Because Ontario Regional Chief Roseanne Archibald has been demanding a financial review and accounting of the millions in resources given the Assembly of First Nations, she has been so badly harassed and threatened she has actually had to name a proxy for gatherings and votes in the assembly because she is afraid to appear in person.
In other words, she is afraid for her life. Feature that! Charmaine Stick anyone? (See "Charmaine's Perspective," August 2/20) Once again, any time anyone asks for answers about where ALL the money goes, they are driven out of the inner circle and threatened.
Gee, wonder why that is? It's all so scandalous and our nature boy pm, running around wearing his father's buckskin jacket, will never do anything about how he dumps our money into the native pit with nary a hoot about what's done with it. Remember, this is the guy who, immediately upon taking office, cancelled the financial accountability act for natives. As I have said, when I was working for the feds, I had to account for every cheese sandwich I bought while travelling, or else my claims were sent back unapproved until I told them on which park bench I had eaten it! The brave Chief Archibald:
Here's another example of the "who gives a hoot" mentality about native money -- or should I say, our money given to natives: Two of Alberta's largest first nations have written letters to coal companies saying they will, "oppose any new coal mine proposals in the Rocky Mountains". Gee, must have forgotten that the natives own the entire range, sorry about that.
The Siksika and Kainai claim new mines would threaten one of the few places that can still support traditional blackfoot culture. Las time I checked, natives were not relying solely on hunting, fishing and gathering to eat. They were dining out on the billions handed them. Any hunting, fishing or gathering was done for recreational purposes, from what I have read.
Both chief Ouray Crowfoot and Scotty Many Guns say, "We have to make sure our treaty rights are not impacted. This territory (the entire Rockies, I presume) has been used for thousands of years. It remains a hunting ground, a garden of edible and ceremonial plants and a gathering site."
In other words, in case we need a specific plant for something sometime in the future, no one can mine a lump of coal anywhere.
It's all such bullsh-t. You can bet that not a speck of dirt will be shoveled anywhere, until years and years of never-ending consultations have been carried out. So, since consultations with natives will never end, coal mines will not go ahead.
Their lawyer, Clayton Leonard, also dragged out the government-to-government plaint, i.e., that the federal government must deal with natives as representatives of an equal government. Really? No. Dependent on federal money, native governments are neither "equal" nor "nations". People need to stop falling for that one. Yes, some bands -- especially those in B.C. -- have been very successful in partnering with industry to become prosperous. But do they return federal money in proportion to what they have earned? That was a rhetorical question.
As I have always said, if you get your money for nothin' and your chicks for free, why worry about how the rest of us mine it to give you? I mean, who gives a hoot?
Next on the native agenda, child welfare restitution. According to the Parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux, it will cost $15 billion to "compensate" native families whose children were taken away, presumably for no reason (I jest.)
This has doubled because more families have been included because....because....? I forget, but you can see the sly hand of Cindy Blackstock here.
So, we effed. Again. As I have said, it won't be long before Canada is a third-world country. Then who'll be handing the natives money.
In case you'd forgotten, here's what a "pristine" hunting and gathering reserve looks like:
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