And Worth Every Penny!

When will the first nations communities start paying something back to this nation instead of always standing there with one hand out and the other full of cash.

The leadership in each band in this country should be required to post an audited financial statement just like every other business in this country and have to pay taxes. If you want to be equal, then start acting like you are equal. No more special favours just because of your skin colour!

When will the first nations communities start paying something back to this nation instead of always standing there with one hand out and the other full of cash, we will have true equality in this nation.

The leadership in each band in this country should be required to post an audited financial statement just like every other business in this country and have to pay taxes. If you want to be equal, then start acting like you are equal. No more special favours just because of your skin colour!

If they want to get some real dough, they need to get themselves represented at the UN. In the name of climate justice, the "first" nations should be able to represent themselves, and get into the carbon trading scheme. They could reasonably claim the carbon emitting rights for North America.

Come on first nations folks! Help us save the planet! Al Gore is stealing your Carbon Rights! Are you going to let that White Man get away with that?

Oh those poor, downtrodden first nations....

I have no doubt the reserves need money. The thing that bothers me is the way it is spent. In some cases it is well spent and in some cases it is not. I assume there are no problems on that particular reserve. There must have been no choice in what to do with the money.

Where does the money come from? They don't seem to have a casino on any of their reserves.

Calling Jack and Olivia, there IS someone making more than you for doing less, you need a raise. Gotta be equal and all.

And there are a few headlines at National Newswatch this morning about bands wanting their share of AGW money. It looks like someone is about to get a salary raise.

What the people on Canada's Indian reserves need is for good charitable folks with a conservative capitalist outlook to give them micro loans.

Yeah, that's the ticket.
After all, it works in Africa.
Think of the children.

Within the context of the Canadian Indian Reserve system, these governing individuals are more the equivalent to entrepreneurs in the outside world. Most IRs have no industry other than Federal entitlements (or resource entitlements handled similarly). IR governance, thanks to the Indian Act, is stuck in a mindset that sees no need for separation of governance and commerce. This natural communism with no individual property rights, although a throwback from Federal government ineptitude is ironically the ultimate endgame for all of Canada by the 3 (ignoring the Block) opposition parties in Ottawa.

As with all of us, the first step in improvement is recognition of the problem. The cure would start by recognition of the basic elements of society as individuals as opposed to collectives. Relatively accountable local governance exists within Provincial laws and that level makes more sense than most existing IR governance. Add property rights to that premise and things would start to improve. While your at it, it wouldn't hurt to add property rights to the ROC.

I think there should be a surtax on all Native's incomes in North America to pay for their collective CRIME of introducing the world to TOBACCO.

I think there should be a surtax on all Native's incomes in North America to pay for their collective CRIME of introducing the world to TOBACCO.

A great idea but let's go all the way and demand reparations.

Interesting article but I'm afraid that it doesn't show Natives as being oppressed and it questions salaries that are none of our business. So the article is racist. ;-)

...it questions salaries that are none of our business...

Wouldn't that depend on where the money comes from?

It saddens me greatly to write this but - after seeing Caledonia and with Oka in hindsight - the Canadian military needs to prepare tactics and operation strategy to take on Militant Native militias. I can't see ANY police force in Canada knowing what needs to be done now - things have just gone too far.

There are 1,000's of young natives who are on the side of "Canada - Canadian Values". We will need them in our military in this upcoming fight.

Disagree with me if you think I'm too far gone but make sure you have a "solution".

Seasons greetings,

MM

It's time that both sides starting living up to the letter of the treaties. Then we'd see change.

The trouble with many Indian bands is they're run by old style politicians who look after themselves and their friends first,then band members later if there's anything left.

We have a few Bands here in the Okanagan that are models for other bands to follow,and they are run by unrepentant capitalists. Bands don't need a Chief and Band Council whose only qualifications for the job is they're related to each other,they need people with business experience,entrepreneurs.

Revisit the Peguis Reserve in ten years, only the names will have changed. Same damned story on just about every other Rez in my old home Province.

The teenage boy quoted,"the band council and chief keep everything for themselves" spoke the reality of the situation, but the government should commission a multi-million dollar "study" just in case.

It's time that both sides starting living up to the letter of the treaties. Then we'd see change.

WHAT treaties???

human memories are a pi$$ poor keeper of history

then you have to factor in intent and context

and then the rite of any individual on either side's legal ability to represent those they claimed to represent

and then extrapolate back to the time these treaties "refer" to, and see just how many inhabitans actually existed back then. A few thousand "natives" may have a problem proving that they actually did a little more than "pass through" many of the lands they claim, as they were on their way to another temporary camp site

the whole "Indian industry" needs to be scrapped, and have these Canadians (FN) treated just like the rest of us

Thats tax free, by the way.....you would need to gross that up by 50% at least to get an equivalent off reserve salary.

Cool

Rule 11: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it. Don’t try to attack abstract corporations or bureaucracies. Identify a responsible individual. Ignore attempts to shift or spread the blame

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/rules.html

It's also enlightening to understand their rules.

Drained Brain @1:15 - I like it!

Of course, the real victims here, far more than Canadian taxpayers, are the Indians/Natives (noone has ever been able to explain to me why the term "Indian" is meant to be offensive) who are not on the band councils or related to the chiefs. The whole set up is a giant, shameless scam. The Big Men get rich off the taxpayer and act like Tammany Hall ward-heelers. Ordinary people on the reserves don't own property because that would be detrimental to their "traditional lifeways" (hate journalists? Meet some Anthropologists). People huff gasoline and commit suicide in their 'teens and give birth to children maimed for life with Fetal Alchohol Syndrome because they're being kept like exotic animals on a wildlife reserve and have no purpose and no hope. Anyone who has a problem with this disgusting third-world malarky is, of course a Racist.

And we all need to feel guilty forever about Residential Schools, because that relatively small-scale, now-defunct f*(k-up somehow justifies this massive, ongoing one.

Well, that's my pre-Christmas rant.

I don't blame the Indians for screwing us to the maximum degree possible. The fault lies with the stupid DIAND bureaucrats and - especially - with pandering politicians who allow this shit to continue, i.e. with US. Until the Canadian public acquires the two Bs (balls and backbone) we'll continue to read stuff like this in the papers, say. "Tut, tut" and move on to really important stuff like Suzuki's latest rant or Tiger Wood's "score" card.

And the problem is? The point of this little post is?

We gave them booze, they gave us smokes. We've been even for years. **** 'em.

Every status indian in canada should get a cheque for a million bucks. In exchange they sign a bullet proof contract giving up all their special rights and promising never to sue for anymore residential school BS etc.

When the money's gone, it's gone.

Then we pave over the reservations.

The end. Problem solved. Why do people make life out to be so much more complicated than it has to be?

If you do the math, since there are 7000 residents, and the 5 of these pols are overpaid by about 500,000. This works out to the theft of $70 per person.

The greatest favour we in the non-pre-columbian community could do for those under the laws of the Indian Act is to extinguish that act forthwith. It would put hundreds if not thousAnds of lawyers- largely in Montreal - out of work and give these people a chance to become full-fledged Canadians with all of the privileges, rights and responsibilities that entails.

This shows how easy it is to spend money when you don't have to raise it. This is no different than any person, group or province who is given money,through welfare,grants or equalization, they simply blow it. I have worked with several reserves over the years. The chief, his council and his family tend to do pretty well. Hats off to whoever had the nerve to leak the information. I would hope that the auditors have a good look at where the money went, especially the travel. How far does a band council have to travel?

An wutt do dey do wit dis muney eh?

If we hadn't come here these losers would be skinning beaver right this minute. Think they prefer that?

First they were Indians, then natives, then aboriginals and now first nations....but i prefer Red Royalty.
The money given to them reflects all the hallmarks of a traditional monarchist system.

I am absolutly sick and tierd of the "Whitemans Guilt" syndrome that allows the continued theft of money from the Canadian Taxpayer.
In the 80's I watched as the Chief of the Sawridge Band in Slave Lake sat in the lounge of the Sawridge Hotel in Slave Lake knock hell out of the whiteman,saying the usual that it was all whiteys fault for everything and anything that was wrong in his world. Only to see him appointed to the Senate by our dear Chretian.
Enough is enough. Scrap the Indian act and be contributing "Canadians".
I also had the pleasure of speaking to a coworker in the 90's who was a full treaty Indian who was trying his hardest to end the buck stops at the top that is so prevalent in the bands all over the country.
Ok breath...that's better

Every status indian in canada should get a cheque for a million bucks. In exchange they sign a bullet proof contract giving up all their special rights and promising never to sue for anymore residential school BS etc.
- Kathy Shaidle

This would be a very inexpensive and economically sound solution. Owning property, Indians would take better care of it and of course would be able to leverage it for business formation. And I bet that in a referendum, Indians would overwhelmingly vote for this.

The catch, tho, is that there's no longer such a thing as a "bullet proof" contract. Wills are being re-written by "fair" minded judges; contracts are being re-written years later after it appears that one party is doing better than the other; pre-nup agreements (at least in BC) have force of law only for about 3 years, after which time "fair" minded judges, very often women, who, as Kathy jests, shouldn't be allowed to vote let alone warm a judge's bench, feel free to re-write them. Immigrant sponsors are being let off the hook when sponsored immigrants go bad.

Awesome is the power of white guilt turbo-charged by State power which no politician (left, centre, or right) seems to want to limit no matter how compelling the economic argument.
And nothing supports State power more than dependency and clientism.

And nothing supports THAT more than funny money.

SO?
What's new about this? ... Nothing .... and for those of you acting like it's the first time you've heard of the Indian Graft game what freekin planet have you been living on?

Go smack yourself in the noggin with a sausage and give your head a few shakes.

And of course, only a mindless socialist sees no problem with a (T)totalitarian regime, with a small ruling elite over the rest of the serfs, living in poverty.

So, T, you symbolize the reason this fiefdom exists. The right wingers want the natives/abos/indians/FNs to live free of the shackles of REZ life, and be productive, working, thriving individuals, that at the same time, proud of their heritage, while having the pride of supporting themselves without endless welfare handouts, masquerading as 'preserving culture'.

You, and the existing, typical rulers of the reserve, want to keep our native friends enslaved forever, by handouts.

Typical

"The trouble with many Indian bands is they're run by old style politicians who look after themselves and their friends first,then band members later if there's anything left."

About 15 years ago I as working in Northern BC and doing business with a "new First nation" which had opted out of the "nation" they had formerly affiliated with.

I asked the band manager why band politics were so partisan. His answer spoke volumes. "We learned everyhting we know of politics from the white men."

Band politics is a microcosm of Ottawa.

This sounds like the UN for God's sake. Pay huge amounts of money to impoverished bands but filter it through the kidneys of the Council. Of course a "bit" will stick on the way through, just like the UN.

Canada MUST GET OUT OF THE UNITED NATIONS. They're not in our best interests at all. Can you imagine paying Chavez and Mugabe as developing nations?

Bull$#!t!!!

OMMAG - what's new about governmental overreach? Ridiculous rates of taxtation? The HRCs (what, over 30 yrs. old)? Canadian winters? Men failing to put the toilet seat down? Bad music videos? Women shopping too much? Religious bigotry? The world being full of jerks?

We're bitching about stuff. Welcome to planet Earth. Smack yourself on the noggin with a baseball bat.

Big guilt bucks in being an "official" in the victimolody matrix of this bizarro kleptocracy.

"We learned everyhting we know of politics from the white men."
~peter

Not true.
A lot of what the Indians know about politic action they learned from the Black Panther Party.

I hope fingers are pointing at the Indian leaders whenever someone brings up starving children. It won't happen, though.

an injun dude i know says: You think the liberal scum politicians taught chiefs&them alot? You don't understand real corruption until you know the corruption of a band chief.

Par for the course. This is racism, pure and simple. People are being paid for doing nothing and
it all depends on the colour of your skin. It is assumed by those who force us to give certain slovenly people money, because we think that they are incapable of looking after themselves. I have nothing but respect for Natives who have left the reserves and the free handouts, and gone about making a life for themselves.

Cut the Federal and Provincial money flow to the reserves. Let them all sink or swim like the rest of us must.

The White man has financially paid enough already. I personally am sick of the ad nauseum corruption and attitude of entitlement.

Our ROI has been abysmal and time to stop the handouts!

Can we give them Quebec and end it there? 2 birds, one stone. There, settled.

Great idea anne (from cornwall).

Sorry anne, that should be (not from cornwall).

OMG ... Let's cut the salaries of the Premier and Mayor in half ... they earn too much !!!!!

What did you morons think was happening on the reserves ... you thought the chief's and their family lived in poverty along with their people???

Chiefs have homes in the cities and drive Maseratis ... to partake of the amenities of civilization.

Of course if we reduced the $10 Billion blackmail paid annually to the aboriginals, the bleeding heart ladies in Toronto would put up a stink .. not to mention the open warfare from indians with AK-47s roaming the streets of Winnipeg and all other Canadian cities.

When Canada is not English or French anymore. What happens to treaties made if they don't feel like acknowledging them?
Islamist & others will not be kind to Natives. They owe them nothing except they bow to allah.
How about the Chinese or all the other brown people?
They have no white guilt.
All I can say is to "First Nations" Enjoy it while it lasts because it won't.
The whole government department for Indian affairs has been rotten from day one.
The smart Indian will have shucked the reserve system long ago if they want to prosper.
JMO

With the Indian Act, the federal/provincial governments enabled a feudal system to develop, from a scratch, on all Indian reservations. Like in the days of City states and castles for his Lordship, the ones that 'pay the tribute' hold all the power. When a situation like this is imposed on a people, it takes all the self respect away; also ambition. They find a 'collective comfort zone' and just 'demand' what they want. If the bigshot (Chief) can use the people to demand what HE wants then that is how the story will be told. Most of us do not know what happens on reservations because people are trapped there, they have no financial means to get out and if they do leave they are ostracized by their own families. It is a terrible situation. IMO, privatizing the property to individuals is the only solution; some will sell out, some will end up on skid row, some will be successful - just like in the real world.

Something very strange is going on, the CBC covered this story!

It's the end times...

I have family who have a home on a reserve. They have to pay taxes to the reserve for services which they cannot get because they are not "status Indians"(their word not ours.
There is a medical clinic just up the road which they can't use ,even in an emergency. The young people are being actively discouraged,by their elders, from getting a post secondary education even though it's free. If they did they'd have the tools to go out and earn a living for themselves,why do that when the taxpayer can foot the bill for them for free. If they live off the reserve they have to pay taxes for somethings but not all.
I guess if they don't make use of the free education at least we don't have to pay for it,but we probably end up paying in other ways.