Attawapiskat chief goes on hunger strike

[karrie]

If they had just said they were grateful, you might have a point, but the descriptive words used to describe her implied a little more than that. IMO.


I also see that they state that THEY are the leaders. If that is the case then they are responsible for the existing situation. The leadership of any organization is where the buck stops.

If you start a grass roots movement, how can you possibly stop someone like Spence from highjacking it? she decides to hold a hunger strike in support of your cause, how do you say 'f-off, this is a citizen movement, not a politician's movement.'

All they can do is keep trying to get their message out, while the media focuses on Spence and Attawapiskat, confusing the situation.

Turning this into partisan politics is totally unhelpful. Many years of liberals have done worse.

Who said anything partisan? Harper's PM... it's impossible to talk about what the PM will or won't do, without talking about the PM.

 

[petros]

If they had just said they were grateful, you might have a point, but the descriptive words used to describe her implied a little more than that. IMO.


I also see that they state that THEY are the leaders. If that is the case then they are responsible for the existing situation. The leadership of any organization is where the buck stops.

And when the buck stops at the Rez boundary, so does support for off Rez people trying to make a go of it.

The Chiefs are part of ther problem.

 

[Goober]

If you start a grass roots movement, how can you possibly stop someone like Spence from highjacking it? she decides to hold a hunger strike in support of your cause, how do you say 'f-off, this is a citizen movement, not a politician's movement.'

All they can do is keep trying to get their message out, while the media focuses on Spence and Attawapiskat, confusing the situation.

And that is what Spence did- and that is what many in the media picked up on. I think that many in IDNM see some Chiefs as part and parcel of the problems. Just my opinion.

 

[skookumchuck]

If you start a grass roots movement, how can you possibly stop someone like Spence from highjacking it? she decides to hold a hunger strike in support of your cause, how do you say 'f-off, this is a citizen movement, not a politician's movement.'

All they can do is keep trying to get their message out, while the media focuses on Spence and Attawapiskat, confusing the situation.



Who said anything partisan? Harper's PM... it's impossible to talk about what the PM will or won't do, without talking about the PM.

So you have not noticed that Gerry blames every problem on the conservatives? Ok.

 

[karrie]

So you have not noticed that Gerry blames every problem on the conservatives? Ok.

I've seen it. But right now we have a Conservative PM. How is he supposed to talk about what the PM is going to, or not going to do, to your liking? I'm sorry, but the PM is part of the convo here. He's our elected official,. What he's doing, or not doing, is going to be discussed by everyone he works for.

 

[ChristianMN]

So most recent....Are the native peoples declaring war on the rest of Canada? I just watched an "idle no more" chief claim that there are many "warriors" ready to take this to the next level. Didn't we sign treaties to prevent exactly this? And if they declare war are we supposed to sit idly ourselves? This is getting way out of hand.

 

[petros]

I've seen it. But right now we have a Conservative PM. How is he supposed to talk about what the PM is going to, or not going to do, to your liking? I'm sorry, but the PM is part of the convo here. He's our elected official,. What he's doing, or not doing, is going to be discussed by everyone he works for.

Somebody who is being investigated in a way that may lead to Federal inquiry (Govt) and potential Criminal Code charges through the Crown (GG) while riding the coat tails of legitimate discontent needs to a get a sober lawyer because the PM, GG or any MP or Departmental bureaucrat involved can't discuss ANYTHING related to her situation or situations like it that may be referred to in this non-sense idea of a meeting.

As far as "Harper doing something" goes, any ideas that aren't stomping your (indirect) foot on the floor for something that is just beginning to unravel?

 

[#juan]

I've seen it. But right now we have a Conservative PM. How is he supposed to talk about what the PM is going to, or not going to do, to your liking? I'm sorry, but the PM is part of the convo here. He's our elected official,. What he's doing, or not doing, is going to be discussed by everyone he works for.

I just read that Spense's current romantic interest has gone bankrupt. This is also the man who does the books for
Spense. I think if the feds would go in there and sort this thing out asap. it would be better for all. I don't know this man and
I don't know Spense but the mess has been going on far too long. I'm sure nobody knows this better than Spense.

 

[Goober]

I just read that Spense's current romantic interest has gone bankrupt. This is also the man who does the books for
Spense. I think if the feds would go in there and sort this thing out asap. it would be better for all. I don't know this man and
I don't know Spense but the mess has been going on far too long. I'm sure nobody knows this better than Spense.

Juan
The Feds know full well which Bands have accounting problems- They have known that for years.

 

[Sal]

I just read that Spense's current romantic interest has gone bankrupt. This is also the man who does the books for
Spense. I think if the feds would go in there and sort this thing out asap. it would be better for all. I don't know this man and
I don't know Spense but the mess has been going on far too long. I'm sure nobody knows this better than Spense.

8O this is getting worse by the second. no wonder she has been living on broth and her health is failing, and it has nothing to do with her diet

 

[#juan]

Juan
The Feds know full well which Bands have accounting problems- They have known that for years.

Attawapiskat would be a great starting point. This is at least our second year talking about it. I would send

in the military and confiscate all the paper and get to the bottom of this. Chief Spense may be a great person

but I don't think she is competent to run a multi-million dollar enterprise.

 

[Locutus]

via sda:


News Shaping vs. News Reporting


The following should be a primer for all Journalism 101 students:

Theresa Spence, living it up | Stephen Taylor

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Fair enough that Harper is the PM and as leader of the governing party he is the focus of criticism, warranted or not. But the problem with funding the reserves and underfunding has been a systemic problem for decades and spanned Conservative and Liberal Parties both in Majority and minority governments. From my vantage point the Harper Government is the first to say: 'Something stinks in Denmark" when the crisis first broke. Instead of going for a photo-op and throwing money at it while placing a hand on his balls. The audit clearly backs up that claim, and like the Body Bag Debacle back in 2009, this has turned out to be a huge straw man.

While the crisis on the reserve is very real, the issue seems to be how the leadership on the reserve has been handling money afforded to it for housing. You can't simply say, "Oh I have no receipts! Please send more money." and not expect the scorn and distrust such arrogance and outright stupidity breeds.

Native leaders need to rally to a cause that isn't infected by the likes of incompetent (to put it kindly) or outright corrupt leadership. It's time for the theatrics to end, time for Native Leaders to step up and say not here, not now and knock off the BS like: "We don't recognize your laws" and this self-entitled mantra that does little to move the relationship between aboriginals and non-aboriginal to a place of agreement and fairness.
If you don't recognize the law, then you don't recognize the currency. You can't have it both ways.

Blocking the Peace bridge or beating up residents in Caledonia will never foster my support, but open honest discussion about how to improve Canada is a sure way to improve the present US vs Them climate.

 

[karrie]

An interesting little tidbit to add to the fray. A year old, but still an interesting read.

Taking a Second Look at those Attawapiskat Numbers | OKT

a bump for Loc since we're back to comparing toronto and Attawapiskat.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

a bump for Loc since we're back to comparing toronto and Attawapiskat.

Unfortunately the source like any politically slanted article is extremely biased.

 

[karrie]

Unfortunately the source like any politically slanted article is extremely biased.

I posted a like post to Loc's, and said as much.

 

[petros]

Attawapiskat would be a great starting point. This is at least our second year talking about it. I would send

in the military and confiscate all the paper and get to the bottom of this. Chief Spense may be a great person

but I don't think she is competent to run a multi-million dollar enterprise.

The RCMP is military.

Taking a Second Look at those Attawapiskat Numbers | OKT

Attawapiskat Rapid Transit =

Getting the trots from fish broth and bologna?

What is the budget for that?

 

[Locutus]

a bump for Loc since we're back to comparing toronto and Attawapiskat.

It's more about how the MSM present their entrees at the pass. Usually too much parsley.

 

[gerryh]

So you have not noticed that Gerry blames every problem on the conservatives? Ok.

I do? That's news to me.

Unfortunately the source like any politically slanted article is extremely biased.

and I suppose levant's rants are not biased in the least.

 

[Locutus]

For those that didn't click the Taylor link:

Are those video screens in the headrests of Theresa Spence’s SUV? Is that her SUV?

The photo caption of Fred Chartrand’s photo on the National Post reads: “Attawapiskat First Nations Chief Theresa Spence leaves Victoria Island as she continues her hunger strike in Ottawa, Wednesday January 9, 2013.”

Not only this, but we’ve learned that Spence has been staying in hotels during her stay in Ottawa.

And that “hunger strike”? We all now know that it consists of fish broth, herbal tea, and whatever else Spence consumes in her teepee on Victoria Island, in the comfort of an SUV, or in her hotel room.

Other observers have fairly pointed out that she has not lost much weight for being on a hunger strike for about 30 days. I’m not for fat-shaming any person, but the hunger strike is the central news claim and it appears that this claim, and the threat to herself, are false.

The alleged hunger strike is to show that Spence is adamant about having a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. When the Prime Minister agreed to such a meeting, she backed off and moved the goal posts, asking for the Governor General to attend as well. When the Governor General re-iterated his non-administrative role in government, the #Idlenomore movement dug in their heels and threatened to call the whole meeting off. Spence even petitioned the Queen.

The Spence news event happened during the news vacuum that usually happens between mid-December through late January when the House of Commons isn’t sitting. It also comes during a time that ramps up to the release of a Deloitte audit of Attawapiskat. The audit’s last possible day of release was to be January 16th, however it was unveiled this week. It was quite damning of the administration of funds at the Attawapiskat First Nation. Over 80% of the money was unaccounted for and/or lacked supporting documentation. According to the audit, some unnamed contractor made over $300,000 for one unknown job. Who was this contractor? One named contractor is Spence’s boyfriend who is paid over $850 a day to manage the town’s expenses. He’s doing a bang-up job, isn’t he?

Since Spence must have known the quality of the Attawapiskat books, was this hunger strike a ploy to gain political capital ahead of the audit’s release?

Would we tolerate such accounting in any other municipality in Canada? In other cases such as this, the RCMP would be investigating.
Is #Idlenomore a political movement that is supposed to highlight poverty on reserves, one that calls for self-determination, self-governance, and independence from Ottawa? Why then is Theresa Spence living large on Ottawa’s dollar while her people freeze in inadequate housing?

News crews have now been evicted from Victoria Island and one from Global News was even removed from Attawapiskat.
As Canadians, we demand accountability and transparency from our elected officials. Why wouldn’t we demand the same from First Nations politicians?

Grand Chief David Harper of the Okimakanak First Nation described Theresa Spence as their very own “Mother Theresa”. I don’t remember reading reports of the Calcutta nun rolling on 20″ rims.


Theresa Spence, living it up | Stephen Taylor