What is wrong with Canada?
Truth and reconciliation propaganda without progress
Canada’s treatment of indigenous Canadians has been deplorable since Confederation, but the abuse predates even Confederation by decades. The legacy of failing to deal directly with indigenous issues is a broken system whereby Canada pays billions of dollars to First Nations but those communities remain largely impoverished living in squalor without clean drinking water, modern sewage disposal, adequate health care, or many of the amenities Canadians take for granted in most cities and towns.
For over a century Canada built so-called “residential schools” and forcibly removed indigenous children from their homes and families with the aim of assimilating them into mainstream Canada and “taking the Indian out of Indians”. Those schools, run largely by Churches, became the centers of pervasive child abuse. In 2007, as part of a settlement of legal claims by survivors of residential school abuse, Canada did what is a truly Canadian response to a serious issue - appointed a Royal Commission. Called the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” the appointed body spent the next 7 years studying the history of the residential schools to confirm what everyone already knew - they were cesspools of abuse of indigenous children.
The attention now focused on indigenous peoples caused society to elect leaders who made indigenous issues political footballs, with promises to resolve many problems faced by First Nations but few problems actually resolved. Some First Nations have been without potable drinking water for over 25 years despite the 2015 promise by then recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resolve the drinking water problem promptly. Trudeau’s idea of “prompt” lies somewhere between next election and never.
A competent leader could engage one of the many worldwide water treatment firms to build modern water treatment plants in every First Nation community that lacked such a facility and the engineering, design and construction could be accomplished by competent people in about 1 year, possibly less. I have overseen the construction of 250,000 square foot factories including equipping them with assembly lines and training a workforce of several hundred people in each case in less than a year. In a nutshell, our political leaders are incompetent, apathetic, or both.
In today’s Canada, every time a mineral or oil & gas resource is discovered there emerges a plethora of First Nations claiming the land host to the discovery belongs to them whether there exists and documentary proof of that claim or otherwise, and the claim is followed by blockades, protests, and all manner of intervention to carve out an economic return for the First Nation making the claim. Who would expect otherwise? Rather than legislate a simple forum for ensuring affected First Nations are properly involved in the development of the particular resource, the Liberal government established the “Impact Assessment Act” which virtually guarantees approval of the development will take decades and, if not to the liking of the prevailing Minister, will never take place. Canada’s approach to economic developments that benefit not only First Nations but also the entire Canadian economy makes corrupt third world nations look efficient by comparison.
In the recent leaders debate, all federal leaders embraced the need to repeal the Indian Act. Breaking news - Pierre Trudeau tabled a white paper in 1969 setting out the mechanism to repeal the Indian Act and his party turned on him and the proposal was withdrawn. Now, some 52 years later, our leaders eloquently extolled the plan as if they had invented it during the campaign.
What First Nations appear to want is to be treated as independent nations and to deal with Canada “nation to nation”. It is a utopia that will never be achieved since Canada’s First Nations lack the elements of nationhood which at a minimum include the ability to be self-sufficient economically and a stable system of laws and governance. It is not as if Canada had one First Nation to deal with or as if the First Nations spoke with one voice. Quite the contrary, there are at least 50 First Nations in Canada in over 600 communities and each has its own idea of how it should be governed, what laws it should follow, and how its leaders will be named (either by election or by heredity).
In the meantime, Canadian Liberals talk about the need to preserve the heritage and culture of First Nations going so far as to make Cree an official language in Parliament at the same time as standing idly by as Quebec rejects English as an official language. In this election, we had two of three debates in the language of 7 million Francophones and one leaders’ debate for the 25 million English speaking Canadians.
I have an idea how to settle the issues confronting First Nations, which I have no doubt will find no support since it is based on common sense.
Transfer title to First Nations of all lands occupied by First Nations in fee simple and legislate the ability of the First Nations owners to alienate the lands if they choose. They will then be free to lease or sell their properties or enter into any form of contractual relationship they can negotiate with the corporations whose expertise they may need to develop any resources on their lands.
Establish a template for such contracts and encourage its use as a standard for Canadian corporations dealing with First Nations, for example, incorporating a Gross Overriding Royalty ensuring the respective First Nation receives a percentage of the revenue from the resource development without exposure to the capital or operating costs of any project.
Accept First Nations desire for self-government if they choose. Set a deadline after which they will cease to receive financial support from Canada if they choose to be independent, perhaps 50 years out to ensure time for First Nations to establish stable institutions of self-governance and independence.
Offer First Nations peoples the opportunity to resign their “First Nation” status and become ordinary Canadians with all the rights and privileges enjoyed by all or any Canadian, and, if after a defined period of years they choose to retain their First Nation status require them to resign their Canadian citizenship. In essence, you can be either a citizen of an independent First Nation or a citizen of Canada but not both.
Disband the Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs which is a colossal waste of money and time in my opinion.