So in case you didn't know, the Ontario provincial election is happening in 4 weeks on Thursday, October 6, 2011. There is lots of election activity happening in Ontario and lots of confusing political messages and attack ads on tv. Elections can be very confusing, especially to our younger population who may be voting for the first time.
http://www.electionalmanac.com/canada/ontario/
The contenders for the top spot of Premier are: (1) Progressive Conservative Party's Tim Hudak; (2) New Democrat Party's Andrea Horwath; (3) Green Party's Mike Schreiner; and (4) Liberal Party's Dalton McGuinty. McGuinty is the current incumbent (i.e., he is currently in the position of Premier and hoping to be re-elected).
You are entitled to vote in this upcoming election if: (1) you are at least 18 years old, (2) a Canadian citizen, (3) you reside in an electoral district and (4) have not already voted. This means that for those Aboriginal people in Ontario who want to, you can vote in this election.
http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/who-can-vote.aspx
However, if you do vote, I STRONGLY suggest that you read the election platforms (i.e., promises made by politicians about what they will do if elected) of each party beforehand. It is not because I believe that most contenders will fulfill all their election promises, but if they are not making ANY promises in relation to key issues that concern you, then this should act as a major red flag.
As a Mi'kmaw woman who now lives in Ontario, my primary concern is for the First Nations living in Ontario and how their views, concerns, needs, rights and interests will be addressed by each party. I don't vote in elections, so I won't be voting, but I participate in other ways, like helping to inform others about who and what they are voting for - if they do.
It is for this reason that I have gone through all of the election platforms, including the Liberal Plan which was just released today. The first thing that struck me was that not a SINGLE plan mentioned Aboriginal peoples at all. There was no mention of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, or their rights, interests or needs. The solitary reference to Aboriginal peoples was in the Conservative's tough on crime section of their platform where they made a reference to "illegal" activity on reserves.
Tim Hudak and the Conservative Party of Ontario's election platform is called the "Changebook" and can be found here:
http://www.ontariopc.com/changebook/
Andrea Horwath and the NDP's election platform is called "The Plan for Affordable Change" and can be found at this link:
http://ontariondp.com/en/policy
Mike Schreiner and the Green Party's election platform is called: "It's Time: A five point plan for Ontario's future" and can be viewed here:
http://www.gpo.ca/sites/gpo.ca/files/gpo_platform_2011.pdf
Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal Party's plan was just released today and is called: "Forward Together" and can be accessed at this link:
http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/OurPlan/pdf/platform_english.pdf
In all of the platforms, there are lots of nice pictures of happy white people riding bikes, taking strolls in the forest, holding hands, or working hard mining, farming, or assembling vehicles. All of the contenders for Premier themselves are all white people. There is not a single picture of a First Nation community, celebration or leader in all of these platforms. It is like we do not exist in Ontario.
The province of Ontario has the LARGEST population of Aboriginal peoples of all the other provinces and territories. There are almost 300,000 Aboriginal people living in Ontario, which means that 21% of all Aboriginal people live in Ontario. Even more astounding is that 80% of the Aboriginal population living in Ontario lives OFF-RESERVE. There are also 133 First Nations within Ontario, making it the province with the second highest number of First Nations after British Columbia.
http://www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/services/datasheets/aboriginal.asp
So why have we become invisible to Ontarians? Is Pikangikum's child suicide crisis not visible enough?
http://netnewsledger.com/2011/09/01/pikangikum-first-nation-faces-suicide-epidemic/
Or what about Attawapiskat's deplorable school conditions?
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/dec10/attawapiskat.asp
Or how about the long, unresolved land claims in Six Nations?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/caledonia-landclaim/
I am sure that most people remember the senseless murder of Dudley George at Ipperwash:
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/ipperwash/report/vol_4/pdf/E_Vol_4_Full.pdf
What about the First Nations that live in the Ring of Fire and their Aboriginal and treaty rights?
http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/Industry-News/mining/First-Nation-pushes-back-against--Ring-of-Fire--mine,-rail-project-510.aspx
I could literally go on and on about the numerous Aboriginal issues and concerns in Ontario, but that is not the purpose of this blog. My point is to highlight that our issues have been completely ignored in this election. The only party that took any notice of First Nations was the Conservative Party, but not in a good way. True to right-wing form, they only mention First Nations is in the crime section of their platform. (see page 33)
There, the First Nation traditional tobacco growing, manufacturing, and trading activities are characterized as "illegal", "criminal", and "dangerous" because it is run by "organized crime that uses it to fund their drug and weapons trades". The Conservatives racist attack on First Nations is bolstered by their view that "honest businesses who are robbed of revenue, and every Ontario family, as we lose at least $500 million each year in tax revenue."
We, as First Nations people are invisible when we are dying of starvation, our children kill themselves at alarming rates or our schools are condemned. However, if there is even the most remote chance that we might be able to benefit from using OUR land or OUR resources, then they crack down with all their police, military, and legislative might to ensure that we stay where we belong: living in extreme poverty on reserves out of the hearts and minds of "honest", "hard-working" Canadians.
Even the Liberal platform, which labels Dalton McGuinty as the "Education Premier" brags for pages about the education levels and achievements of Ontario residents. Sure, Ontario can boast about 85% graduation rates, 75% of students exceeding provincial testing standards, and how they have invested $4 billion in new classrooms, libraries, buildings and labs.
I guess it would not look very good for the Liberals to talk about Aboriginal education statistics. They will fall back on the jurisdictional argument that Aboriginal people are federal jurisdiction. Well, in fact, as the province knows very well, the only Aboriginal group that is definitively federal jurisdiction is First Nations living on reserve. Given that 80% of Aboriginal live OFF-RESERVE, this means that Ontario has at least some role to play in ensuring that EVERYONE who lives in Ontario has access to all these wonderful educational benefits.
None of these candidates deserve our vote, but they do deserve to called on their lack of honesty and failure to stand up for EVERYONE who lives in Ontario. Speak up and call them on it.
I know I will!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Canada's Genocide?: Death by Poverty in First Nations
I apologize to all my readers about not posting lately. There are so many issues that I want to deal with and that need more attention, like: the failure of BC to provide funding to Aboriginal women's groups to be able to participate in the Pickton Inquiry; the Conservative government's subversion of the specific lands claims process by offering take-it-or-leave-it offers; the expert First Nation panel which has been a fiasco from its troubled beginnings, or the Conservatives pattern of censoring information. All of these issues I have tweeted about, but are deserved of their own blogs.
However, as one person I only have so much time to do more things than I could finish in a lifetime. Currently, I am working on a journal article that will be published this fall on the pre-mature deaths of First Nations caused by the crisis of poverty created and maintained by Canada. This article is taking me much longer to write than usual because of the subject matter.
As I type the words on each page, my heart gets heavier and heavier until I cannot hold my feelings anymore and have to walk away from the paper. Sometimes, when I am referring to very specific examples, stories of specific communities and individuals, I can't help but cry. I am not crying for me, but for our Indigenous brothers and sisters who are denied their very lives by all the discriminatory laws, policies, and barriers imposed on First Nations by Canada.
Often times we hear these words so often from our leaders and various advocacy organizations that the public hears it only as rhetoric - an exaggeration of the actual situation in First Nations. Any publicity about a crisis in one of our communities is quickly downplayed by allegations of corruption or mis-spending in another. We are often blamed for the ill effects of colonization and systemic racism.
Canada has perfected the ability to "defer, deflect and deny" the fact of First Nations dying by poverty. Creating these situations of life and death make "negotiations" about our Aboriginal and treaty rights and land claims much easier. We are so far from an equal bargaining position with Canada that any agreement arrived at today should be challenged as an imprudent bargain.
This is what I am writing about in my article. This is the reason why I haven't been able to post any blogs lately or update my website (which is in desperate need of an update). Here is an excerpt from my article that I am working on:
However, it is not just the federal government’s own offices and agencies that have noted Canada’s lack of action on First Nation poverty and discrimination. The Ontario coroner’s report referred to earlier clearly linked the extreme poverty in Pikangikum First Nation to the high suicide rates among their children:
What health care residents do receive is “fragmented, chaotic and uncoordinated” with “clear gaps in service”.[2] Their school burnt down in 2007 and has never been replaced despite empty promises by INAC to do so. The significant funding disparities that exist between First Nation and Canadian students means that the students who are the most disadvantaged and have the greatest needs, receive the least. A community of only 2400 people has 200 child welfare files open with 80 children in care. Due to the lack of housing and the high levels of overcrowding, these children are sent to foster homes far away from their communities. Should anyone be surprised by the fact that 16 children between the ages of 10-19 took their own lives between 2006 and 2008? Under the Criminal Code of Canada, section 318(2)(b) defines genocide as:
(b) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.[3]
At what point does Canada’s denial of the problem equate with a de facto policy of genocide?
As always, I welcome any comments or feedback you may have about any of my blogs. For the next little while however, there may be delays in my response so that I can finish this article.
However, as one person I only have so much time to do more things than I could finish in a lifetime. Currently, I am working on a journal article that will be published this fall on the pre-mature deaths of First Nations caused by the crisis of poverty created and maintained by Canada. This article is taking me much longer to write than usual because of the subject matter.
As I type the words on each page, my heart gets heavier and heavier until I cannot hold my feelings anymore and have to walk away from the paper. Sometimes, when I am referring to very specific examples, stories of specific communities and individuals, I can't help but cry. I am not crying for me, but for our Indigenous brothers and sisters who are denied their very lives by all the discriminatory laws, policies, and barriers imposed on First Nations by Canada.
Often times we hear these words so often from our leaders and various advocacy organizations that the public hears it only as rhetoric - an exaggeration of the actual situation in First Nations. Any publicity about a crisis in one of our communities is quickly downplayed by allegations of corruption or mis-spending in another. We are often blamed for the ill effects of colonization and systemic racism.
Canada has perfected the ability to "defer, deflect and deny" the fact of First Nations dying by poverty. Creating these situations of life and death make "negotiations" about our Aboriginal and treaty rights and land claims much easier. We are so far from an equal bargaining position with Canada that any agreement arrived at today should be challenged as an imprudent bargain.
This is what I am writing about in my article. This is the reason why I haven't been able to post any blogs lately or update my website (which is in desperate need of an update). Here is an excerpt from my article that I am working on:
However, it is not just the federal government’s own offices and agencies that have noted Canada’s lack of action on First Nation poverty and discrimination. The Ontario coroner’s report referred to earlier clearly linked the extreme poverty in Pikangikum First Nation to the high suicide rates among their children:
Pikangikum is an impoverished, isolated First Nations community where basic necessities of life are absent. Running water and indoor plumbing do not exist for most residents. Poverty, crowded substandard housing, gainful employment, food and water security are daily challenges. A lack of an integrated health care system, poor education by provincial standards and a largely absent community infrastructure are uniquely positioned against a backdrop of colonialism, racism, lack of implementation of self-determination and social exclusion. They all contribute to the troubled youth...[1]
What health care residents do receive is “fragmented, chaotic and uncoordinated” with “clear gaps in service”.[2] Their school burnt down in 2007 and has never been replaced despite empty promises by INAC to do so. The significant funding disparities that exist between First Nation and Canadian students means that the students who are the most disadvantaged and have the greatest needs, receive the least. A community of only 2400 people has 200 child welfare files open with 80 children in care. Due to the lack of housing and the high levels of overcrowding, these children are sent to foster homes far away from their communities. Should anyone be surprised by the fact that 16 children between the ages of 10-19 took their own lives between 2006 and 2008? Under the Criminal Code of Canada, section 318(2)(b) defines genocide as:
(2) In this section, “genocide” means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part any identifiable group, namely,
As always, I welcome any comments or feedback you may have about any of my blogs. For the next little while however, there may be delays in my response so that I can finish this article.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Eskan Racism - Bottled and Sourced in Canada for Over 500 Years
With the warming of the days that comes with summer and the positive effect a little vacation and relaxation has on many of us, I had hoped that the red necks would be able to take some time off as well. Yet, this latest advertisement for Eska Water is another testament to the fact that racism in Canada is an ongoing problem that doesn't just surface when there is tension or disagreement - but is, in fact, so embedded in some parts of the population that they themselves don't even recognize it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfNDFdZVDE8
Some of you may think that I am being too harsh and that none of the folks as Eaux Vives Canada Inc ever "intended" for anyone to take offence.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/native-group-wants-racist-water-ad-pulled-58789.html
Some of you might also feel that if any of us don't like the ad, we should simply refrain from watching it. Alternatively, it has been suggested that anyone who is offended by the ad should take solice in the fact that the ad was intended to be "funny" and not meant to represent any particular group.
Eaux Vives Canada has explained that they had no indication that anything in the ad might cause a problem - nothing to make them "suspect" an issue. In fact, Eaux Vives conducted a focus group of the local population and received "all positive feedback". They admit, however, that there may not have been any First Nations people included in that sample.
http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article2089081.html
Eaux Vives Canada Inc is responsible for approving such an ad, so this reflects very poorly on their company, including those in the senior-most positions who make the decisions. However, one should also shine the spotlight on the ad's creators - KBS & P which stands for Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal and Partners.
http://www.kbsp.com/
They are owned by MDC Partners Inc. A company that specializes in marketing.
http://www.mdc-partners.com/#/agency/mdc_partners/2/about
You'll notice that KBS & P's bigger clients include Coke, Levis, North Face and Victoria's Secret. They work in the big leagues, so to speak, and either know better or should have known better. Further, for anyone who does any kind of advertising - be it print, television or online media - they all know or should know, the laws relating to discrimination, racism, hate crimes and limitations on free speech.
Its not like these companies do not have access to legal advisors, community relations experts and senior management-types to appropriately review and approve public ads. Afterall, these ads don't just sell products, they reflect on the character or lack thereof of the company and it's leaders.
That is why when the company's spokesperson, Gilles Corriveau said to the media that the company had "no intention to hurt people", he made the company look even worse. Anyone who studies anti-discrimination law knows that it is NOT the intention that counts - but the effect that it has on the person or groups offended. But more than that, big companies like Eska Water, KBS & P or MDC Partners cannot plead ignorance when they ALL have the resources, capacity and experience to know better.
I might also ad that there are no shortage of people that work in the area of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, and First Nations issues. Any number of people, groups, organizations or universities could have been consulted to provide input on any number of ads that has the potential to impact certain groups in society.
Let's pretend no such experts or advisors exist, is there any excuse for not googling the issue of racism in the media and making sure that your company is adequately aware of the issue? I googled the issue just now and tons of sources came up. Even the first source that popped up would have made the company think twice - had they taken the time to read it:
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/crawford/jamesc.html
The issue, sadly, is much deeper than that. The company itself indicated that it may have failed to include First Nations people in their focus sample, which amounts to more than a mere oversight - some might even call it incompetent.
There is no doubt that the company was trying to portray an Indigenous group, whether or not it was a fictional one. In so doing, they used stereotypes about what Indigenous people look and act like - neither of which were presented with accuracy, thoughtfulness or dignity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSggKIAShbM
Indigenous people in Canada and indeed all over the world must fight the colonially-imposed requirement to be "authentic" or "pure" Indians. The stereotype includes the requirement to live and behave as this did at some arbitrary and distant point in pre-contact times. Real Indians wear feathers, paint their bodies and carry around spears, arrows and other weapons. Real Indians are primitive and fierce and seek only to make war with non-Indians. These stereotypes are not just promoted in the media, but are also promoted by right-wing academics and governments.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-natives-allowed-how-canada-breeds.html
In the Eaux Vives Eska water ad, we see the age-old stereotype of purity. The mixing of orange juice with water is portrayed as being an offence to maintaining the purity of the water. Colonial governments have been obsessed with defining Indigenous peoples in terms of "purity" both legally and politically. Even Canada, through the Indian Act and other laws and policies, tries to exclude from legal recognition any Indigenous person who is not a "pure" Indian - i.e., someone who is mixed Indian and non-Indian (water and orange juice).
http://www.vueweekly.com/front/story/blood_challenge/
This means that the public at large is constantly bombarded by these types messages and no consistent education about Indigenous realities in Canada. Even the omission of positive images of Indigenous peoples in the media serves to reinforce negative stereotypes. How often do you see an Indigenous woman consulted as a legal or political expert on the news, in the papers or in advertisements of any kind? What about Indigenous men as business analysts, foreign affairs experts or champions of human rights? We are led to believe that Aboriginal women are all victims of violence and Aboriginal men all corrupt leaders or criminals.
It is simply not enough to say, if you don't like the commercial don't watch it. Even if we could be with out children and youth 24-hours a day, the fact is they will eventually be exposed to these sorts of ads. However, what is worse is that Canadians will be exposed to these kinds of ads and thus these old stereotypes will continue to be reinforced and played out in relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Consider the situation where racist jokes are told to co-workers but not the Indigenous person in an office. This still has the effect of creating a hostile work environment for the Indigenous person. I would argue that ads like Eska Water helps create a hostile country for Indigenous peoples where we are seen as the savage terrorists as opposed to the First Peoples.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-savages-to-terrorists-justifying.html
We as Indigenous people already know, that none of these stereotypes reflect our wonderfully diverse and rich realities, ways of being and relations. We do indeed have many social issues created and perpetuated by colonial governments, like the inequities in funding for essential services, Canada's failure to live up to treaty and self-government obligations, the theft of our lands and the failure to share our resources with us - like water. Over 50% of First Nations in Canada have unsafe drinking water according to the Auditor General.
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
The very least Eaux Vives Canada should have done was issue an IMMEDIATE apology. The hiring of a public relations firm shows more concern for minimizing loss of profit than for the humanity of others. They don't need a meeting with First Nations leaders to know that the right thing to do is to pull the ad.
What an insult for Eaux Vives Canada to make such a mockery of Indigenous peoples and profit from OUR water sources while First Nations are denied access to this and other basic necessities of life. This water ad serves, ironically, to highlight the problem in ideology (racist ad) and in practice (lack of clean water for First Nations).
Racism has been ongoing in Canada for over 500 years since contact. It is time to acknowledge the problem and work towards addressing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfNDFdZVDE8
Some of you may think that I am being too harsh and that none of the folks as Eaux Vives Canada Inc ever "intended" for anyone to take offence.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/native-group-wants-racist-water-ad-pulled-58789.html
Some of you might also feel that if any of us don't like the ad, we should simply refrain from watching it. Alternatively, it has been suggested that anyone who is offended by the ad should take solice in the fact that the ad was intended to be "funny" and not meant to represent any particular group.
Eaux Vives Canada has explained that they had no indication that anything in the ad might cause a problem - nothing to make them "suspect" an issue. In fact, Eaux Vives conducted a focus group of the local population and received "all positive feedback". They admit, however, that there may not have been any First Nations people included in that sample.
http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article2089081.html
Eaux Vives Canada Inc is responsible for approving such an ad, so this reflects very poorly on their company, including those in the senior-most positions who make the decisions. However, one should also shine the spotlight on the ad's creators - KBS & P which stands for Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal and Partners.
http://www.kbsp.com/
They are owned by MDC Partners Inc. A company that specializes in marketing.
http://www.mdc-partners.com/#/agency/mdc_partners/2/about
You'll notice that KBS & P's bigger clients include Coke, Levis, North Face and Victoria's Secret. They work in the big leagues, so to speak, and either know better or should have known better. Further, for anyone who does any kind of advertising - be it print, television or online media - they all know or should know, the laws relating to discrimination, racism, hate crimes and limitations on free speech.
Its not like these companies do not have access to legal advisors, community relations experts and senior management-types to appropriately review and approve public ads. Afterall, these ads don't just sell products, they reflect on the character or lack thereof of the company and it's leaders.
That is why when the company's spokesperson, Gilles Corriveau said to the media that the company had "no intention to hurt people", he made the company look even worse. Anyone who studies anti-discrimination law knows that it is NOT the intention that counts - but the effect that it has on the person or groups offended. But more than that, big companies like Eska Water, KBS & P or MDC Partners cannot plead ignorance when they ALL have the resources, capacity and experience to know better.
I might also ad that there are no shortage of people that work in the area of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, and First Nations issues. Any number of people, groups, organizations or universities could have been consulted to provide input on any number of ads that has the potential to impact certain groups in society.
Let's pretend no such experts or advisors exist, is there any excuse for not googling the issue of racism in the media and making sure that your company is adequately aware of the issue? I googled the issue just now and tons of sources came up. Even the first source that popped up would have made the company think twice - had they taken the time to read it:
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/crawford/jamesc.html
The issue, sadly, is much deeper than that. The company itself indicated that it may have failed to include First Nations people in their focus sample, which amounts to more than a mere oversight - some might even call it incompetent.
There is no doubt that the company was trying to portray an Indigenous group, whether or not it was a fictional one. In so doing, they used stereotypes about what Indigenous people look and act like - neither of which were presented with accuracy, thoughtfulness or dignity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSggKIAShbM
Indigenous people in Canada and indeed all over the world must fight the colonially-imposed requirement to be "authentic" or "pure" Indians. The stereotype includes the requirement to live and behave as this did at some arbitrary and distant point in pre-contact times. Real Indians wear feathers, paint their bodies and carry around spears, arrows and other weapons. Real Indians are primitive and fierce and seek only to make war with non-Indians. These stereotypes are not just promoted in the media, but are also promoted by right-wing academics and governments.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-natives-allowed-how-canada-breeds.html
In the Eaux Vives Eska water ad, we see the age-old stereotype of purity. The mixing of orange juice with water is portrayed as being an offence to maintaining the purity of the water. Colonial governments have been obsessed with defining Indigenous peoples in terms of "purity" both legally and politically. Even Canada, through the Indian Act and other laws and policies, tries to exclude from legal recognition any Indigenous person who is not a "pure" Indian - i.e., someone who is mixed Indian and non-Indian (water and orange juice).
http://www.vueweekly.com/front/story/blood_challenge/
This means that the public at large is constantly bombarded by these types messages and no consistent education about Indigenous realities in Canada. Even the omission of positive images of Indigenous peoples in the media serves to reinforce negative stereotypes. How often do you see an Indigenous woman consulted as a legal or political expert on the news, in the papers or in advertisements of any kind? What about Indigenous men as business analysts, foreign affairs experts or champions of human rights? We are led to believe that Aboriginal women are all victims of violence and Aboriginal men all corrupt leaders or criminals.
It is simply not enough to say, if you don't like the commercial don't watch it. Even if we could be with out children and youth 24-hours a day, the fact is they will eventually be exposed to these sorts of ads. However, what is worse is that Canadians will be exposed to these kinds of ads and thus these old stereotypes will continue to be reinforced and played out in relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Consider the situation where racist jokes are told to co-workers but not the Indigenous person in an office. This still has the effect of creating a hostile work environment for the Indigenous person. I would argue that ads like Eska Water helps create a hostile country for Indigenous peoples where we are seen as the savage terrorists as opposed to the First Peoples.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-savages-to-terrorists-justifying.html
We as Indigenous people already know, that none of these stereotypes reflect our wonderfully diverse and rich realities, ways of being and relations. We do indeed have many social issues created and perpetuated by colonial governments, like the inequities in funding for essential services, Canada's failure to live up to treaty and self-government obligations, the theft of our lands and the failure to share our resources with us - like water. Over 50% of First Nations in Canada have unsafe drinking water according to the Auditor General.
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
The very least Eaux Vives Canada should have done was issue an IMMEDIATE apology. The hiring of a public relations firm shows more concern for minimizing loss of profit than for the humanity of others. They don't need a meeting with First Nations leaders to know that the right thing to do is to pull the ad.
What an insult for Eaux Vives Canada to make such a mockery of Indigenous peoples and profit from OUR water sources while First Nations are denied access to this and other basic necessities of life. This water ad serves, ironically, to highlight the problem in ideology (racist ad) and in practice (lack of clean water for First Nations).
Racism has been ongoing in Canada for over 500 years since contact. It is time to acknowledge the problem and work towards addressing it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
INAC's "Expert" Panel on First Nation Education - Big Bucks, Zero Results
Back in December of 2009, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) (as it then was) announced that it would be putting together an "expert" panel on First Nations education and that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) would have some say over the mandate of the panel and the appointment of its members. The members of the panel were expected to be announced in early 2011 with a view to having a report in mid-2011.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2010/12/09/govt-afn-launch-panel-to-study-education/
Up until this announcement, I had seen no call for proposals from INAC and no call from the AFN for educators to put their names forward for consideration. Then, on February 20, 2011 out of the blue, we see a notice posted on the MERX website that three individuals had already been chosen for the panel and were to be paid $200,000 EACH plus hst for a three month contract that was due to end July 31, 2011.
http://www.merx.com/English/SUPPLIER_Menu.Asp?WCE=Show&TAB=1&PORTAL=MERX&State=7&id=214289&src=osr&FED_ONLY=0&ACTION=&rowcount=&lastpage=&MoreResults=&PUBSORT=0&CLOSESORT=0&hcode=gltUDmepFZnIFIhHGp3Jiw%3D%3D
The contract was awarded without tender because INAC felt that no one else other than the three people chosen would be as "uniquely qualified" to conduct a national panel on First Nation education. The three chosen were:
(1) David Hughes, CEO of Pathways to Education Canada, who was chosen to be the Chair of the panel,
(2) George Lafonde, former Vice-Chief of Saskatoon Tribal Council; and
(3) Caroline Krause, who described the present post-secondary funding system for First Nations as "corrupt" and thus offered her "unequivocal support" for Calvin Helin's report "Free to Learn" which advocated for giving education funds directly to students and skip bands altogether. It is no surprise then, how she came to be regarded as an "expert" or chosen for this panel.
http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/FreeToLearn.pdf
This "blue ribbon" panel was to study the issue of First Nation education (once again) and come up with substantive recommendations. Their contracted mandate included the following:
(1) They will be responsible to conduct face-to-face and online engagement activities across Canada to hear from First Nation leaders, parents, students, elders, teachers, provinces, and others with an interest and a view on how to enhance the education system and outcomes of First Nation learners at the elementary and secondary levels.
(2) This will entail organizing and leading eight regional roundtables across Canada and one national roundtable and having key meetings with other stakeholders.
(3) Based on work, the Panel will provide a summary following each roundtable, a progress report to the Minister of INAC and to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations mid-way through the process, and they will submit a final panel report with recommendations by July 31, 2011.
The report was to be tabled at the AFN's national assembly in July which is to be held in Moncton, NB this year. This panel received instant criticism from Chiefs all over the country but national Chief Shawn Atleo asked Chiefs to work with this panel despite their concerns.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/03/03/blue-ribbon-education-panel-quietly-unveiled-draws-immediate-fire/
Despite ongoing concerns expressed by many Chiefs, the AFN stood by the Conservatives and encouraged chiefs to participate. Some chiefs were so upset with AFN that they wanted to meet without AFN present.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/04/07/chief-wants-quebec-fn-gathering-without-afn/
Once can hardly blame their feelings given the lack of action on education - which has been a crisis issue since the 1950's, if not earlier. Yet, we are already at June 23, 2011 and from what I understand, there has not been a single community meeting or engagement session held to discuss any of the important issues around First Nation education.
This makes me wonder whether it is even possible for this expert panel to have a report by July 31, 2011 and if so, how such a rushed report would be worth the paper it is written on? Perhaps $200,000 per person was not enough financial incentive to have them conduct any of the work? This money will no doubt be added the the billions already spent on the bureacracy that "manages" First Nations.
Then, last night on APTN National News, it was reported that David Hughes, the Chair of the expert panel had resigned. There was no information reported about whether he had been paid any of the $200,000 under the contract, whether and to what extent he had done any of the work or when he had resigned. Again, no announcement was made by either the AFN or INAC (now ANAC). Ironic that the very government who set up a panel that will make recommendations on how First Nations need to be more accountable with education funding is not very transparent or accountable with its own funds.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/
What should have been considered an embarrassing fiasco for both INAC and the AFN was turned into a National Aboriginal Day "announcement" that an expert panel on First Nations education was "set to begin". In fact, it was reported that the panel might start as early as "this week". Downplaying the resignation of the former Chair David Hughes, it was quietly noted that the new Chair is now Scott Haldane, the President of the YMCA. Atleo explained that the goal was to have a report sometime "this calendar year" and was promising real "action".
Is it just me, or are we all being presented with smoke and mirrors instead of seeing any real accountability by INAC or the AFN? It boggles my mind that the AFN would continue to prop up the Conservatives when clearly they are not taking any action on our critical issues. In fact, APTN reported that INAC was NOT committing to any action on education and Minister Duncan said INAC was not prepared to simply "write a blank cheque" to address funding inequities.
I think it is time for the Conservatives to practice what they preach and start showing us some accountability. I also think its time for our real leaders to step up and start calling INAC on their sustained lack of action.
Here are some of the questions I want answered:
(1) Was any money paid out under the original MERX contract that was due to be completed on July 31, 2011? If so, how much?
(2) Has a new contract and/or extension of the old contract been made with the current panelists? If so, what are the terms and how much is it for?
(3) If there is a new contract and/or an extension of the old one, why would we enter into yet another contract and/or an extension of the current contract when the original objectives of the first contract were not completed?
(4) What is the real reason why the former chair of the panel resigned? Who choose this Chair and why?
(5) Did the AFN really have any say in the decision to create a panel, the madate of the panel and the membership? Really? Did Atleo choose another non-First Nations person as the chair?
Finally, why is the AFN keeping us in the dark about this critical issue for our people and propping up the Conservatives instead of holding them to account? First Nation leaders are staring to speak up, grass roots citizens are expressing their concerns - is anyone listening?
This situation is starting to look eerily familiar to the CAP-Brazeau affair. While that may have won Brazeau a Senate seat, it did little for the grass roots Aboriginal people who most needed someone to stand up for them.
Trying to cover up a fiasco on First Nation education on National Aboriginal Day has to be one of the most insulting things INAC or the AFN could do to First Nations. I think we deserve a little better than that. At least the Auditor General thought so......
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
How many more studies do we need to be certain that there is an issue in First Nation education? How many more Auditor General's have to confirm INAC funding inequities before funding is increased?
How much more of this will we allow to happen before the real leaders step forward?
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2010/12/09/govt-afn-launch-panel-to-study-education/
Up until this announcement, I had seen no call for proposals from INAC and no call from the AFN for educators to put their names forward for consideration. Then, on February 20, 2011 out of the blue, we see a notice posted on the MERX website that three individuals had already been chosen for the panel and were to be paid $200,000 EACH plus hst for a three month contract that was due to end July 31, 2011.
http://www.merx.com/English/SUPPLIER_Menu.Asp?WCE=Show&TAB=1&PORTAL=MERX&State=7&id=214289&src=osr&FED_ONLY=0&ACTION=&rowcount=&lastpage=&MoreResults=&PUBSORT=0&CLOSESORT=0&hcode=gltUDmepFZnIFIhHGp3Jiw%3D%3D
The contract was awarded without tender because INAC felt that no one else other than the three people chosen would be as "uniquely qualified" to conduct a national panel on First Nation education. The three chosen were:
(1) David Hughes, CEO of Pathways to Education Canada, who was chosen to be the Chair of the panel,
(2) George Lafonde, former Vice-Chief of Saskatoon Tribal Council; and
(3) Caroline Krause, who described the present post-secondary funding system for First Nations as "corrupt" and thus offered her "unequivocal support" for Calvin Helin's report "Free to Learn" which advocated for giving education funds directly to students and skip bands altogether. It is no surprise then, how she came to be regarded as an "expert" or chosen for this panel.
http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/FreeToLearn.pdf
This "blue ribbon" panel was to study the issue of First Nation education (once again) and come up with substantive recommendations. Their contracted mandate included the following:
(1) They will be responsible to conduct face-to-face and online engagement activities across Canada to hear from First Nation leaders, parents, students, elders, teachers, provinces, and others with an interest and a view on how to enhance the education system and outcomes of First Nation learners at the elementary and secondary levels.
(2) This will entail organizing and leading eight regional roundtables across Canada and one national roundtable and having key meetings with other stakeholders.
(3) Based on work, the Panel will provide a summary following each roundtable, a progress report to the Minister of INAC and to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations mid-way through the process, and they will submit a final panel report with recommendations by July 31, 2011.
The report was to be tabled at the AFN's national assembly in July which is to be held in Moncton, NB this year. This panel received instant criticism from Chiefs all over the country but national Chief Shawn Atleo asked Chiefs to work with this panel despite their concerns.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/03/03/blue-ribbon-education-panel-quietly-unveiled-draws-immediate-fire/
Despite ongoing concerns expressed by many Chiefs, the AFN stood by the Conservatives and encouraged chiefs to participate. Some chiefs were so upset with AFN that they wanted to meet without AFN present.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/04/07/chief-wants-quebec-fn-gathering-without-afn/
Once can hardly blame their feelings given the lack of action on education - which has been a crisis issue since the 1950's, if not earlier. Yet, we are already at June 23, 2011 and from what I understand, there has not been a single community meeting or engagement session held to discuss any of the important issues around First Nation education.
This makes me wonder whether it is even possible for this expert panel to have a report by July 31, 2011 and if so, how such a rushed report would be worth the paper it is written on? Perhaps $200,000 per person was not enough financial incentive to have them conduct any of the work? This money will no doubt be added the the billions already spent on the bureacracy that "manages" First Nations.
Then, last night on APTN National News, it was reported that David Hughes, the Chair of the expert panel had resigned. There was no information reported about whether he had been paid any of the $200,000 under the contract, whether and to what extent he had done any of the work or when he had resigned. Again, no announcement was made by either the AFN or INAC (now ANAC). Ironic that the very government who set up a panel that will make recommendations on how First Nations need to be more accountable with education funding is not very transparent or accountable with its own funds.
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/
What should have been considered an embarrassing fiasco for both INAC and the AFN was turned into a National Aboriginal Day "announcement" that an expert panel on First Nations education was "set to begin". In fact, it was reported that the panel might start as early as "this week". Downplaying the resignation of the former Chair David Hughes, it was quietly noted that the new Chair is now Scott Haldane, the President of the YMCA. Atleo explained that the goal was to have a report sometime "this calendar year" and was promising real "action".
Is it just me, or are we all being presented with smoke and mirrors instead of seeing any real accountability by INAC or the AFN? It boggles my mind that the AFN would continue to prop up the Conservatives when clearly they are not taking any action on our critical issues. In fact, APTN reported that INAC was NOT committing to any action on education and Minister Duncan said INAC was not prepared to simply "write a blank cheque" to address funding inequities.
I think it is time for the Conservatives to practice what they preach and start showing us some accountability. I also think its time for our real leaders to step up and start calling INAC on their sustained lack of action.
Here are some of the questions I want answered:
(1) Was any money paid out under the original MERX contract that was due to be completed on July 31, 2011? If so, how much?
(2) Has a new contract and/or extension of the old contract been made with the current panelists? If so, what are the terms and how much is it for?
(3) If there is a new contract and/or an extension of the old one, why would we enter into yet another contract and/or an extension of the current contract when the original objectives of the first contract were not completed?
(4) What is the real reason why the former chair of the panel resigned? Who choose this Chair and why?
(5) Did the AFN really have any say in the decision to create a panel, the madate of the panel and the membership? Really? Did Atleo choose another non-First Nations person as the chair?
Finally, why is the AFN keeping us in the dark about this critical issue for our people and propping up the Conservatives instead of holding them to account? First Nation leaders are staring to speak up, grass roots citizens are expressing their concerns - is anyone listening?
This situation is starting to look eerily familiar to the CAP-Brazeau affair. While that may have won Brazeau a Senate seat, it did little for the grass roots Aboriginal people who most needed someone to stand up for them.
Trying to cover up a fiasco on First Nation education on National Aboriginal Day has to be one of the most insulting things INAC or the AFN could do to First Nations. I think we deserve a little better than that. At least the Auditor General thought so......
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
How many more studies do we need to be certain that there is an issue in First Nation education? How many more Auditor General's have to confirm INAC funding inequities before funding is increased?
How much more of this will we allow to happen before the real leaders step forward?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Shiny New Beads and Trinkets: Old Assimilation Policies Repackaged
There has been a great deal of publicity lately related to all the great work the Conservatives are doing in relation to Aboriginal peoples. Some media outlets have called this a "historic shift" and even gone so far as to characterize the plan as a "sweeping overhaul of reserve life".
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-native-leaders-commit-to-sweeping-overhaul-of-reserve-life/article2053099/?service=mobile
While there may be some useful tidbits in the plan, to call it historic or sweeping is misrepresenting what is actually taking place. One must keep in mind that this announcement coincided with the Auditor General's damning report about Canada's gross failure to address conditions of extreme poverty on reserve. In fact, according to Fraser, conditions have even become much worse. INAC has knowingly failed to address "inequities" in funding for post-secondary education, child and family services, housing and many other programs.
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
Yet, all of this was overshadowed by a strategically-timed joint action plan - anything to take the public's focus off of the stark reality. The fact that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) took part in this duck and avoid maneuver leaves me questioning the AFN"s ability to effectively advocate on behalf of First Nations. Some have even questioned whether the AFN had any REAL input into the plan given how quickly it came out.
Even if National Chief of AFN Shawn Atleo did have input, that begs the question as to why he would give his blessing to a plan that would leave out critical issues around funding, consultation, First Nation jurisdiction, treaty rights and land claims. All of these issues are significant to the grass roots people, yet nothing has been mentioned about any of them. Similarly, the planned First Nation - Crown Summit also excludes these critical issues - all with Atleo's stamp of approval.
Does any of this signal a significant shift by the Conservatives from their right-wing, pro-assimilation agenda? I would argue that all we are seeing are the same old deal - the exchange of shiny beads and trinkets for our acquiescence or agreement to forgo what makes us strong, independent Nations - our sovereignty, our land and our identity. What follows are some of the reasons why I believe this to be true:
Early Indian Policy:
Early Indian policy included various measures to control, divide and assimilate Indians to finally rid Canada of the "Indian problem". These included:
(1) Residential schools to remove culture, language and family and community ties from Indian children;
(2) Indian Act provisions which removed Indian rights from Indian women;
(3) Indian Act provisions which incorporated non-Indian women into communities;
(4) Enfranchisement provisions which encouraged Indian men to give up their identities in exchange for education, employment and individual title to reserve lands; and
(5) Indian Act provisions which prohibited lawyers from advocating for Indians in relation to their lands and treaties.
(See: The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996) [RCAP]
White Paper 1969:
The plan argued that "Indian people must be persuaded" that this was the path to a better life:
(1) Abolish the Indian Act;
(2) End special recognition for First Nations;
(3) Give them individual title to their lands (fee simple);
(4) Funds for economic development;
(5) Full integration into the cultural, social, political and economic life of Canada; and
(6) Removal of constitutional responsibility of federal government for Indians.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/arp/ls/pubs/cp1969/cp1969-eng.pdf
We all know how First Nations across the country reacted to this policy - they forcefully rejected it and re-asserted their special status in Canada and their land and treaty rights. Harold Cardinal wrote what came to be known as the Red Paper outlining the special rights of Indians in Canada. While Canada backed off of this policy, very little changed in regards to addressing First Nation poverty and the resolution of their Aboriginal and treaty rights, land claims and self-government.
RCAP provides a detailed history of the development of Indian policy over time and the rights held by First Nations. Their overall recommendation was to move forward with the resolution of land claims, recognition and implementation of treaties and the negotiation of self-government agreements. Canada's delayed, non-committal response "Gathering Strength" came to be known as "Gathering Dust" for the lack of action on Canada's part.
Then along comes Tom Flanagan, who, in his book "First Nations? Second Thoughts" argued that since First Nations were "primitive", "wasteful" and "destructive" that they should not be entitled to self-governing rights, special tax exemptions or federal funding. In his view, First Nations need to "evolve" and become more like other Canadians. This was pretty much the same message that he provided in his second book: "Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights".
His plan involved the following:
(1) "abandon" "primitive" "communist fantasies" about communal land;
(2) implement a system of individual property rights (i.e., mortgage or sell to non-Indians);
(2) repeal the Indian Act;
(4) shut down the reserves;
(3) encourage education and workforce participation; and
(4) assimilate into the larger Canadian population.
http://reviewcanada.ca/reviews/2010/04/01/opportunity-or-temptation/
This assimilation plan of Flanagan's raised a great deal of controversy, but was not unique. Others, like Alan Cairns had also advocated for assimilation, albeit less overtly. Since then, many right-wingers have joined the call for the assimilation of First Nations including people like Frances Widdowson and Dale Gibson, to name a few. In fact, Gibson wrote a report entitled "A New Look at Canadian Indian Policy: Respect the Collective, Promote the Individual" which focuses on individual success and material wealth over communal interests.
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/display.aspx?id=12783
Not surprising then, that Tom Flanagan became an advisor to Stephen Harper or that the Conservatives are now putting into place the gradual, assimilatory plan which focuses on individual wealth which has been advocated by folks like Flanagan and Gibson.
Has anything changed since the early years of Indian policy-making? Does what the Conservatives propose now amount to a significant departure from the assimilatory agenda of the 1969 White Paper? I would argue that it does not. The following overview of the Conservative agenda seems only to confirm my original assessment:
2011 Conservative Election Platform:
(1) Expand adult education in the north (no funding for k-12 or university);
(2) Increase accountability of First Nations through legislation (no funding or recognition of jurisdiction);
(3) Avoided dealing with reserve infrastructure like water and housing (but agreed to fix fuel tanks);
(4) Avoided dealing with Aboriginal and treaty rights (but First Nations can sit on hunting advisory panel);
(5) Avoided dealing with land claims (but will promote development of reserve lands through legislation).
http://www.conservative.ca/media/ConservativePlatform2011_ENs.pdf
Conservative - AFN Joint Action Plan:
(1) Education = Joint Process on k-12 education (expert panel that still has not produced any reports);
(2) Focus on "success of individuals" through education;
(2) Increase First Nation accountability and transparency;
(3) Task force to promote economic development to benefit "all Canadians";
(4) Improve relations.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/nr/m-a2011/cfnjap-eng.asp
You will notice there are no funding commitments, measurables or key action words that commit to any specific action. It is important to note here that the AFN has publicly come out in support of this action plan.
First Nation - Crown Summit:
Then there is the promise of a First Nations-Crown Summit meeting that is supposed to take place this fall. I won't hold my breath given that Harper has promised such a meeting with First Nation leaders twice in his five years as Prime Minister to no avail.
What is being promised at this summit reads eerily like the election platform, joint action plan and other assimilatory policies of the past:
(1) The agenda is "deliberately narrow" and will not revisit the substantive commitments in Kelowna;
(2) The agenda includes education;
(3) governance and
(4) economic development.
There is to be no discussion about treaties, land claims, self-government or the funding inequities in essential social services.
http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/GB/20110603/CP02/306039861/-1/sag0806/plans-for-first-nations-summit-with-harper-finally-begin-to-solidify&template=cpArt
So, if you go back and look at the fundamental aspects of assimilation - being educated, economic development and turning reserves into individual parcels of land, you will see that not much has changed from the 1800's to the 1969 White Paper, to what is now being advanced. The fact that the Conservatives have a majority in the House and Senate means that will be able to rush through any law or policy they choose. Having the AFN on side only helps the Conservatives legitimize the process.
All of this brings me back to my original concern that the AFN is now so far away from what it was originally intended to be when it was the National Indian Brotherhood, that I am left wondering whether it has the capacity to think beyond the organization's own priorities related to funding and staffing, and advocate on behalf of First Nations and their citizens.
It seems to me that far too many people are worrying about their own jobs and making deals than they are about taking the risks inherent in standing up for that which our ancestors died to protect - our sovereignty, lands and identities.
It's about time we called the Conservatives on their deplorable record and highlight the facts brought forward by their own auditor general - that chronic and inequitable funding has made conditions on First Nations worse. We need to stand behind our treaties, protect our territories from further encroachment and go back to focusing on the needs of our future generations instead of focusing on ourselves. Any future "joint" plans MUST engage First Nations as a third order of government and as true partners and reflect the fundamentals of the treaty relationship, First Nations jurisdiction and the integrity of our territories.
Don't be fooled by shiny new beads and trinkets - it is really the same old assimilation policy of control and division repackaged with new titles like "Joint Action Plans", "Expert Panels" and "Joint Processes" - other words for "we are buying into our assimilation".
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-native-leaders-commit-to-sweeping-overhaul-of-reserve-life/article2053099/?service=mobile
While there may be some useful tidbits in the plan, to call it historic or sweeping is misrepresenting what is actually taking place. One must keep in mind that this announcement coincided with the Auditor General's damning report about Canada's gross failure to address conditions of extreme poverty on reserve. In fact, according to Fraser, conditions have even become much worse. INAC has knowingly failed to address "inequities" in funding for post-secondary education, child and family services, housing and many other programs.
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/docs/parl_oag_201106_04_e.pdf
Yet, all of this was overshadowed by a strategically-timed joint action plan - anything to take the public's focus off of the stark reality. The fact that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) took part in this duck and avoid maneuver leaves me questioning the AFN"s ability to effectively advocate on behalf of First Nations. Some have even questioned whether the AFN had any REAL input into the plan given how quickly it came out.
Even if National Chief of AFN Shawn Atleo did have input, that begs the question as to why he would give his blessing to a plan that would leave out critical issues around funding, consultation, First Nation jurisdiction, treaty rights and land claims. All of these issues are significant to the grass roots people, yet nothing has been mentioned about any of them. Similarly, the planned First Nation - Crown Summit also excludes these critical issues - all with Atleo's stamp of approval.
Does any of this signal a significant shift by the Conservatives from their right-wing, pro-assimilation agenda? I would argue that all we are seeing are the same old deal - the exchange of shiny beads and trinkets for our acquiescence or agreement to forgo what makes us strong, independent Nations - our sovereignty, our land and our identity. What follows are some of the reasons why I believe this to be true:
Early Indian Policy:
Early Indian policy included various measures to control, divide and assimilate Indians to finally rid Canada of the "Indian problem". These included:
(1) Residential schools to remove culture, language and family and community ties from Indian children;
(2) Indian Act provisions which removed Indian rights from Indian women;
(3) Indian Act provisions which incorporated non-Indian women into communities;
(4) Enfranchisement provisions which encouraged Indian men to give up their identities in exchange for education, employment and individual title to reserve lands; and
(5) Indian Act provisions which prohibited lawyers from advocating for Indians in relation to their lands and treaties.
(See: The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996) [RCAP]
White Paper 1969:
The plan argued that "Indian people must be persuaded" that this was the path to a better life:
(1) Abolish the Indian Act;
(2) End special recognition for First Nations;
(3) Give them individual title to their lands (fee simple);
(4) Funds for economic development;
(5) Full integration into the cultural, social, political and economic life of Canada; and
(6) Removal of constitutional responsibility of federal government for Indians.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/arp/ls/pubs/cp1969/cp1969-eng.pdf
We all know how First Nations across the country reacted to this policy - they forcefully rejected it and re-asserted their special status in Canada and their land and treaty rights. Harold Cardinal wrote what came to be known as the Red Paper outlining the special rights of Indians in Canada. While Canada backed off of this policy, very little changed in regards to addressing First Nation poverty and the resolution of their Aboriginal and treaty rights, land claims and self-government.
RCAP provides a detailed history of the development of Indian policy over time and the rights held by First Nations. Their overall recommendation was to move forward with the resolution of land claims, recognition and implementation of treaties and the negotiation of self-government agreements. Canada's delayed, non-committal response "Gathering Strength" came to be known as "Gathering Dust" for the lack of action on Canada's part.
Then along comes Tom Flanagan, who, in his book "First Nations? Second Thoughts" argued that since First Nations were "primitive", "wasteful" and "destructive" that they should not be entitled to self-governing rights, special tax exemptions or federal funding. In his view, First Nations need to "evolve" and become more like other Canadians. This was pretty much the same message that he provided in his second book: "Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights".
His plan involved the following:
(1) "abandon" "primitive" "communist fantasies" about communal land;
(2) implement a system of individual property rights (i.e., mortgage or sell to non-Indians);
(2) repeal the Indian Act;
(4) shut down the reserves;
(3) encourage education and workforce participation; and
(4) assimilate into the larger Canadian population.
http://reviewcanada.ca/reviews/2010/04/01/opportunity-or-temptation/
This assimilation plan of Flanagan's raised a great deal of controversy, but was not unique. Others, like Alan Cairns had also advocated for assimilation, albeit less overtly. Since then, many right-wingers have joined the call for the assimilation of First Nations including people like Frances Widdowson and Dale Gibson, to name a few. In fact, Gibson wrote a report entitled "A New Look at Canadian Indian Policy: Respect the Collective, Promote the Individual" which focuses on individual success and material wealth over communal interests.
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/display.aspx?id=12783
Not surprising then, that Tom Flanagan became an advisor to Stephen Harper or that the Conservatives are now putting into place the gradual, assimilatory plan which focuses on individual wealth which has been advocated by folks like Flanagan and Gibson.
Has anything changed since the early years of Indian policy-making? Does what the Conservatives propose now amount to a significant departure from the assimilatory agenda of the 1969 White Paper? I would argue that it does not. The following overview of the Conservative agenda seems only to confirm my original assessment:
2011 Conservative Election Platform:
(1) Expand adult education in the north (no funding for k-12 or university);
(2) Increase accountability of First Nations through legislation (no funding or recognition of jurisdiction);
(3) Avoided dealing with reserve infrastructure like water and housing (but agreed to fix fuel tanks);
(4) Avoided dealing with Aboriginal and treaty rights (but First Nations can sit on hunting advisory panel);
(5) Avoided dealing with land claims (but will promote development of reserve lands through legislation).
http://www.conservative.ca/media/ConservativePlatform2011_ENs.pdf
Conservative - AFN Joint Action Plan:
(1) Education = Joint Process on k-12 education (expert panel that still has not produced any reports);
(2) Focus on "success of individuals" through education;
(2) Increase First Nation accountability and transparency;
(3) Task force to promote economic development to benefit "all Canadians";
(4) Improve relations.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/nr/m-a2011/cfnjap-eng.asp
You will notice there are no funding commitments, measurables or key action words that commit to any specific action. It is important to note here that the AFN has publicly come out in support of this action plan.
First Nation - Crown Summit:
Then there is the promise of a First Nations-Crown Summit meeting that is supposed to take place this fall. I won't hold my breath given that Harper has promised such a meeting with First Nation leaders twice in his five years as Prime Minister to no avail.
What is being promised at this summit reads eerily like the election platform, joint action plan and other assimilatory policies of the past:
(1) The agenda is "deliberately narrow" and will not revisit the substantive commitments in Kelowna;
(2) The agenda includes education;
(3) governance and
(4) economic development.
There is to be no discussion about treaties, land claims, self-government or the funding inequities in essential social services.
http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/GB/20110603/CP02/306039861/-1/sag0806/plans-for-first-nations-summit-with-harper-finally-begin-to-solidify&template=cpArt
So, if you go back and look at the fundamental aspects of assimilation - being educated, economic development and turning reserves into individual parcels of land, you will see that not much has changed from the 1800's to the 1969 White Paper, to what is now being advanced. The fact that the Conservatives have a majority in the House and Senate means that will be able to rush through any law or policy they choose. Having the AFN on side only helps the Conservatives legitimize the process.
All of this brings me back to my original concern that the AFN is now so far away from what it was originally intended to be when it was the National Indian Brotherhood, that I am left wondering whether it has the capacity to think beyond the organization's own priorities related to funding and staffing, and advocate on behalf of First Nations and their citizens.
It seems to me that far too many people are worrying about their own jobs and making deals than they are about taking the risks inherent in standing up for that which our ancestors died to protect - our sovereignty, lands and identities.
It's about time we called the Conservatives on their deplorable record and highlight the facts brought forward by their own auditor general - that chronic and inequitable funding has made conditions on First Nations worse. We need to stand behind our treaties, protect our territories from further encroachment and go back to focusing on the needs of our future generations instead of focusing on ourselves. Any future "joint" plans MUST engage First Nations as a third order of government and as true partners and reflect the fundamentals of the treaty relationship, First Nations jurisdiction and the integrity of our territories.
Don't be fooled by shiny new beads and trinkets - it is really the same old assimilation policy of control and division repackaged with new titles like "Joint Action Plans", "Expert Panels" and "Joint Processes" - other words for "we are buying into our assimilation".
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Secret Agent Harper: Conservative Spy Games in Indian Country
Ok, I have to admit that had anyone told me that the Conservative government's first order of business would be to pay half a million dollars to hire private detectives to spy on First Nations, I might have viewed them with some level of skepticism. After all, I am not naive enough to think that the Conservatives are not doing things we don't know about, however, what is being reported sounds more like the plot for a conspiracy theory movie than reality in a liberal democratic country like Canada.
Yet, it appears to be true. The Conservatives put a contract out for tender to hire private detectives to investigate First Nation band elections and will pay up to $500,000.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Federal+government+hire+private+eyes+investigate+native+elections/4876903/story.html
My mind is still spinning. Honestly, I thought their last contract for tender to make Metis people CSA approved was a little on the paternalistic, controlling side, but this goes to the very core of the relationship between First Nations and the Crown. Canada is still treating First Nations as though they are enemies of the state - forgetting of course that this is OUR land and that we have agreed to share the land on the basis of our treaties. Nothing in our treaties provided for Canada to divide, control and assimilate us and they certainly do not provide for espionage in our own communities.
The Conservatives have made their move - they are challenging our inherent right to be self-determining and may even hire First Nations people to be the ones to engage in these activities. After all, so many of our people are living so far below the poverty line that Canada ranks well below not only developed countries but even some developing ones. Canada's own Auditor General has criticized Canada for failing to address First Nation poverty.
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Fraser+parting+challenge/4866304/story.html
Therefore, it would not be much of a shock for Canada to be able to find someone hungry enough to take one of these contracts.
But have you noticed that any time the Conservatives get bad press for their abysmal failure with regard to First Nations, that all of sudden there is news about alleged corruption in First Nations? Time and time again, the Conservatives try to duck and avoid accountability for their lack of action by vilifying our people and turning Canadians against us.
We are supposed to be rebuilding our relationship in a the post-apology era. Remember how Harper apologized on behalf of all Canadians for the assimilatory attitudes and ideology of cultural superiority towards First Nations? Canada continue to fail to live up to the honour of the crown and its fiduciary duty towards First Nations under the guise of empty apologies.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/rqpi/apo/index-eng.asp
We even get labelled as "insurgents" and "terrorists" if any of our impoverished conditions make it to the media.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-savages-to-terrorists-justifying.html
First Nations crisis in water becomes news, so we see allegations of lack of accountability in First Nations. Canada withdraws funding for Sisters in Spirit - more allegations of over-spending in First Nations. Now, Canada's failure to address inequality in funding for First Nations is made public by their own Auditor General and surprise - we see a contract to hire PI's (aka spies) to infiltrate our communities and look out for corruption in our elections.
How hypocritical given the fact that the Conservatives were BOOTED from Parliament for lying - failing to be open, honest and accountable to the people.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/26/c_13798642.htm
Now, if they continue to act this way would it be acceptable for First Nations to infiltrate the federal bureaucracy and spy on them to see if they are acting corrupt? I dare say we would be jailed faster than we already are - and that is saying alot given that all of our people - men, women and youth are over-represented in jail as it is. It should be noted that this is NOT because we are more likely to be corrupt or criminal, but is in part a symptom not only of extreme poverty but also of ongoing discrimination in the entire justice system.
http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/rpt/annrpt/annrpt20052006info-eng.aspx
It is bad enough that the Conservatives want to invade our private space online and "correct" our "misinformed" thoughts and conversations, but to seriously pay people to infiltrate our communities without our knowledge and consent to monitor our potential to engage in election corruption is taking their role too far. I can only assume that this contract is meant for some of Harper's retired police officers who ran in the election and lost - seeing as all the Senate seats were given away to conservative losers already.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/blog.html?b=fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/05/18/scott-stinson-on-the-cabinet-i-was-a-sucker-for-believing-in-harper&s=Opinion
You would never know that INAC was in a collaborative process with the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs (APCFNC) and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) on electoral reforms under the Indian Act. I doubt very much they were apprised of this spy-for-hire contract. Time and again, the Conservatives criticize First Nations for being "overly aggressive" when dealing with the government, while at the same time stabs them in the back every single time First Nations do work with them.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-natives-allowed-how-canada-breeds.html
Our ancestors taught us to be proud of our identity and culture and to protect our communities. If we don't stand up for ourselves now, what are we telling our children who will be watching and learning. If the suicide of our children is not enough to make us take notice, I am not sure what is. I don't know about any of my readers, but the thought of Conservative spies crawling around any of the communities I love and cherish totally creeps me out.
I think it is about time that ALL of our leaders stood up and said enough - regardless of where their national or regional organisations sit on the issue. If they wait for the women in our communities to do it - we will - but they might not like it when the power shifts permanently in our direction.
UPDATE: No sooner did I post this blog, than the following article was posted which claims that documents from ATIP (Access to Information and Privacy) reveal that the Conservatives started their spying campaign against First Nations as soon as they came into power:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/first-nations-under-surveillance/7434
I have not seen the actual documents, so I can speak to the veracity of this report - except to say, I may check my phone for bugs tonight...
Yet, it appears to be true. The Conservatives put a contract out for tender to hire private detectives to investigate First Nation band elections and will pay up to $500,000.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Federal+government+hire+private+eyes+investigate+native+elections/4876903/story.html
My mind is still spinning. Honestly, I thought their last contract for tender to make Metis people CSA approved was a little on the paternalistic, controlling side, but this goes to the very core of the relationship between First Nations and the Crown. Canada is still treating First Nations as though they are enemies of the state - forgetting of course that this is OUR land and that we have agreed to share the land on the basis of our treaties. Nothing in our treaties provided for Canada to divide, control and assimilate us and they certainly do not provide for espionage in our own communities.
The Conservatives have made their move - they are challenging our inherent right to be self-determining and may even hire First Nations people to be the ones to engage in these activities. After all, so many of our people are living so far below the poverty line that Canada ranks well below not only developed countries but even some developing ones. Canada's own Auditor General has criticized Canada for failing to address First Nation poverty.
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Fraser+parting+challenge/4866304/story.html
Therefore, it would not be much of a shock for Canada to be able to find someone hungry enough to take one of these contracts.
But have you noticed that any time the Conservatives get bad press for their abysmal failure with regard to First Nations, that all of sudden there is news about alleged corruption in First Nations? Time and time again, the Conservatives try to duck and avoid accountability for their lack of action by vilifying our people and turning Canadians against us.
We are supposed to be rebuilding our relationship in a the post-apology era. Remember how Harper apologized on behalf of all Canadians for the assimilatory attitudes and ideology of cultural superiority towards First Nations? Canada continue to fail to live up to the honour of the crown and its fiduciary duty towards First Nations under the guise of empty apologies.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/rqpi/apo/index-eng.asp
We even get labelled as "insurgents" and "terrorists" if any of our impoverished conditions make it to the media.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-savages-to-terrorists-justifying.html
First Nations crisis in water becomes news, so we see allegations of lack of accountability in First Nations. Canada withdraws funding for Sisters in Spirit - more allegations of over-spending in First Nations. Now, Canada's failure to address inequality in funding for First Nations is made public by their own Auditor General and surprise - we see a contract to hire PI's (aka spies) to infiltrate our communities and look out for corruption in our elections.
How hypocritical given the fact that the Conservatives were BOOTED from Parliament for lying - failing to be open, honest and accountable to the people.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/26/c_13798642.htm
Now, if they continue to act this way would it be acceptable for First Nations to infiltrate the federal bureaucracy and spy on them to see if they are acting corrupt? I dare say we would be jailed faster than we already are - and that is saying alot given that all of our people - men, women and youth are over-represented in jail as it is. It should be noted that this is NOT because we are more likely to be corrupt or criminal, but is in part a symptom not only of extreme poverty but also of ongoing discrimination in the entire justice system.
http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/rpt/annrpt/annrpt20052006info-eng.aspx
It is bad enough that the Conservatives want to invade our private space online and "correct" our "misinformed" thoughts and conversations, but to seriously pay people to infiltrate our communities without our knowledge and consent to monitor our potential to engage in election corruption is taking their role too far. I can only assume that this contract is meant for some of Harper's retired police officers who ran in the election and lost - seeing as all the Senate seats were given away to conservative losers already.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/blog.html?b=fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/05/18/scott-stinson-on-the-cabinet-i-was-a-sucker-for-believing-in-harper&s=Opinion
You would never know that INAC was in a collaborative process with the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs (APCFNC) and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) on electoral reforms under the Indian Act. I doubt very much they were apprised of this spy-for-hire contract. Time and again, the Conservatives criticize First Nations for being "overly aggressive" when dealing with the government, while at the same time stabs them in the back every single time First Nations do work with them.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-natives-allowed-how-canada-breeds.html
Our ancestors taught us to be proud of our identity and culture and to protect our communities. If we don't stand up for ourselves now, what are we telling our children who will be watching and learning. If the suicide of our children is not enough to make us take notice, I am not sure what is. I don't know about any of my readers, but the thought of Conservative spies crawling around any of the communities I love and cherish totally creeps me out.
I think it is about time that ALL of our leaders stood up and said enough - regardless of where their national or regional organisations sit on the issue. If they wait for the women in our communities to do it - we will - but they might not like it when the power shifts permanently in our direction.
UPDATE: No sooner did I post this blog, than the following article was posted which claims that documents from ATIP (Access to Information and Privacy) reveal that the Conservatives started their spying campaign against First Nations as soon as they came into power:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/first-nations-under-surveillance/7434
I have not seen the actual documents, so I can speak to the veracity of this report - except to say, I may check my phone for bugs tonight...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
From Savages to Terrorists: Justifying Genocide of First Nations
I am moved to write this blog because a couple of my readers/listeners/followers have contacted me about comments I made a while back on Facebook where I was critical of the US using the codename "Geronimo" in the assassination of Bin Laden. I was critical about First Nations being publicly characterized as terrorists and some members of the public thought I was over-exaggerating the situation. In my view, this is a direct association between the world's most notorious terrorist and an Indigenous hero. In their views, no one had really compared Indigenous peoples to terrorists and my alleged exaggeration would only cause more harm than good.
I respect the fact that these individuals shared their viewpoints as it is only through this discussion and debate that these issues can be resolved. However, in this instance, the facts do not support their allegation. In fact, there is more than enough evidence which demonstrates a far-reaching pattern of racism and public vilifying of Indigenous peoples in Canada and even the United States.
The terminology, description, and context used by government officials, politicians, academics, and others to describe Indigenous peoples is little more than propaganda used to justify the ongoing genocide in our Nations. Public outcries against Indigenous gangs, criminals, corrupt leaders and "terrorists" do not serve to improve relations between our peoples or undo the harms inflicted by the settler society, but instead act as a distraction from the crisis in First Nations poverty and the ongoing theft of our lands and resources and denial of our sovereignty.
The characterization of our peoples as terrorists reinforces the notion of us vs. them and helps provide excuses for society to walk by our homeless, jail our youth, remove our children, murder our women, disempower and vilify our men, and support governments which provide funds for other countries while our communities lack drinking water, sewage, food, fire protection and schools - the basic necessities of life. Sadly, some of our own even partake in promoting the negative stereotypes against our people.
As a lawyer, I fully realize that despite the fact that this is just a blog - which has no real rules, my readers will expect links to articles, documents, and reports which back up my argument. For those of you who doubt that First Nations have ever been called terrorists, I refer you to the following selected examples. Of course, these are only a few examples as there are far too many to include here and after a while it hurts my heart to read too much of this.
(1) Tom Flanagan
As you all likely know, Tom Flanagan is no fan of First Nations and in fact has strenuously advocated for their assimilation for years saying that "it has to happen". His books, First Nations? Second Thoughts and Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights have portrayed First Nations as "primitive", "communists", and "corrupt" and have also set their complex traditional property issues within the context of studies of "chimpanzees".
Here is the link to the book review I did of Beyond the Indian Act:
http://reviewcanada.ca/reviews/2010/04/01/opportunity-or-temptation/
Flanagan, who is a political scientist who has focused on western political issues and First Nations, is now apparently a "security" expert and has authored a paper for the Canadian Defense and Foreign Affairs Institute in 2009 entitled "Resource Industries and Security Issues in Northern Alberta".
http://www.cdfai.org/PDF/Resource%20Industries%20and%20Security%20Issues%20in%20Northern%20Alberta.pdf
In this paper, Flanagan argues that due to the "rapid expansion of natural-resource industries in northern Alberta, accompanied by growing environmentalist and aboriginal-rights movements" that "violent resistance to industrial development" is very possible from specific individuals like "saboteurs", "eco-terrorists" and "First Nations". While Flanagan explains that his paper could not deal with "Islamic terrorists" the focus of his paper was primarily on "security threats". Some of the examples he used were the "Lubicon Cree", the "Woodland Cree", and "warrior societies" like the "Mohawks in Ontario and Quebec".
Flanagan creates fear in his argument that an "apocalyptic scenario" of "nightmare" proportions would arise if Indigenous warrior societies and eco-terrorists joined forces:
But, then again, this is just his "expert" opinion. Does it really matter? I think most educated people would see Flanagan's unsupported claims for what they are. However, one can't ignore his political influence - having been Prime Minister Harper's right hand man or his influence on an uneducated public.
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/the-man-behind-stephen-harper-tom-flanagan/
Sadly, his books, presentations and backroom influence will likely continue to promote the view of Indigenous peoples as terrorists for the sole purpose of justifying assimilatory state actions and laws.
(2) Christy Blatchford
Some of you may know Christie Blatchford, the "journalist" who wrote the book: Helpless in Caledonia: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy and How the Law Failed Us All about the situation in Caledonia. Her book portrays the Six Nations land claims as an unimportant issue as compared to what she calls the "lawlessness" in Caledonia.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/01/update-tvo-agenda-botches-show-on.html
She also appeared on TVO's The Agenda to speak about her book and compared her coverage of the protests at Caledonia to the terrorist activities at "ground zero" in New York.
http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/index.cfm?page_id=7&bpn=779932&ts=2011-01-14
Just the fact that she held her book signing in Caledonia and brought "protection" with her perpetuated the stereotypical view that Indigenous peoples are inherently dangerous thugs and terrorists ready to strike at a moment's notice. She got even more publicity for herself by bringing police to her book signing at a local university.
http://www.totalwomanshow.com/News/Local/article/827023
(3) Canadian Military
Then there is the Canadian military who have listed Mohawks as a threat to national security alongside terrorists like "communists", "anarchists", "Hezbollah", "Tamils", "Mexican Indians", and "Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups". They specifically noted that: "The rise of radical Native American organizations, such as the Mohawk Warrior Society, can be viewed as insurgencies".
The manual defines an "insurgency" as "a manifestation of war and that "The military's counter-insurgency actions "seeks not only to defeat the insurgents themselves, but the root causes of, and support for, the insurgency".
The manual itself can be accessed at this link:
http://ceasefireinsider.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/counter-insurgency-operations-manual.pdf
The military said in 2010 that they would apologize to the Mohawks, but no apology has been forthcoming:
http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/military-apologizing-to-mohawks/16ahlo0dq
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Military+apologize+Mohawk+Warriors/4015748/story.html
However, the Canadian military is not alone in its depiction of Indigenous peoples as terrorists. APTN was provided with copies of US State Department cables from Wikileaks where the US described "Indigenous terrorist groups" in Canada. APTN explains: "The cables, sent from the US embassy in Ottawa, and entitled Security Environmental Profile Response for Mission Canada, appear to be part of regular updates on the situation in the country."
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/04/30/u-s-considers-native-canadian-groups-as-possible-terror-threats-embassy-cables/
(4) RCMP
We also know that the anti-terrorism unit of the RCMP has been over-zealous in its monitoring of Indigenous peoples. If the RCMP did not consider Indigenous peoples to be terrorists, its anti-terrorism unit would not be actively monitoring Indigenous peoples. The unit has been known to use excessive force on Indigenous peoples alleged to be involved in "Native Issues":
http://www.turtleisland.org/news/wcw1.pdf
In addition, in a confidential report written by the RCMP's criminal intelligence unit, they argue that our Indigenous youth are a threat to to civil society alleging that "street gangs and violent activity" will continue to increase and that "organized crime" is especially a part of Mohawk communities. I received this information from an ATIP request in 2008.
However, the RCMP did recognize that the Aboriginal populations are "marginalised", have a "diminishing quality of life", that the crimes committed by Aboriginal peoples are symptoms of "poverty" and "will only get worse" unless such poverty is addressed. They also highlight the Indian Act's role in their destitution: "Many Aboriginal people find themselves limited in education and employment opportunities because of the social order created by the Indian Act".
So, if we know the causes of these situations, why doesn't Canada go to war against poverty in our communities - instead of against us? Instead, the military, RCMP and sister enforcement agencies like DFO (Fisheries and Oceans) have intervened time and again to deny our rights at Kahnesatake, Burnt Church, Gustefsen Lake, Ipperwash, and other Indigenous territories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsvG4KpFHOA
First Nations are not the Terrorists:
Historically, First Nations were viewed as "primitive" and "savages". Even today, academics like Flanagan continue to promote that view of us. It is no longer acceptable to call us savages, so the new word is terrorist - a word used to justify a whole series of unjustified enforcement and military actions against our people. As far as the military is concerned, they are at "war" with us.
Far worse, is the justification it gives Canadians to ignore the crisis of poverty in our communities and the ongoing discrimination faced by our people - men who are over-incarcerated, children who are removed from their families at epidemic proportions, or women who are murdered at alarming rates. It should be kept in mind that the Criminal Code of Canada prohibits acts of genocide which is defined not only as the direct killing of an identifiable group of people, but the creating of conditions that lead to their early deaths.
In fact, if one were to tally the casualties of war, I think we would see that we are the ones who have suffered and continue to suffer. The fact that our struggles to survive and preserve our lands, resources, cultures, languages and histories for our future generations are considered as acts of "war", "insurgency" or "terrorism" is more than mere discrimination - it is propaganda designed to justify the continued assimilation and genocide of our people.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/aaron_huey.html
Here is an excerpt from a memorial posted on Daniel Paul's website related Native Americans:
"Today I remember:
The thousands of Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Seminole & Chickasaw People who suffered untold agony during the forced removal from their homelands in the 1830's. Innocent men, women and little children perished in concentration camps or froze and starved to death on the Trail Where They Cried.
The 90 women and children who died in the Bear River Massacre in southeastern Idaho.
The 200 Cheyenne men, women and children who were slain at Sand Creek in eastern Colorado by the US Cavalry led by Col John Chivington, a Methodist minister who ordered his men to "Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice."
The 200 murdered Blackfeet women and children who died at Maries River in northern Montana and the other 140 People who were left to freeze to death in the January cold.
The 103 Cheyenne women and children who were butchered on the Washita River in western Oklahoma.
The 200 to 300 Sioux who were slaughtered under a flag of truce at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
The 500 Sauk and Fox Indians led by Black Hawk who were massacred by militia forces while trying to negotiate a surrender.
The Yuki's and other tribes of Indians in California whose populations declined from 11,000 to less than 1000 because white men wanted the land to search for gold. Organized Indian hunts were held on Sundays and our People were killed for sport.
The little children who were kidnapped from their homes and forced to attend BIA schools. Many of them died alone and lie in unmarked graves.
From the small pox, measles, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, TB, and VD epidemics brought to us by the white invaders to the continued genocide still being waged against us, we know about terrorism.
And I remember."
We can never truly address the problem until Canada admits that it has one. Sadly, Prime Minister Harper's statement that there was no colonisation in Canada does not give me much hope.
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/derrick/2009/09/harper-denial-g20-canada-has-no-history-colonialism
Geronimo was a hero, not a terrorist. Many of our leaders who fought to protect our lands and our Nations and who signed treaties were also heros - not terrorists. How quickly the settlers forget that it was they who invaded our territories and killed our people.
Many have asked about the solution. I don't think there is one solutions. A complex mix of tactics are required. While we fight Canada on the political and legal front, we must also ensure we protect what we have left.
It is therefore incumbent upon all of us to love and protect our people - regardless of how our actions are labelled. We are not the terrorists.
I respect the fact that these individuals shared their viewpoints as it is only through this discussion and debate that these issues can be resolved. However, in this instance, the facts do not support their allegation. In fact, there is more than enough evidence which demonstrates a far-reaching pattern of racism and public vilifying of Indigenous peoples in Canada and even the United States.
The terminology, description, and context used by government officials, politicians, academics, and others to describe Indigenous peoples is little more than propaganda used to justify the ongoing genocide in our Nations. Public outcries against Indigenous gangs, criminals, corrupt leaders and "terrorists" do not serve to improve relations between our peoples or undo the harms inflicted by the settler society, but instead act as a distraction from the crisis in First Nations poverty and the ongoing theft of our lands and resources and denial of our sovereignty.
The characterization of our peoples as terrorists reinforces the notion of us vs. them and helps provide excuses for society to walk by our homeless, jail our youth, remove our children, murder our women, disempower and vilify our men, and support governments which provide funds for other countries while our communities lack drinking water, sewage, food, fire protection and schools - the basic necessities of life. Sadly, some of our own even partake in promoting the negative stereotypes against our people.
As a lawyer, I fully realize that despite the fact that this is just a blog - which has no real rules, my readers will expect links to articles, documents, and reports which back up my argument. For those of you who doubt that First Nations have ever been called terrorists, I refer you to the following selected examples. Of course, these are only a few examples as there are far too many to include here and after a while it hurts my heart to read too much of this.
(1) Tom Flanagan
As you all likely know, Tom Flanagan is no fan of First Nations and in fact has strenuously advocated for their assimilation for years saying that "it has to happen". His books, First Nations? Second Thoughts and Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights have portrayed First Nations as "primitive", "communists", and "corrupt" and have also set their complex traditional property issues within the context of studies of "chimpanzees".
Here is the link to the book review I did of Beyond the Indian Act:
http://reviewcanada.ca/reviews/2010/04/01/opportunity-or-temptation/
Flanagan, who is a political scientist who has focused on western political issues and First Nations, is now apparently a "security" expert and has authored a paper for the Canadian Defense and Foreign Affairs Institute in 2009 entitled "Resource Industries and Security Issues in Northern Alberta".
http://www.cdfai.org/PDF/Resource%20Industries%20and%20Security%20Issues%20in%20Northern%20Alberta.pdf
In this paper, Flanagan argues that due to the "rapid expansion of natural-resource industries in northern Alberta, accompanied by growing environmentalist and aboriginal-rights movements" that "violent resistance to industrial development" is very possible from specific individuals like "saboteurs", "eco-terrorists" and "First Nations". While Flanagan explains that his paper could not deal with "Islamic terrorists" the focus of his paper was primarily on "security threats". Some of the examples he used were the "Lubicon Cree", the "Woodland Cree", and "warrior societies" like the "Mohawks in Ontario and Quebec".
Flanagan creates fear in his argument that an "apocalyptic scenario" of "nightmare" proportions would arise if Indigenous warrior societies and eco-terrorists joined forces:
"A nightmare scenario from the standpoint of resource industries in northern Alberta would be a linkage between warrior societies and eco-terrorists. Members of warrior societies would brandish firearms and take public possession of geographical sites, while eco-terrorists would operate clandestinely, firebombing targets over a wide range of territory. The two processes could energize each other, leading in the extreme case to loss of life and a shutdown of industry over a wide area. But this apocalyptic scenario is unlikely to happen because the members of warrior societies and environmental activists are different types of people with different objectives. It would be difficult for them to maintain coordinated action for very long."
But, then again, this is just his "expert" opinion. Does it really matter? I think most educated people would see Flanagan's unsupported claims for what they are. However, one can't ignore his political influence - having been Prime Minister Harper's right hand man or his influence on an uneducated public.
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/the-man-behind-stephen-harper-tom-flanagan/
Sadly, his books, presentations and backroom influence will likely continue to promote the view of Indigenous peoples as terrorists for the sole purpose of justifying assimilatory state actions and laws.
(2) Christy Blatchford
Some of you may know Christie Blatchford, the "journalist" who wrote the book: Helpless in Caledonia: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy and How the Law Failed Us All about the situation in Caledonia. Her book portrays the Six Nations land claims as an unimportant issue as compared to what she calls the "lawlessness" in Caledonia.
http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.com/2011/01/update-tvo-agenda-botches-show-on.html
She also appeared on TVO's The Agenda to speak about her book and compared her coverage of the protests at Caledonia to the terrorist activities at "ground zero" in New York.
http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/index.cfm?page_id=7&bpn=779932&ts=2011-01-14
Just the fact that she held her book signing in Caledonia and brought "protection" with her perpetuated the stereotypical view that Indigenous peoples are inherently dangerous thugs and terrorists ready to strike at a moment's notice. She got even more publicity for herself by bringing police to her book signing at a local university.
http://www.totalwomanshow.com/News/Local/article/827023
(3) Canadian Military
Then there is the Canadian military who have listed Mohawks as a threat to national security alongside terrorists like "communists", "anarchists", "Hezbollah", "Tamils", "Mexican Indians", and "Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups". They specifically noted that: "The rise of radical Native American organizations, such as the Mohawk Warrior Society, can be viewed as insurgencies".
The manual defines an "insurgency" as "a manifestation of war and that "The military's counter-insurgency actions "seeks not only to defeat the insurgents themselves, but the root causes of, and support for, the insurgency".
The manual itself can be accessed at this link:
http://ceasefireinsider.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/counter-insurgency-operations-manual.pdf
The military said in 2010 that they would apologize to the Mohawks, but no apology has been forthcoming:
http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/military-apologizing-to-mohawks/16ahlo0dq
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Military+apologize+Mohawk+Warriors/4015748/story.html
However, the Canadian military is not alone in its depiction of Indigenous peoples as terrorists. APTN was provided with copies of US State Department cables from Wikileaks where the US described "Indigenous terrorist groups" in Canada. APTN explains: "The cables, sent from the US embassy in Ottawa, and entitled Security Environmental Profile Response for Mission Canada, appear to be part of regular updates on the situation in the country."
http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/04/30/u-s-considers-native-canadian-groups-as-possible-terror-threats-embassy-cables/
(4) RCMP
We also know that the anti-terrorism unit of the RCMP has been over-zealous in its monitoring of Indigenous peoples. If the RCMP did not consider Indigenous peoples to be terrorists, its anti-terrorism unit would not be actively monitoring Indigenous peoples. The unit has been known to use excessive force on Indigenous peoples alleged to be involved in "Native Issues":
http://www.turtleisland.org/news/wcw1.pdf
In addition, in a confidential report written by the RCMP's criminal intelligence unit, they argue that our Indigenous youth are a threat to to civil society alleging that "street gangs and violent activity" will continue to increase and that "organized crime" is especially a part of Mohawk communities. I received this information from an ATIP request in 2008.
However, the RCMP did recognize that the Aboriginal populations are "marginalised", have a "diminishing quality of life", that the crimes committed by Aboriginal peoples are symptoms of "poverty" and "will only get worse" unless such poverty is addressed. They also highlight the Indian Act's role in their destitution: "Many Aboriginal people find themselves limited in education and employment opportunities because of the social order created by the Indian Act".
So, if we know the causes of these situations, why doesn't Canada go to war against poverty in our communities - instead of against us? Instead, the military, RCMP and sister enforcement agencies like DFO (Fisheries and Oceans) have intervened time and again to deny our rights at Kahnesatake, Burnt Church, Gustefsen Lake, Ipperwash, and other Indigenous territories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsvG4KpFHOA
First Nations are not the Terrorists:
Historically, First Nations were viewed as "primitive" and "savages". Even today, academics like Flanagan continue to promote that view of us. It is no longer acceptable to call us savages, so the new word is terrorist - a word used to justify a whole series of unjustified enforcement and military actions against our people. As far as the military is concerned, they are at "war" with us.
Far worse, is the justification it gives Canadians to ignore the crisis of poverty in our communities and the ongoing discrimination faced by our people - men who are over-incarcerated, children who are removed from their families at epidemic proportions, or women who are murdered at alarming rates. It should be kept in mind that the Criminal Code of Canada prohibits acts of genocide which is defined not only as the direct killing of an identifiable group of people, but the creating of conditions that lead to their early deaths.
In fact, if one were to tally the casualties of war, I think we would see that we are the ones who have suffered and continue to suffer. The fact that our struggles to survive and preserve our lands, resources, cultures, languages and histories for our future generations are considered as acts of "war", "insurgency" or "terrorism" is more than mere discrimination - it is propaganda designed to justify the continued assimilation and genocide of our people.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/aaron_huey.html
Here is an excerpt from a memorial posted on Daniel Paul's website related Native Americans:
"Today I remember:
The thousands of Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Seminole & Chickasaw People who suffered untold agony during the forced removal from their homelands in the 1830's. Innocent men, women and little children perished in concentration camps or froze and starved to death on the Trail Where They Cried.
The 90 women and children who died in the Bear River Massacre in southeastern Idaho.
The 200 Cheyenne men, women and children who were slain at Sand Creek in eastern Colorado by the US Cavalry led by Col John Chivington, a Methodist minister who ordered his men to "Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice."
The 200 murdered Blackfeet women and children who died at Maries River in northern Montana and the other 140 People who were left to freeze to death in the January cold.
The 103 Cheyenne women and children who were butchered on the Washita River in western Oklahoma.
The 200 to 300 Sioux who were slaughtered under a flag of truce at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
The 500 Sauk and Fox Indians led by Black Hawk who were massacred by militia forces while trying to negotiate a surrender.
The Yuki's and other tribes of Indians in California whose populations declined from 11,000 to less than 1000 because white men wanted the land to search for gold. Organized Indian hunts were held on Sundays and our People were killed for sport.
The little children who were kidnapped from their homes and forced to attend BIA schools. Many of them died alone and lie in unmarked graves.
From the small pox, measles, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, TB, and VD epidemics brought to us by the white invaders to the continued genocide still being waged against us, we know about terrorism.
And I remember."
We can never truly address the problem until Canada admits that it has one. Sadly, Prime Minister Harper's statement that there was no colonisation in Canada does not give me much hope.
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/derrick/2009/09/harper-denial-g20-canada-has-no-history-colonialism
Geronimo was a hero, not a terrorist. Many of our leaders who fought to protect our lands and our Nations and who signed treaties were also heros - not terrorists. How quickly the settlers forget that it was they who invaded our territories and killed our people.
Many have asked about the solution. I don't think there is one solutions. A complex mix of tactics are required. While we fight Canada on the political and legal front, we must also ensure we protect what we have left.
It is therefore incumbent upon all of us to love and protect our people - regardless of how our actions are labelled. We are not the terrorists.
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