I'm surprised that this debate so far has only been about dollars and cents. I understand that money is of primary importance, but unless you can present a system that Aboriginal groups feel that their rights are protected it's really a moot point. Aboriginals feel that they are Canadian citizens "plus" meaning that they are entitled to extra rights on top of Canadian citizenship because the Canadian government entered into treaties with Aboriginal Bands to see that their basic needs (healthcare, education, basic tools) are met, and the government then proceeds to mis-manage this responsibility for close to 1.5 centuries and then they just want to wash their hands and make every Aboriginal "equal" with the rest of the population? The government made multiple promises to aboriginal bands all over Canada, and they cannot just opt out when things do not go well.
You cannot just throw money at this problem, because that's what the government has been doing all along, and alot of Aboriginal groups have been mis-managing the funds given and that's part of how we have ended up where we are. The government can't manage Aboriginal groups so they try to give increase Aboriginal self-government, which doesn't work either. If the government wants to end the Indian Act, then they best get planning an amendment to the Indian Act that addresses the needs of all parties. The real problem is that a lot of Aboriginal groups do not what the same things of mainstream population (property ownership, entrepreneurship etc).
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