From a CPC press release:
Congress National Chief Dwight Dorey and National Vice-Chief Patrick Brazeau today endorsed the party after meeting with Prentice to discuss the Conservative Party’s policies on Aboriginal affairs.� The Congress represents Aboriginal peoples living in urban, rural, and remote areas throughout Canada.
Wow! I heard this on the radio tonight.
Sorry to go O/T, but I read this quote attributed to John Crosby over at Andrew Coyne’s site, and it needs to be seen by all:
“My assessment of Mr. Martin is that if he sat in the sewer, he would add to it. I was active in politics for 27 years, 10 as a provincial elected member and 17 as a federally elected member, and I’ve been interested and involved in it all my life. This is certainly the worst behaviour I have seen of any party leader.”
Bet the liebrals were NOT expecting this to EVER happen, when they used the CBC to spread the “Native angle”. Again.
The Green Party candidate in my riding went on CBC radio and told everyone to vote Liberal to stop the cut of welfare going to the reserves.
Real stand-up character for all involved, huh…
Where’s B.S when you need her, and what ARE the poll numbers in her riding anyway?
I’m pleased to learn of this endorsement.
It’s a very good thing, for both the Party and for Aboriginals as well as for Canada. Chiefs Dorey and Brazeau must be very smart, honorable people.
I hope to see more of this mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. The ordinary folks represented by the Congress who need help will then be able to access it, which I haven’t seen happening under the Liberal regime at all.
the natives and quebec always check the way the wind is blowing before they cast their lot.
Expect the same handshake from both of them – palms up.
Wow, I guess all those years of bribery, oops, I mean billions of dollars in aid from the liberals to the injuns was all for naught.
I too believe that the money spent must go to the people themselves. Not to the politicians or hierarchy running these programs. Currently, there are no checks/balances and the “majority” of the money ends up in the wrong hands …. or .. funelled back to the Party itself. If we can clean up the “kickback” aspect of Federal programs .. we will all benefit in the long run.
MIM
Exactly, MIM. Help must go directly to the people, not directly to the politicians. After all, a politician is a politician, regardless of who may have been their ancestors, right? We know very well what happens to our money when the politicians get their hands on it. That’s why regular folk formed the Conservative Party to change the way things work.
To borrow from the US, it’s about gov’t of the people, by the people and for the people. Liberals, however, are about exploitation of the land and of the people. No doubt about it.
I am pleased that the Conservative Party has been able to develop a platform and a set of priorities that Canada’s Aborigional people can support. At last the fundamental failure of the Liberal Party approach regarding Canada’s Aborignal people may be being recognized.
In keeping with a trend…
“Hear One After the Other ‘905’ NDP and Liberal Voter Explain Why They’re Leaning Toward Voting for Stephen Harper and the Conservates with Cautious Optimism as Reported in the Toronto Star“
http://www.thestar.com/NA …
* and please forgive the spelling error.
All we need now, is for Brian Mulgooney to crawl out of the woodwork, long enough to endorse Stephen Harper, (and give him the Montreal Mafia ‘kiss of death’).
Harper thinks of everything. Muldoon and Ralphie are on a “trade mission” to the orient. This is not to say that some Lieberals won’t imitate them in the next 9 days.
Many off-reserve aboriginals are not eligable for subsidy from the government therefore it makes sense for them to vote for a policy which pays out $25/child/month.
I hope CPC’s daycare policy for that $10,000 grant allows local small businesses in inner city communities to set up spaces for kids whose parents are at work after the kids get out of school. These are the parents who need this policy the most. I know at the present time it may seem unacceptable to turn candyshops or local bars (during off-business hours:) into part-time daycare insititutions, but if we allow more flexibility on standards and format, this policy could be of great signifance for poverty stricken parents of aboriginal descent, young parents, single mothers and immigrant families who are just starting out.
“stop the specialists”
As CAP’s membership is off-reserve people, it will be interesting to see this week the endorsements made by: the Assembly of First Nations, the Metis National Council, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and other (provincial chiefs) groups.
Jim Prentice has the best handle on Aboriginal people issues of any senior politician.
He, above all, is best positioned to deal with a trashed Indian Act and come up with a collaborative solution to provide a sustainable life for Canadians who are aboriginal.
Go Jim.
Good Deal! I’d like to think it had something to do with the “Native Response” ( http://www3.telus.net/public/safework/blog/flash/natives.html ) flash animation I put together but probably not.
when did Ralph leave for China , I saw him in person on Monday.???
As bryce said, turning bars into child care centres isn’t that bad. The lie-brals turned military buildings into homeless shelters. One of which was Fort York Armoury on Fleet St. in Toronto. Can it be that bad? Allan. Toronto.
Nice to have an endorsement from the Aboriginals.
This will help Stephen Harper. Has he visited there recently? Allan
this is wonderful news…thank you CAP and i am so happy the consevative policies offer something to your people…”finally”…
it is time for us all to work together towards a stronger canada…
and thank you KATE for an excellant site!
Natives are going to love the G.S.T and child-care plan the same as everyone else.
Good plan…
According to stageleft, CAP is a non-entity (my word) & doesn’t count. Since the only Aboriginals I know are off-reserve, and they are pissed that off-reserve Aboriginals never seem to be considered by the feds, I call bull$hit. Looking at the response the CPC gave them to their questions, I’d say the CPC gave the issue some thought. Looking at CAP supporting them as “most likely to deliver” my kudos are to them.
My two daughters are half native with full status. My 18 yr old is voting in her first election and was solidly Conservative (do I know how to raise them, or what?) but she heard from friends that a vote for CPC meant they would revoke their status.
So we went to the candidates debates and (she was shy) I asked the CPC incumbent on her behalf. He said absolutely not, although they are looking at making some adjustments to the Indian Act in order to strengthen native women’s rights (property and such).
We walked out and she was 110% convinced of her Conservative vote. All her friends (and their parents) use scare mongering and outright lies to keep natives voting NDP. I hope this shines a little light, it’s long overdue. And so is that overhaul of the Indian Act.
For more information on the Policy Speech of the First Peoples National Party’s Brendan William Cross (a summary of a Policy Paper chaired by Party President Jerry Fontaine, nephew of Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine), visit http://www.angelfire.com/sk/brendancross/
Although I am pleased with the endorsement has this been reported in the news anywhere? Does someone have a link to some media coverage? It would be nice to see it reported in a major newscast.
My neice and nephew are stat (18 & 20) and had already planned to vote conservative but they do not live on a reserve either so liberals don’t appeal to them. It seems the younger generation are having a second look at the conservatives.
It’s too bad the guys over at Dust My Broom weren’t running in this election with the Conservatives, they would be a huge asset and bring about real debate for change in Indian Affairs and fresh ideas.
I just gave DMB a plug at the Roundtable.
The ex-Grand Chief of the Prince Albert area bands, Gary Merasty, is the Liberal candidate in northern Saskatchewan and would probably be heading to a Liberal cabinet position if Martin were to form a government. This would not be good news for Saskatchewan for Merasty is on record for wanting to take a slice of the provincial resource pie in this province for his aboriginal buddies and is running his campaign using this threat (ie. revenue sharing etc.). So bye bye Paulie and bye bye Gary.
Excellent column Kate.
In regards to aboriginal leadership and this Federal election, this question is key.
It looks like this “Reform/Alliance/Progressive Conservative” CPC may actually have re-invented itself to ask the right questions and search the right paths for solutions to generations old questions in Canada, such as the almost criminal neglect by the Federal government of aboriginal peoples’. Neglect is one thing, but the Feds have also been patronizing, and ultimately tieing up a whole group of people in red tape so tight, very few ever excape.
When Pope JP II came to Canada and spoke on this issue, non-aboriginal Canadians pretended to be white South African’s in the 70’s and said/thought that the Pope just didn’t know the reality. Perhaps the Reformers were actually listening and taking notes.
I don’t know, but I do know that aboriginal Canadians need changes, they need help, hope and to be treated properly. Tieing them to ghetto’s with an “Indian Act” and federal red tape does nothing for the future of aboriginal people.
W.L Mackenzie’s point:
“Interesting how racist the left gets when their stereotypes wander off the plantation. Nothing the left hates more than a self reliant self made minority….they want minorities to rely on the state for all their needs…they spread the doctrine of victimhood and reliance, because it keeps the statists who administer “victimhood welfare” in power, in jobs and important.
The left’s worst nightmare is an educated, self employed and successful minority….there is no political currency for the left in self reliance or success. The left needs an endless stream of victims to make its political ideology relevant…if victims do not exist, they must be created.”
… is right on.
Tom