Suicide-plagued Kashechewan a 'community in crisis'
- Thread starter darleneonfire
- Start date
Uhmmm, did any of you would-be politicians consider the possibility that the Indians may be content with the way things are? Talking about forcing them off the reservations sounds just a bit like apartheid to me. Anyway, unless I'm wrong, we tried the BORG approach already and they did not seem to get assimilated....
That's what I'm thinking too! Maybe we should let the Indians have a say in what the future may hold for them. They're not children.
I'm curious about the AFN, what exactly do they do for the people? Are they primarily a government lobby group or do they hold some power over the various bands?
I don't think it is as much a matter of 'forced relocation' as a long overdue recognition that the current reserve system does not work (at least in isolated locations such as Kashechewan). Have a conversation with the residents... I'm sure they want independence and a real future rather than continued (inadequate) government handouts. But instead of a community based move, I strongly prefer funding to individuals - let them make up their own minds about where their future lies and where they want to live.
But if they chose the status quo they're on their own. Its a sinkhole of despair for them, and a sinkhole of money for Canadian taxpayers.
That is my impression as well. So the question becomes why should we listen to Phil when his job is to secure money from the government. He is not responsible for fixing the problem. Can he explain where the money will go or who it should go to or how it should be spent? Who ultimately is accountable to the people of Kashechawan?
Is the band council at Kash the group that receives the money and are they responsible for ensuring the problems (both the water issues and the suicide issues) are addressed? Or is it the province, the federal government?
Another thing that puzzles me is why the First Nations people elect a lobbiest?
I have alway thought that the white man and his government has always tried to force a white man's solution on the natives. Why not have real and HONEST discussion with them to find out what will work. The native people enough brains to solve this problem, but they are always treated as of they don't, can you imagine how frustrating that can be.
I VOTE FOR CDN BEAR
Why are they on reservations in the first place? WE put them there! How would we like if the gouvt. had done the same with us. Maybe we would have the same problems. It is our responsibility to clean up our mess but with a lot of input from the native peoples.
I VOTE FOR CDN BEAR
Why are they on reservations in the first place? WE put them there! How would we like if the gouvt. had done the same with us. Maybe we would have the same problems. It is our responsibility to clean up our mess but with a lot of input from the native peoples.
That's why I'm in favour of funding natives directly, on an individual basis. Bypass the chiefs and the lobbyists, let the people figure out what's best for themselves. In my opinion that necessarily means leaving the great northern wilderness and more closely integrating into modern life.
The Globe had an excellent article on K's dilemma yesterday. It seems the people there have tentatively made up their mind. They want to stay in the same area, only move 30 km inland to higher ground. But without economic prospects the social problems that bedevil them will remain and worsen. Their young people will continue to despair and the suicide rate will continue to climb and other social problems fester. A solution has to be reached but more of the same can't be what the people of Kashechewan really want. If we allow the natives of K to choose to remain in their isolated domain we will continue to air their problems in the press for years to come. And, yes, we will blame ourselves then for not acting decisively now.
it may help solve the water supply problem, which is a start... IMO people live on reservations because they love the land they grew up on, and so why would they move to toronto or edmonton or montreal?
In fox lake they used to live by a river, but moved about 20km away from the river to be by the lake. The lake then promptly dried up, but the town still remains in place, and ceremonies etc are undertaken at the original site by the river.
Relocating didn't do squat for the people of Davis Inlet, did it? New homes and a new location, but within a year it was back to living in squalor amid rampant social ills. Kids aren't killing themselves in Kashechewan because of bad water, they are killing themselves because they have no hope and no future where they are. That doesn't mean they all have to move to Toronto, Montreal or Edmonton. IMHO it does mean they should move to where they can enjoy some genuine economic opportunities.