Tom has it right

Didn't know, but there is such a thing as the Community Well-Being (CWB) index, which measures a combination of income, employment, housing and education.  In many native communities, the CWB is actually increasing, says Tom Flanagan, professor of poli-sci at the University of Calgary.  The bad news is many native communities are falling behind.

The reason?

Those communities improving are those taking control of their own affairs and utilizing off ramps from the Indian Act with such initiatives as joining the land management regime, treating land and resources as a source of income, taking advantage of local opportunities to become self-supporting via own-source revenue and developing accountable governance practices that avoid secrecy and conflict of interest, while observing the rule of law.

The rule of law and accountability!  Wow what a concept!  Transparent fiscal management!  The rule of law!  Effort and capitalization on economic opportunities!   

Those with falling CWB indecies?  Communities that practice neither own-source revenue, nor initiatives to escape from the pervasive control of the Indian Act and Indigenous Affairs bureaucracy.  Remoteness from urban locations is an obvious problem for those reserves with the most seriously declining CWB scores, notes Flanagan -- who also happens to have been former PM Stephen Harper's economics professor and mentor.  Many reserves at the very bottom have no year-round road connection to a service centre, which is a big problem.

"Finally, government needs to continue what it has already done to some degree -- create opportunities outside the Act, thus making it easier for First Nations to improve their own standard of living.  Both Ottawa and the Western provinces have caught on to the idea of First Nations owning pipelines so they can become players in the resource economy, not just suppliers of land and labour.  Now, if we can just get those pipelines built," Flanagan concludes. 

What have I been saying for years?  Get off the reserves and integrate into mainstream society and economy.  You can still keep and practice your culture and language -- like every other ethnic group does -- but start by being part of Canada.