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Originally Posted by FlamesFanInOilCountry
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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Are you sure that 'a lot of Aboriginal groups do not want the same things (property ownership, entrepreneurship)'? I'm certainly not calling you a racist here, but that statement is not much different than saying that they're drunks. Some are, some aren't. Some don't want preoperty ownership, but I bet that lots and lots do.
I think that the ones that don't want property ownership are the ones in charge. The chiefs and/or councils get to control the entire reserve, and from what I've learned here and there, you can fall out of favour with the guys in control, and pretty much get your house taken away by the chief. I'm not saying that happens every day, but the fact that it does happen at all is pretty out of place in our 'civilized' country.
The problem, as I see it, started when we put them on reserves, which limited their ability to live the way they were living before us European folk came along and took all the rest of the land, and essentially put them on little islands all over the country. That basically eliminated the possibility of the two cultures integrating and advancing simultaneously. And now, they're just so far behind, in standard of living, education, and just general confidence as a race, that it seems like they hardly care about doing anything that promotes success for future generations.
In some ways it baffles me that they have all this land, and don't bother to do stuff with it that will generate money. Sure there's a gas station and a casino and a golf course on the Tsuu Tina, but think about all the things they could be doing. The ring road thing is the obvious one. If they took the money Alberta offered, let the road go through, and then used the chunk of land that would appear to be inside the city as a place to put shopping and commercial things, they could generate loads of money for their band, as well as create lots of jobs. Things that would give a lot of people a lot of hope or purpose, rather than this life of living in near squalor that we're constantly hearing about.
On the other hand, it's not so baffling that nothing is really being done, when they've basically been pushed out of out society and treated like crap when they try to come in. It like they've been taught that they're losers, and now they believe it. Like the opposite of Jews that are rich, generation after generation, they're poor, generation after generation.
I don't know how to fix this, but paying them a half million dollars to take the rest of what they've got left isn't the answer. Maybe the reserves could get divided into usable lots and given to each member. Titled. Give them something to own. And make it 88 years before any of that land can be purchased by a non status person. Give them a chance to join this century, and hopefully they're be fully caught up by the next one. With this scheme, by the year 2100, the reserves will be gone, and many of the FN people will have really changed their family's course. Not everyone will win, but it's not like us Euros are all winning, either.