If there's no special economic benefit to these reserves, why can't the natives just buy land and develop it like everybody else? I would think there would be large administrative costs associated with setting up these satellites - are the First Nations going to absorb that cost and then merely compete on the same level? This seems extremely unlikely.
What seems much more likely is that the federal government will be on the hook for the costs of setting these up, and then afterwards the First Nations will exploit the reserve advantages to cost local taxpayers some more. Is this really progress towards self-sufficiency?
Better rather to end the reserve system altogether over time, than extend it. Sustaining policies that create and maintain an underclass of citizen is a national shame and tragedy.
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Better educated sadness than oblivious joy.
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