by Klaus Rohrich
February 9, 2004
In the book animal Farm, George Orwell’s sheep blathered that all animals are equal. However, some are more equal than others. This seems to be the prevalent ethos in Canada.
Driving through an Indian reservation recently, I stopped to purchase gas. as I pulled up to the pumps I noticed that there were two prices posted for gas. One was for "natives" and the other for "non-natives". The price for "natives" was substantially lower than that for others. I briefly flashed on my experiences in the early 1960s in Mississippi, were restaurants, washrooms and drinking fountains had similar postings. These were labeled "colored" and "white".
What we are doing with aboriginals in Canada is somewhat similar. On the one hand they appear to be the most disadvantaged and disenfranchised people in our society. On the other hand more tax money is being spent on aboriginal people in Canada than on any other group--save and except politicians.
While I understand that life isn’t necessarily fair, I question the idea that certain citizens should not be required to pay taxes, or university tuition or even the cost of prescription medication, because all or some portion of their genetic make-up characterizes them as Native Peoples. However, our politicians somehow feel that showing extraordinary consideration to aboriginals is the right thing to do. Consequently, billions of dollars in tax money and tax exemptions accrue to aboriginals every year.
Putting aside the moral question of the government treating some citizens better than others for a moment, what lasting good comes out of this largesse? Indians still appear to have unimaginably high rates of unemployment both on and off reservations. alcoholism and domestic violence is substantially above that of non-native communities. Suicides are higher and there is an outright epidemic of solvent and other substance abuse among young children on many reservations.
With the government spending in excess of $8 billion per annum through the Department of Indian affairs on a total of 976,305 natives, it seems like a really poor return on investment. That comes out to just under $8,200 per person. Keep in mind that this budgetary expenditure does not include items such as prescription, dental, education, tax exemption and other benefits, which could easily add up to another $8 billion. I would think that if the government abolished the Department of Indian affairs, but gave each native man, woman and child $16,400 annually, it would give native peoples a bigger bang for our buck.
Instead the Liberals are turning themselves into pretzels attempting to preserve the status quo. The current legislation governing First Nations is so flawed, one might think it was drafted by Idi amin or Robert Mugabe. There is absolutely no accountability on what happens to the money the government keeps flushing into reservations. Band leaders are not obligated to account for the money that was received, nor do they have to make public their payrolls or expenditures.
Could that be the reason the assembly of First nations so vehemently opposed the legislation introduced last year by then Indian affairs Minister Robert Nault? The bill, entitled the "First Nations Governance act", would have forced native communities to publicly disclose their expenditures and institute a series of reforms that would have made the governance of these communities more transparent. It also would have put in place a mechanism whereby native people could have challenged their leaders on the grounds of corruption or incompetence and sought legal remedy.
Needless to say, the assembly of First Nations was vehemently opposed to this legislation and took it as a personal insult that they should be held accountable for the taxpayers dollars given to them. and who can blame them? Most individuals finding themselves in control of millions of dollars of public money that has no strings attached would probably do the same. To them the status quo is the goose that lays the golden egg.
Prime Minister Paul Martin’s decision to allow the bill to die at the end of the last parliamentary session is a troubling indicator about where the new government’s head is with respect to the use of tax dollars in particular and democracy in general. The death of this bill ensures that the majority of native peoples will continue to languish under the kleptocracy that currently runs the assembly of First Nations. It assures a continuation of the poverty, the hopelessness, and the utter contempt with which Canada treats its aboriginals.
So in Canada, with a few exceptions, we are all equal. This "equality", which is meted out in degrees, assures that certain disparities are perpetuated ad infinitum. Women are more equal than men. aboriginal peoples are more equal than non-aboriginal people. Quebecois are more equal than albertans, and so on. and, of course, politicians and senators are the most equal of all.