Two Former Canadian Indian Chiefs Trash Canada

[coffeeFreak]

The history and present state concerning how we treat/ed Natives is embarrassing. The UN and other worldly organizations have pointed out quite a few times about how Natives are treated/disadvantaged in Canada even today, it's no lie. Look at our prison population demographics.

Your kidding right???? Show us some countries around the world that have and do treat anyone(special interests, back grounds, natives peoples, in their countries boarders to the same depth we have. Canada has a record to show just how much we have and continue to give in attempts to satisfy different peoples. Disadvantaged, really?? Do some research and see whats available to natives if they chose. Special privileges; school, access to universities, paid for tuitions, tax free status, jobs, training,family assistance,aid,grants,laws,opportunities. I have a native family relative who chose to capitalize on the offerings of this country and you would not believe, when willing, what is given and offered.
Billions have been paid out and will continue in an effort to satisfy (which will never happen).
Do a search for, Canada's newest millionaire club.

Please, please zoo, do your own research about the realities. "zoo: "Special privileges; school, access to universities, paid for tuitions, tax free status, jobs, training,family assistance,aid,grants,laws,opportunities" is a very overly generalized statement, as all of these examples are not available to all Aboriginal people!!!! Even the ones who fall under the Indian Act...not all of them: receive education funding (I know a lot who have student loans); tax free only applies to purchases or labour performed ON a reserve; and jobs? grants? training? family assistance?, last I heard these were available to all Canadians, not just Aboriginal people.

Your post shows an obvious "lack of knowing"/ignorance. And one family member's experience does not reflect all the people.

It gets so very frustrating to hear the continual perpetuation of misinformation too many Canadians cling to about Aboriginal people!!

I diverge from the OP topic but I just can't help it when obvious misinformation is presented.

[zoo]

.[/quote]

Please, please zoo, do your own research about the realities. "zoo: "Special privileges; school, access to universities, paid for tuitions, tax free status, jobs, training,family assistance,aid,grants,laws,opportunities" is a very overly generalized statement, as all of these examples are not available to all Aboriginal people!!!! Even the ones who fall under the Indian Act...not all of them: receive education funding (I know a lot who have student loans); tax free only applies to purchases or labour performed ON a reserve; and jobs? grants? training? family assistance?, last I heard these were available to all Canadians, not just Aboriginal people.

Your post shows an obvious "lack of knowing"/ignorance. And one family member's experience does not reflect all the people.

It gets so very frustrating to hear the continual perpetuation of misinformation too many Canadians cling to about Aboriginal people!!

I diverge from the OP topic but I just can't help it when obvious misinformation is presented.[/quote]

Don't be so quick to believe your knowledge is correct and above others. Its actually myself that has received these benefits(just dont like to say it). I have received these benefits over my life and I am extremely thankful for them. I can also tell you that it is our own decisions that account for which and how many benefits we receive. And yes there are many. BC's provincial budget is $80 mill a year just to run these programs. That is not federal, but provincial. I do not need to research these as you speak because I have collected them as well my family.
I am very thank full to Canada and my privileges and believe its time we stop our complaining. But that's just some of us. So the problem continues.

[coffeeFreak]

Don't be so quick to believe your knowledge is correct and above others. Its actually myself that has received these benefits(just dont like to say it). I have received these benefits over my life and I am extremely thankful for them. I can also tell you that it is our own decisions that account for which and how many benefits we receive. And yes there are many. BC's provincial budget is $80 mill a year just to run these programs. That is not federal, but provincial. I do not need to research these as you speak because I have collected them as well my family.
I am very thank full to Canada and my privileges and believe its time we stop our complaining. But that's just some of us. So the problem continues.

My point zoo, is one person's experience does not apply to all. I too am very familiar with the benefits. Sadly, you do all hard working and productive Aboriginal people a disservice by not clarifying your statements...not ALL Aboriginal people get the benefits you mentioned.

[Treblehook]

If the individuals visiting Iran had been Canadians [who were caucasion] and trashing Canada, you can bet there would be loud protestations from people generally... asserting that these individuals were not legitimate spokespersons for Canadians or Canada generally! The two chiefs are aboriginals; were purporting to be visiting Iran to speak about Canada's treatment of aboriginal peoples and were certainly not mandated to do that by the aboriginal peoples of Canada. Why then wouldn't the fact they are aboriginals be the subject of comment? Political correctness... phooey!

In respect to Clarence Louie taking all of the credit.... I think he is due the credit for having provided the leadership necessary for the Osoyoos Indian Band progress/success. He certainly hasn't done it all.. nobody could, but he has had a vision for the futrue of the band and has been consistent in his leadership. His band has benefitted greatly over the years as opposed to the bands where only the Chief and Band Council members have gotten rich. Big difference!

[coffeeFreak]

If the individuals visiting Iran had been Canadians [who were caucasion] and trashing Canada, you can bet there would be loud protestations from people generally... asserting that these individuals were not legitimate spokespersons for Canadians or Canada generally! The two chiefs are aboriginals; were purporting to be visiting Iran to speak about Canada's treatment of aboriginal peoples and were certainly not mandated to do that by the aboriginal peoples of Canada. Why then wouldn't the fact they are aboriginals be the subject of comment? Political correctness... phooey!

If they were Caucasian, and if there were loud "protestations" these protests would have nothing to do with the colour of their skin or their historical or socioeconomic conditions. They would not have been held up as representations of all Caucasian Canadians and more likely, there would be a lot of jokes, sarcasm and accusations of being mentally unbalanced. Their colour would have nothing to do with their ignorance.

[Treblehook]

My obervations in opening this post [and throughout for that matter] have not focused on race. The topic that Pashe and Nelson focused on was the "plight" of aboriginals living in Canada and my objection was to their having been trashing Canada whilst purporting to represent a segment of Canadian society. If they had been two Newfoundlanders trashing Canada and suggesting that people from the rock were being discriminated against and that the government was trying to exterminate them, my reaction would have been the same.... disgusting behavior and if they were not elected officials, currently representing the people of Newfoundland, they would have no right to hold themselves out as spokespersons for all Newfies. I guess it be true... that one dare not offer any criticism whatsoever as to the conduct of anyone from any minority race or risk the condemnation that the criticism is racially motivated. It is a great way to filter out the truth when the truth hurts eh. I am done with this thread as it seems to have been artfully dragged off topic.

[coffeeFreak]

The Government of Canada has most certainly made mistakes over the decades/generations in the way it has dealt with our Aboriginal peoples. There are few [if any] Canadians of any stripe who would disagree with that statement. That having been said however, there are many, many issues and problems within the aboriginal population itself that have stiffled their own peoples progress. We have many highly visible examples of that across the country. At the same time, there are some very shining examples of aboriginal peoples being highly successful and bands that are productive and modern. There are very good examples here in the southern interior of BC. Very often, the right things don't get done until the right things get said .. until the issues and contributing factors are really laid out and discussed. Unfortunately, much of the truth about the circumstances that are holding back aboriginal peoples in Canada does not get discussed because we are in a time where political correctness trumps all other considerations; aboriginal peoples live in atrocious housing in some areas where there seems to be no logical reason for this dreadful circumstance other than the mismanagement and outright theft/diversion of millions of dollars provided annually. Those aboriginal people who suffer under successive band administrations that are corrupt or otherwise ill equipped to manage 50 or 100 million dollar budgets, have little or no chance or improving their way of life or that of their children. To simply say that Canada or non-aboriginal peoples have treated aboriginal peoples badly, discriminated against them or otherwise disadvantaged them is to oversimplify the problem. At the same time, those who repeat that rhetoric reinforce the premise that all aboriginal problems were/are the fault of the "white man", which does nothing to create an atmosphere where our aboriginal peoples are likely to grab and pull up their own bootstraps. Those bands who have been most successful have [themselves] taken the bull by the horns. Chief Clarence Louie and the Osoyoos Indian Band prove the point.

My obervations in opening this post [and throughout for that matter] have not focused on race.

I'd say the top post here is where things were derailed from "despicable actions", to almost all Aboriginal peoples "issues".

Although I don't agree that these two EX chiefs are disgusting, they are two nobodies who, IMO, completely lack intelligence.

As for your comment:

Treblehook: If they had been two Newfoundlanders trashing Canada and suggesting that people from the rock were being discriminated against and that the government was trying to exterminate them, my reaction would have been the same.... disgusting behavior and if they were not elected officials, currently representing the people of Newfoundland, they would have no right to hold themselves out as spokespersons for all Newfies.

I agree with you here too.

But I do believe that if this was the original post and they were, let's say ex mayors from some small Newfoundland municipality, we would not be discussing ALL Newfoundlanders' socioeconomic and historical issues as being related in any way to the idiocy of two misguided and embarrassing EX representatives.

As for political correctness, how about just not making every action an Aboriginal person takes as a requirement for another generalized structural analysis of almost all supposedly misguided Indians...

[Treblehook]

CoffeeBreak: Go back and read my first two posts, then some of those offerings by others, and you will perhaps appreciate that somebody else dragged this thread off in the direction to which you take some exception. My criticism was about the two ignorant people from Manitoba who scooted off to Iran to trash Canada.

[Ken7]

Your kidding right???? Show us some countries around the world that have and do treat anyone(special interests, back grounds, natives peoples, in their countries boarders to the same depth we have. Canada has a record to show just how much we have and continue to give in attempts to satisfy different peoples. Disadvantaged, really?? Do some research and see whats available to natives if they chose. Special privileges; school, access to universities, paid for tuitions, tax free status, jobs, training,family assistance,aid,grants,laws,opportunities. I have a native family relative who chose to capitalize on the offerings of this country and you would not believe, when willing, what is given and offered.
Billions have been paid out and will continue in an effort to satisfy (which will never happen).
Do a search for, Canada's newest millionaire club.

Do some research? Are you aware of why they have these special privileges? Sadly though this TREATY right is not equal to all native people as it was written.

I feel the Government has fallen short, they need to settle the Treaties ASAP and then we can all be Canadian!!