Racism is a byproduct of the system. Until the system is fixed, there will always be racism.
When you segregate part of the population to 3rd world countries is it any surprise that they act like they live in a 3rd world country? And is it surprising that many people treat them like 3rd world citizens?
The bigger problem Canada has is that many of the 'ruling class' families that control the reserves across Canada have got themselves a very good gravy train. We do a lot of work on reserves and low-income housing projects, the abuse is pretty bad by the 'ruling class.'
Sounds crazy, but in the very bad reserves, it is a lot like the situation in a country like North Korea. The higher ups treat themselves like God himself, while neglecting and abusing the rest of the population. Pretty bleak.
Again, the article is talking about aboriginals in Winnipeg, as in not currently living on a reserve.
Pay natives individually rather than lump sum payments to the band, make the res administration operate like any other municipality, go to its members and raise money through taxes, therefore they will be held to a higher standard, it will also force them to either make the res more viable in order to keep their taxpayers on site or give the members some funds to where ever they move to.
I don't think it's the best idea to just hand over lumps of cash to people who are in abusive situations or suffering from. I don't think a lot of Canadians truly understand or would be accepting of the amount of public money and administration it would take to end the reserve system, not to mention the legal hurdles.
The irony of the article is this racism issue tends to go both ways. I have no problems with Aboriginal people, and it's true that Winnipeg has issues with race relations, mainly the interaction between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginals. Having said that, I have noticed a rise in how militant some young Natives have become.
There have been tons of reports where Cab Drivers, Convenience Stores, and other small business have been attacked, vandalized, and the owners ven assaulted, and told to "get off Indian land." The victims in most cases are East Indian. I've seen it first hand.
However, the media chooses to cover it up, since it's not politically correct to point out Aboriginals can be the perpetrators of racism. I have known a couple of people who have been confronted, and in one case assaulted in the North End, and the motive was the victim was told "the North End is Indian land."
It's becoming increasingly common in Winnipeg, but MSM is afraid to point it out. The whole idea of being accused of stealing someone's land in 2015 is ridiculous, but it's becoming more common, as the Aboriginal population grows. Regardless, I think that singling out Winnipeg for racism is over the top, considering most cities in Western Canada experience the same thing.
I read the article and want to participate in the discussion here but i'm afraid of rubecube's wrath so please be gentle as I may be a little ignorant....
Questions
- What does the murder of those girls have to do with racism? Were they killed by racists? Is Winnipeg racist because they haven't been able to prevent all of these horrible crimes?
- Love the "Vancouver is better than any other city" from a typical Vancouverite.
I don't think it's the best idea to just hand over lumps of cash to people who are in abusive situations or suffering from. I don't think a lot of Canadians truly understand or would be accepting of the amount of public money and administration it would take to end the reserve system, not to mention the legal hurdles.
No amount of money can erase what the Government did to Natives in the past. Children were taken away from their parents, and placed in residential schools, and the main purpose was to eradicate their language and culture.
If the Government was serious about making the issue better (at least in Winnipeg), they would build more community and rec centres, Aboriginal cultural centres, and addictions treatment centres in the Inner City. However, the opposite is happening, as addiction, community, and recreation centres close down. This leads to increases in gang membership, crime, and drug and alcohol abuse among younger and more vulnerable people.
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I read the article and want to participate in the discussion here but i'm afraid of rubecube's wrath so please be gentle as I may be a little ignorant....
Questions
- What does the murder of those girls have to do with racism? Were they killed by racists? Is Winnipeg racist because they haven't been able to prevent all of these horrible crimes?
It has nothing to do with racism, and everything to do with poverty, and coming from broken homes. But why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
Again, the article is talking about aboriginals in Winnipeg, as in not currently living on a reserve.
The whole thing reason aboriginals in Winnipeg are in such bad shape is because the reserves in Manitoba are in even worse shape. Especially the northern ones where access is limited to flying in or waiting for the winter roads.
There is a much better chance of having a life in Winnipeg. And even that is pretty terrible.
Everything is connected.
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I don't think it's the best idea to just hand over lumps of cash to people who are in abusive situations or suffering from. I don't think a lot of Canadians truly understand or would be accepting of the amount of public money and administration it would take to end the reserve system, not to mention the legal hurdles.
There are reserves in Canada that are operated like municipality, and they tend to do much better. There was an article in Mcleans a while ago talking about it.
Also, the only reason we still have a 'reserve' problem is because any politician with enough balls to talk about ending it and getting the people on them integrated into society would instantly be labeled AS a racist by the aboriginal community first, and then by everyone else is too much of a coward to want get rid of the stupid system, and make the tough choices that forces aboriginals to start looking at themselves as citizens of Canada, and not citizens of their 3rd world &$#@hole.
The irony of the article is this racism issue tends to go both ways. I have no problems with Aboriginal people, and it's true that Winnipeg has issues with race relations, mainly the interaction between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginals. Having said that, I have noticed a rise in how militant some young Natives have become.
There have been tons of reports where Cab Drivers, Convenience Stores, and other small business have been attacked, vandalized, and the owners ven assaulted, and told to "get off Indian land." The victims in most cases are East Indian. I've seen it first hand.
However, the media chooses to cover it up, since it's not politically correct to point out Aboriginals can be the perpetrators of racism. I have known a couple of people who have been confronted, and in one case assaulted in the North End, and the motive was the victim was told "the North End is Indian land."
It's becoming increasingly common in Winnipeg, but MSM is afraid to point it out. The whole idea of being accused of stealing someone's land in 2015 is ridiculous, but it's becoming more common, as the Aboriginal population grows. Regardless, I think that singling out Winnipeg for racism is over the top, considering most cities in Western Canada experience the same thing.
A national magazine singling out a city that they don't even have a clue about is pretty stupid.
Personally I think the real reason it is getting worse is because reserves in Manitoba tend to crapholes, and it is hard to get proper housing in Winnipeg for the aboriginals that leave the reserves. The fact that the barracks in Winnipeg are sitting empty while still being heated speaks to that. Manitoba Housing should be given ownership of the place and a budget to remodel it for low income housing. But every year they just spend more ridiculous fees on the lawyers to avoid having to do anything with it.
Agreed, native populations have been marginalized for generations, no issues there. However, an aboriginal calling a white guy 'whitey' is racist. Just because they're native doesn't mean their racism isn't any more acceptable.
I've hung out in predominantly Aboriginal areas of Winnipeg, and even went to house parties where I was a Caucasian minority. "Whitey" and "Honkey" have no effect on me. However, when I am called "NARC" or "Cop" because of my skin colour, that does bother me, since it's implying that I cannot be trusted. It also can be intimidating, as most experience Aboriginals have with the criminal justice system is often negative.
People are people, and racism goes both ways. I wish I knew how to fix the problems in my home city, but my feeling is it will take generations, or until the income gap between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals narrows considerably.
It has nothing to do with racism, and everything to do with poverty, and coming from broken homes. But why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
I tend to agree. Winnipeg isn't going very far to help people in poverty, and because the aboriginals tend to be the group most prone to living in poverty, the racist angle is instantly throw around.
The cycle is pretty vicious right now. Years of inept management by the Katz government and the NDP have put Manitoba in pretty bad shape.
A national magazine singling out a city that they don't even have a clue about is pretty stupid.
Personally I think the real reason it is getting worse is because reserves in Manitoba tend to crapholes, and it is hard to get proper housing in Winnipeg for the aboriginals that leave the reserves. The fact that the barracks in Winnipeg are sitting empty while still being heated speaks to that. Manitoba Housing should be given ownership of the place and a budget to remodel it for low income housing. But every year they just spend more ridiculous fees on the lawyers to avoid having to do anything with it.
The land of the old Kapyong military barracks is nestled in between Tuxedo and River Heights, two of the most wealthy areas in the entire province. The residents of the area immediately surrounding the land are vehemently opposed to creating an Urban Reserve at the old barracks, as they fear property values will plummet, and crime will rise.
Earlier comments in the thread speaking about small communities, also dealing with low education numbers. Interesting town in Alaska :
It is a dry building, which is easier do to government facilities being on the ground floor. Solves a lot of problems in small Northern communities. This town has a full Youtube page.
Last edited by Harry Lime; 01-23-2015 at 09:53 PM.
earlier comments in the thread speaking about small communities, also dealing with low education numbers. Interesting town in alaska :
it is a dry building, which is easier do to government facilities being on the ground floor. Solves a lot of problems in small northern communities. This town has a full youtube page.
fyp
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rubecube, do you have a solution to the problem? I feel like you do a lot of calling out, and a lot of opinion, but not a lot of solutions are tossed out. Is that because you don't think there is one?
How do you drastically reduce this racism in Canada?
I don't think it's the best idea to just hand over lumps of cash to people who are in abusive situations or suffering from. I don't think a lot of Canadians truly understand or would be accepting of the amount of public money and administration it would take to end the reserve system, not to mention the legal hurdles.
Right now 'we' are handing billions over to an utterly corrupt badly run system that not only doesn't do the majority of the band any good but actively encourages the ruling families to make the res less liveable to the other families, after all dividing up the money up among less band members means they get more each.
The land of the old Kapyong military barracks is nestled in between Tuxedo and River Heights, two of the most wealthy areas in the entire province. The residents of the area immediately surrounding the land are vehemently opposed to creating an Urban Reserve at the old barracks, as they fear property values will plummet, and crime will rise.
As someone who lived in MB (up north) and worked exclusively with aboriginal people, I can't wait for the day the Kapyong barracks land claim is successful (and by all accounts, eventually, it will be). I can't wait for two reasons:
1. Sending aboriginal kids to "upper class" schools would be great for the aboriginal kids rather than the segregated ghettoization of many of these kids in places like the North End. I think they'd get a much better standard of education than low income area schools.
2. Tuxedo and River Heights residents have a reputation of not being too welcoming of disadvantaged people. I can only imagine the fear mongering vitriol coming out of their mouths at the thought of their little overachievers having to socialize with kids from an urban reserve.
While I'm not aboriginal, my spouse (who is) said it's pretty dehumanizing when a store clerk tells her or a family member not to drink the bottle of mouth wash that they are purchasing. As a white person, it's very hard for me to relate to that type of treatment.
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Serious question - How would Canada go about abolishing the reserve system?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coys1882
You can't. Any politician who tried would be committing career suicide. It will never ever happen.
It's a shame people are possibly that frustrated in Winnipeg - I know Prince Albert was the same way. It's all you see and it's all you hear
The other issue that concerns a lot of people is the drain on social services. Lots of money spent on the Native population for health care, justice, schooling and none of it or very little is paid for by them. It can cause a lot of resentment.
I worked at a Uranium mine for a couple years - the only white guy on the crew and it was a great time. Good, honest, hard working people, many of whom are just as critical of the stereotypical Native. It's a sad state of affairs - wish someone had the balls to tackle it head on. The treaties and reserves need to go.
Coming back to this, would it really be political suicide though?
I mean, we all pretty much know that the current reserve system is not helping the aboriginal and is more of a hindrance on them if anything. If these are going to get better for the group as a whole, probably the best way is to get rid of the reserves and help them transition to living outside of the reserves. They already have that option, but they're not going to do it while that broken system is still in place.
I digress. Just ripping up the treaties and abolishing reserve land isn't going to fix the problems aboriginals face alone though. It's going to take numerous changes, and ultimately going to come down to education, and encouraging more of them to stay away from vices in life and commit more to positive and productive activities. There are numbers of them doing this already, and the more that come up can be role models in their community, and inspire others to do the same and follow their path. Things will get better, but the current rate is far too slow.
Anyway, getting back to main point. I would imagine majority of Canadian citizens are not a fan of the reserve system, and perhaps aboriginals on and off the reserves aren't that much of fans either? If a politician(s) actually wanting to take the issue by the horns, and campaign to get rid of the reserve system, outlining the issues with it, and alternatives that can be done to improve the standard of living for aboriginals on the reserves, will he really be risking his career that much?
What the politician is doing can be viewed as a noble act, and could get large support that people will rally around. Is it realistic to believe that they'll actually stand a better chance at getting alienated from everyone whom supported them and they'll lose political support and power? Naturally there will opposition from some high ranking members in the reserves themselves, since they're contributors to the problem. As well there will likely be opposition from opposing politicians to counter attack, but that itself could be a dangerous game since it could be viewed as keeping the aboriginals down and prevent progress for them; which could turn into a effect PR spin.
Maybe if this was coming from someone with weak political foundation, the risk is very high for them, but what if it came from someone with prominent political power and influence? People may listen more, and based on their credentials, choose to support them on this initiative, which will allow them to get party support needed to make this happen. After all, what do they have to possibly lose by doing it, in comparison to what they can potentially gain?
It may be naive, but I don't see the reserve system sticking around forever. At some point in the future, it's going to be rid of, and the politician who champions this initiative (and does it successfully, meaning it does improve life for aboriginals as whole) could have it define their legacy. That can be very attractive.
