APTN National News
While that the action plan announced by the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo and the Harper government following Tuesday’s Crown-First Nations Gathering could take years to produce results, infrastructure in northern Ontario communities continues to crumble.
APTN National News reporter Tiar Wilson travelled to Kasabonika Lake First Nation.
Here, the community continues to deal with an overflow of raw sewage and the federal department of Aboriginal Affairs remains unresponsive.
Houses in the far north, only last for 5 to 8 years. The heat from the houses melts the permafrost, and rots the, under floor boards. In the dampness, the entire house rots and mould grows everywhere. As Mike Holmes said, the houses were crap to begin with. To build a plain Jane cabin in the far north, costs $250,000. Harper has no price controls in Canada. Food costs have gone up 30%. In the Northern communities, their food costs, are 7x our cost. Their heat bill’s up there, are obscene. So is hydro, especially if run by generators.
The number of F.N. young people, that commit suicide is very, very sad. They see no better lives for themselves. Many F.N. children, don’t even know what a real school. They have to keep their winter jackets on to stay warm, in their ice cold portables. Their standards of education, are as outdated as the old Indian act. Those kids can’t even go on to a higher education.
For decades upon decades, the F.N. people have been cheated out of the minerals on their lands, by the Canadian government. They are the last to be hired for any jobs. The Chinese are sending their people to school, to learn English. They will work the BC coal mines. Those jobs were to be for the F.N. right on their own damned land. Harper does not give them any job security. They lose out every time.
We know there is substance abuse and alcoholism, among the F.N. I would probably drink too, to get rid of the memories of those wretched, terrible residential schools. I would be bored to death, with nothing to do. They can’t spend all their time, hunting and fishing.
I had a friend, that was a F.N. I asked her, why does your yard look like an Indian yard? She burst out laughing and said, I wanted you to come and have a coffee with me and go shopping. But, you grumbled and griped, because you had to go home and do your yard work, which you hate. She said, too bad you’re a slave to your yard. I’m not and I’m going to the mall, there is a good sale on. I was ticked right off. Wild flowers, forest tree’s are what belong on their land. They don’t care about our silly flowers, and lawns.
The F.N. need industries and jobs. They don’t deserve our hate, they deserve our help.
Caledonia is one ugly face of First Nations political action.It is violent and distructive. As Trudeau brought in the Army to deal with Separtist violence, possibly it has come to that with such threats. The chief that sanctioned and encouraged violence by his words at the meeting follows a long tradition similar to that of the the Irish Republicans, Hamas etc.
Many Canadians are fed up with the misuse of the financial resources. The photographs in the CBC articles shows litter and chaos, burns on the ceiling from an inappropriate fire source. It is alarming the abuse of natives within the native leadership with many chiefs receiving outlandish salaries with no taxes.
Surely a work party could have been organized to clean up Attawapiskat. Surely local youth could have been trained in construction trades to handle maintenance and repair.Other than broad generalized statements of grievance where are the specific reforms suggested by the First Natives leadership?
Why would those making good money on the reserves not pay taxes that could be redistributed to others less fortunate?Where is the self help?
Why do we still have traditional chiefs who gain this status through birth and not by election?
What are the specifics of the treaty grievances by way of documentation? I put no weight on “oral tradition” as memory fail and is distorted by self interest.