal law that would ensure only those desperately needy got the bulk of the systems assistance. Forensic audits that made a visit to the proctologist seem like a birthday party, drug testing those that wished to collect a stipend, opening the books and financial records of elected officials before, during and after elections, tracking the contracts awarded-to ensure fair bidding practices and ensuring the right people are doing the jobs-not the Chiefs cousin-who sets up a business front Friday-to open business with the Band Monday-and has clue one what the job entails.
Some of these practices will be met with staunch dissaproval, by both the Feds and the Chiefs. There are many reasons why, most of them corrupt. period.
