Deep Do-Do

With the election of Perry Bellegarde as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations we are in deeper do-do than ever.  His platform is to be less concilliatory with Ottawa, adding unhelpfully that, "Canada is Indian land." 

I knew it would come to this.  I mean, why not?  Indians can claim the entire country because they were here first  - not that they originated here, they migrated when there was a land bridge between the north and Asia.  So, we're all "from away", as Newfoundlanders say.  But the natives did nothing with the land they inhabited before later immigrants arrived, namely the rest of us.  Nevertheless, they claim it is "their" land.  Bellegarde also wants a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.  That's top of his agenda.  Hey, we all know what has happened to most missing and aboriginal women.  Tragic nonetheless, the majority have been done in by their own kith and kin.  An inquiry will uncover nothing new and I am glad Harper is refusing to hold one. 

The spectacle of Rinelle Harper, the teen who went along with two aboriginal strangers in the middle of the night and was nearly beaten to death, being trotted out for the cameras was absolutely shameful.  Sadly, she and her family have no idea how breathtakingly they are being exploited.  And the media?  Absolutely no courage to tell the whole sad story.  (see my blog, "It has to be said", November 14) 

"We will no longer accept poverty and homelessness while resource companies and governments grow fat off our land," stated Bellegarde.  Hey, it's not money that keeps natives poor -- they are given lots of that -- it's their own leaders who don't pass it on.  And pipelines?  Forget about it.  He claims they'll fight every inch of the way.  Just listened to an interview and beneath all the "moving forward" and "sitting at the table" was the real underlying message:  no pipelines unless natives approve.  Without pipelines moving oil, Canada won't have the resources Bellegarde is so keen to get in on.  Protect the land and water?  Good luck doing that with rail transport. 

It's all pathetic.