Attawapiskat, The Conservative Governments Response To This Emergency......
- Thread starter blackrock13
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The vast majority of first nations peoples do recognize Canada as a sovereign nation. But the nature of the relationship between their pre-existing and continuing nations and the nation of Canada is more than a little complicated.
I think you'll find it's the sovereignty of Canada over their land they don't recognize, a bit different.
I believe their view is that Canada's government, is the successor of the the Sovereign—and sovereign nation—with whom they concluded the treaties that have ever since been broken outright if not ignored. It is therefore competent to be recognized as an equal party to their own chiefs. Whether that government has honoured the treaties by which the First Nations lands were reduced to a few reserves, over which they themselves have no authority would be the subject of discussions between those equal parties.
much of what you say is totally correct. I know two people who have been representing the government in the land claim negotiations. If every land was honoured in BC by the various bands, 150% of the province would be owned by the various bands. I've sat in observing a couple of meetings on land claims of the MacKenzie River and Arctic mainland shoreline and it's a real eye opener. There are over 600 recognized nations in Canada.
What do you mean by criminalized? Find me where in the criminal code they are not allowed to hunt deer and gather berries, or farm the land? In fact they have much more ability to carry on those activities than any other Canadian.
They were segregated into isolated communities? True to an extent. They were given the choice to integrate and adopt "white mans ways" but they chose not to. Their way of life was becoming extinct, and they did not want to accept the reality of their situation. Instead they chose to try to live their "traditional" way of life. Their traditional way of life was dead or dying the moment the Europeans set foot on North America. This is the way whenever a more advanced culture settles or invades a place inhabited by another culture. Its Darwinian plain and simple.
The bullshit needs to stop. The traditional ways for the Aboriginal people these days are "ALCOHOLISM, COMPLAIN, AND SELF PITY". Whatever they had was lost many many generations ago.
Having said all that, I am not in favor of telling The first nations people that they are all "bad people". However, we have to realize that things have gotten completely out of control, and current generation of aboriginals in reserves and some ghettos in cities like Regina and Winnipeg have some serious problems.
They were segregated into isolated communities? True to an extent. They were given the choice to integrate and adopt "white mans ways" but they chose not to. Their way of life was becoming extinct, and they did not want to accept the reality of their situation. Instead they chose to try to live their "traditional" way of life. Their traditional way of life was dead or dying the moment the Europeans set foot on North America. This is the way whenever a more advanced culture settles or invades a place inhabited by another culture. Its Darwinian plain and simple.
The bullshit needs to stop. The traditional ways for the Aboriginal people these days are "ALCOHOLISM, COMPLAIN, AND SELF PITY". Whatever they had was lost many many generations ago.
Having said all that, I am not in favor of telling The first nations people that they are all "bad people". However, we have to realize that things have gotten completely out of control, and current generation of aboriginals in reserves and some ghettos in cities like Regina and Winnipeg have some serious problems.
There was a headline a few days ago that called this Canada's Katrina. One of those incidents that makes it impossible for us to keep ignoring an ongoing tragedy.
It's easy to sympathize with the Harper Government's reaction. However, blaming the band council does nothing to help the people who are suffering as a consequence of the whole mess.
Although this situation looks like a political loser for the government, there is so much scrutiny now that they're almost compelled by circumstances to look for a solution that offers both compassion (the genuine kind) and fiscal responsibility (however they define it).
I've gotta say that Charlie Angus has done a good job of forcing the big boys to wake up and take action on this one. I'd be glad to have someone like that as *my* MP.
It's easy to sympathize with the Harper Government's reaction. However, blaming the band council does nothing to help the people who are suffering as a consequence of the whole mess.
Although this situation looks like a political loser for the government, there is so much scrutiny now that they're almost compelled by circumstances to look for a solution that offers both compassion (the genuine kind) and fiscal responsibility (however they define it).
I've gotta say that Charlie Angus has done a good job of forcing the big boys to wake up and take action on this one. I'd be glad to have someone like that as *my* MP.
The 3rd Party Manager that is being sent, some would say forced on them, to help the residents is going to be paid $1300/day and the Feds expect the band council to pay. They can't really expect the community to pay can they? This punishment pure and simple for bringing this problem to the media and makin the government look bad.
OK Here it is in a nutshell guys.The First Nations can hold the whole country hostage as they did when they pulled railways ties across the CN or CP Main Line in Eastern Ontario a couple of years ago. If you or I did it we would be in jail in a heartbeat.
Same thing in CALEDONIA If a WHITE group had pulled down HYDRO Towers across the road set fire to tires etc on the road what would happen if you were a white man?? Am I RACIST ?? NO But fed up with a two tier system.
In Caledonia right now in the Courts is a First Nations guy who beat a man almost to death who now has permant brain damage with a 2x4 a couple of years ago his Lawyer also a First Nations is playing up the scenario he had a bad childhood poverty poor parenting etc WTF!!!!!.THE lAWYER ALSO REMARKED THE MANS INJURIES WERE NOT THAT BAD
Same thing in CALEDONIA If a WHITE group had pulled down HYDRO Towers across the road set fire to tires etc on the road what would happen if you were a white man?? Am I RACIST ?? NO But fed up with a two tier system.
In Caledonia right now in the Courts is a First Nations guy who beat a man almost to death who now has permant brain damage with a 2x4 a couple of years ago his Lawyer also a First Nations is playing up the scenario he had a bad childhood poverty poor parenting etc WTF!!!!!.THE lAWYER ALSO REMARKED THE MANS INJURIES WERE NOT THAT BAD
The Canadian Government routinely seizes native traps and confiscates hunting equipment, claiming that they are hunting and fishing without a license.
Specifically the choice appears to be this: "Give up all your land and forfeit everything we promised to deliver under our treaties with you".
What sort of choice is that?
So if you think they should join the modern system, why aren't they allowed to own their own homes? Why do we require them to live in government housing?
Whoaaaaaaaa...sounds like Afghanistan man.....wait...sounds like everywhere that wealthy aging fat caucasian bastards choose to roam the planet
Hell you just don't have a sense of humour. As college students, we kidnapped the mayor for ransom and gave the money to charity, stole a beer truck and took it to a house party with no repercussions (free advertising and one embarrassed truck driver) and transplanted bronze statues fro city hall to the campus for winter carnival. When you have style, grace, panache or an angle, you can get away with almost anything. Then we have the Tamils demonstration closing the highway.
As for the court case thats not a unique strategy for natives. Our lawyer members will attest to that.
Many groups have pulled down/sabotaged hydro lines and some got caught and some didn't.
most likely a thread on terb won't change anything but it's obvious only a few sympathize with the plight of those indians up north. as long as they want to run their own society, on our money, abuses will happen. when they are willing to move into a bit more modern world, i.e.: no more "chiefs", they'll begin to prosper. it's almost impossible to do badly with billions of dollars yearly but they are very successful at that.
another thought, seldom raised, is that long ago our white fore-fathers thought of a way to keep the indian population from integrating. "let's give them money and tell them where to live". there are other cultures that are welfare hounds. they never prosper. to succeed, their young men have to leave the fold. this is very hard to do.
Why should there be no more chiefs? I think they need to get rid of the hereditary chiefs, but what is your problem with elected chiefs? (How you get to be chief is different in different nations.)
And again, you portray them as looking for handouts, but have you looked into why that is? This thread is about housing. For so long as we make it the law that they have to live in government housing, and cannot own their own homes, it's pretty obvious that means their only option to solve a housing problem is to ask the government for help. They aren't legally allowed to have any other kind of housing.
And again, you portray them as looking for handouts, but have you looked into why that is? This thread is about housing. For so long as we make it the law that they have to live in government housing, and cannot own their own homes, it's pretty obvious that means their only option to solve a housing problem is to ask the government for help. They aren't legally allowed to have any other kind of housing.
I don't even know where to begin. Ap[ost from someone who has little understanding of how things are.
First of all, I don't know one band that makes BILLIONS.
Of the 600+ nations/bands in Canada, a hundred are in dire straights akin to what going on up in James Bay, another 150 are on the edge, leaving a hole bunch that are dong quite well or even thriving; refer to an earlier thread for examples. I'm not a big fan of all the casinos, but if separating a fool from his money can make things better by sharing the 'non-government' money with others in need, as pointed out earlier, then go for it.
As far as paying them off and stop them integrating, well they must have changed their minds. Remember the residential schools and their goal to educate them in the white mans way of life, clothes food, housing, play? They screwed that up as well. some of them 'injuns' must do well in nthe white mans worlds, so many are now lawyers doctors, senators, judges, and GG's. They are not all stupid people. I have one friend who is negotiating a right of way for a hydro line across a patch of land and it is fun to get the reports back. He hates them in one breath, but he admires their business savvy in these talks.
What exactly is wrong with having a chief as leader. We have them all over the place, we just call them something different.
