Once again, you have shown that you do not comprehend the issue beyond your self-centred, myopic and narrow viewpoint and instead just keep repeating tired old homilies about the trials and tribulations of immigrants.
It appears you simply don't understand the legal repercussions of "opting out" of Indian status along with the complexities of the Indian Act + individual treaties and the government's responsibilities under both, or you don't care and are simply talking out of your ass...ets.
If you can't see the difference between the Canadian government stealing the First Nations peoples land; kidnapping, raping, murdering and mentally damaging their children; attempting cultural AND actual genocide and then hiding behind archaic laws and treaties while not even living up to their reciprocal legal and moral obligations to this very day - and someone choosing to come to Canada, then you really are a lost cause. Probably because you believe "the Indian problem" should just go away and that they should assimilate to your societal ideal or die.
I'm not a lost cause at all. And my parents and any other person who put in the effort to forgo lousy conditions and make way halfway across the world to a better life aren't lost causes either.
You get what you earn in life. Sure, sometimes there's bad luck and you get struck by bus, or you get lucky and hit the lottery, but for the most part a person gets in life what they put into it. Pure and simple.
Don't you see how silly it is? You have millions of people with nothing from decades ago, who pack their bags, say goodbye to friends and family and gamble that Canada (or another western country) is better. And for the most part it is. On the other hand, you have Natives who know more about Canada, are closer to the main cities, get some perks as per the laws, yet don't succeed as much compared to many people couldn't speak one word of English or French and were broke. Pretty sad.
The reason why people can do well out side of reserves is multi-fold. But the the origins of hoping for a better life isn't something that happens over night. It takes time and effort. And if done well helps their people, people as a whole, and cities as a whole.
All the people bolting from their crappy countries don't expect to magically turn into vice presidents when they land. What they do though is put in hard work and try to make everything work. Some people did well right off the bat. Some people had limited skills and became labourers, while the wife stayed home or became a waitress or seamstress. Not exactly millionaire making jobs here. But it doesn't matter. They key is long term thinking. And if the people coming over can't make it big, then at least a foundation there in country and city where there is opportunity so that their kids and their grandkids can succeed better than them and at a better chance then in their old country whose prospects were dim.
One thing the millions of people fleeing could have done is just not move at all. Just sit there and hope things get better naturally over time. But they didn't. They got up and left.
You make it sound like the government is forcing Natives to stay on reserves. They aren't. everyone in Canada has freedom to stay or leave as they please. If someone wants to move to the Arctic Circle, go ahead.
But hey, if many Natives prefer to live on reserves, that's their choice. Conditions aren't really changing and the government isn't exactly firing on all cylinders to change that either. So it's up to them to sit there and like it or to get up and leave. Sitting there just means little progress while everyone else including Europeans, Asians, East Indians, Jamaicans, Spanish, etc..... are all passing them by. Hey, personally I wouldn't want to sit there and watch everyone whiz by me. But if many Natives prefer to stay on reserves, no government official is going to force them to move.
I'm not the one looking for government handouts. I pay enough tax, which I get zero back in terms of direct benefits. Never collected one EI check, been to a hospital maybe once in my life, never needed to call police or firemen etc.... Even got laid off years back, but got a job a month later, so I didn't even get a chance to get one $400 EI check. $100,000s of tax paid, and I couldn't even get a measly freebie $400 back. What I could have done is just chill out a while and attend those EI training sessions and fill out forms. Prove to the office I'm looking for jobs here and there and I'd get $400 every week for months. I also got a little bit of severance too.
Forget it. Screw that. I'd rather get a job again and get back to work.
Some people would have chilled out getting EI and milking the severance till it ran out. I preferred getting back to work asap. And because I scored a job fast, that severance was like a bonus payout. This work ethic probably came from my dad, where he'd nag us to go outside or get a summer job etc.... "and don't lie around the house". It all comes down to what you put into life. I guess dad was right after all.
