Possibly Illustrates The Shallowness Of The Judgement Of he Electorate?

Why Is There Always A Big Screen TV?
Attawapiskat and Atikokan: A tale of two northern towns Posted by Kate at 12:51 PM Comments (14)

How About An Inquiry Into Protecting my Rights...

...the right to be able to walk/drive the streets of Toronto, able to access public buildings and worksites, etc. without interference. 

Release G20 'political' prisoners, says group

TORONTO - The mass detention of people and widespread use of police force over the G20 summit weekend was a gross abuse of state power that demands an independent inquiry and the immediate release of "political prisoners," a civil-rights coalition said Monday. 6 July 05:40

Will They Also Be Subjected To The Responsibilities Of Non Indians...

Land ownership changes mark new chapter in Nisga’a history

New rules will give Nisga’a freedom to do with their homes as they wish – including selling to non-Nisga’a buyers May 14, 2010
...to pay property taxes to supply and maintain infrastructure, pickup garbage, organize and pay for police and fire protection, etc. and Ottawa ad the province will only give them money to support those services?

No Month Would Be Complete Without A Slam At......

Judge comes down hard on native activist

Posted on 19 September 2008 by Jack

TORONTO - Before he gained national renown as a defender of native rights, Shawn Brant was waging a protracted, destructive battle against his own Mohawk band and council, during which time he lied and schemed and wilfully ignored the community’s voice because it suited him to do so.

That is the conclusion of an Ontario Superior Court Judge, who earlier this year delivered a startling and little-noticed judgment against Mr. Brant, his father Ronald Leslie Brant and another businessman. The decision, which orders the three men to pay $588,000 in damages and costs, stems from a 16-year dispute between the Brants and their Tyendinaga Band Council over a piece of land the two Brant men claimed as their own, despite never having paid for the property.

The decision is under appeal.

More

Every Canadian Citizen Who Pledges Allegiance To Our Flag.....

...should be in the jury "pool."

Exclusion of natives from juries serious, says NDP Leader

• Article
• Comments (27)
• 

JOE FRIESEN

From Monday's Globe and Mail

September 15, 2008 at 4:48 AM EDT

Native people have been left out of jury selection for years, and there's great reluctance within the Ministry of the Attorney-General to do anything about it, according to Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton.

Mr. Hampton, a lawyer who represents the Kenora-Rainy River riding, the northwestern portion of Ontario, said the consequences of the systematic exclusion of native people from jury selection are very serious.

"The jury system calls for a jury of one's peers. All of one's peers, not a selective peerage," he said.

Mr. Hampton said the recent revelation that only 44 people from native communities are considered for jury selection in the Kenora district, which has a significant aboriginal population, "calls into question the fundamental fairness of the jury system."

More

There Is No Question This Was Not Right BUT....

.....exactly how much did this leave in the Indian Affairs budget; maybe around $8.5 billion, and how was this money spent?

$579 million shuffled from native projects TheStar.com - Canada - $579 million shuffled from native projects

June 18, 2008

Richard Brennan
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA–In less than a decade, the Indian Affairs department diverted more than $500 million earmarked for native schools and other projects and spent the money on public relations and other things, according to information obtained by the New Democrats.

The information, requested of Parliament by MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay), shows Liberal and Conservative governments from 1999 to 2007 took $579 million out of the capital facilities and maintenance program fund meant for building or repairing schools, medical clinics, and other structures on reserves.

"There is a clear pattern that the money which builds schools was where they went to cover off whatever else they needed under the sun ... including paying for spin doctors. They are plundering the basic budgets for communities without schools," Angus told the Star.

Some $72 million a year has been stripped away for legal services, public affairs, education programs including teacher salaries, asset management services, and human resources and supply chain management, among other things.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada spokesperson Margot Geduld explained the department moves money where needed.

"(It) actively monitors resource pressures to ensure that resources are aligned with priorities. That would include demographic growth pressures and provincially set price increases in education and social development and other key areas as well," she said.

Angus has been fighting a very public campaign to force Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl to approve funding for a new elementary school in the northern Ontario native community of Attawapiskat, in Angus's riding.

How Would Things Be Different.......

.....if there had not been any residential schools? Let's even go back one step further; what if the white man had never come to Canada? Would the various tribes across Canada have lived in peace and harmony? Would there have been no child abuse? Would their have been equality and freedom of expression? Would their have been total equality when it came to class structure?

I Don't See This As An Accomplishment

My views on apologies and special status given to indians have been stated a number of times......

Sandy: Apology to Natives a Harper gov’t accomplishment

Let's add another Harper government accomplishment to my lists, both short and long. Today Prime Minister Harper will stand in the House of Commons and, as far as I know, do what no government prime minister has ever done before him. He will stand in his place and give a full and heartfelt apology to all Aboriginal people who were ever uprooted from their families and placed in residential schools. [...more]

One Of My Questions About Indian Band Fiscal Management Answered......

Overseer of Rama profits eats up millions *

OTTAWA–Millions of Casino Rama dollars meant to help lift First Nations out of poverty have been swallowed by legal fees, unexplained expenses and payments to at least one band that doesn't officially exist, suggest newly released audits. Documents obtained under freedom of information outline how a small board of native directors distributes about $60 million a year from the casino near Orillia to 133 chiefs in the province. [...more]

Now how about the billions allocated from Ottawa??????

Hopefully They Will Include a Couple Of Things......

......highlight the accomplishments of indians in business, the arts and entertainment, etc. , explain what happens to the the billions ($6-9B/year) that are transferred to the Department Of Indian Affairs from Ottawa, where do the millions and millions from illegal cigarettes and smuggling go, how much of the $ I leave at casinos go to the indians living on the rez, etc.

Protest message should be heard

May 20, 2008
On May 29, First Nations people across Canada will stage a "day of action" to draw attention to the poverty, appalling living conditions and despair that plague many of their communities.

Battle heats up over native tobacco trade





Casino loophole allows criminals to launder cash, RCMP fear

Equal Justice For All - What a load of bullshit

Social in-activists are constantly bleating about the justice system favors the rich but you never hear about this travesty.....

"In the past five years, Beausoleil had 10 charges, one for a weapons offence, diverted because of his native ancestry, said his lawyer Anthony DeMarco. Under the native diversion program, the accused acknowledges responsibility for his actions, but doesn't plead guilty and no criminal conviction is registered"

21-1 court record, now 21-2
Murderer has no chance of parole for 10 years
A man who murdered his best friend while serving a conditional sentence for a robbery bragged to police that he was "21-1 in court" because of the native diversion program, a judge heard yesterday.

And let's not forget Caledonia, Oka, etc.

Ron Evans Has His Counterparts Off The Rez

It is poverty, it's the physical environment, it's tv and videos, it's the man in the moon, etc., etc., but they forget that the vast majority of the people living in the same situtation don't commit crimes......and of course he wouldn't want tougher gun laws because he would have to disarm his terrorrist group the Mohawk Warriors.

Stop Making Excuses"

"It wasn't long before Ron Evans (Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba First Nations)...

... ... reverted to form. Aboriginal kids need to connect with their culture. Blah blah. Poverty is the root cause of crime. Blah blah. Tougher anti-gun, anti-gang, anti-crime laws aren't needed.

"How is a tough crime bill going to help people to change?" said Evans. "Many of our people are caught in the cycle. They're stuck."

And to prove how stuck he is in his own go-nowhere cycle...

Posted by Kate at 6:58 PM

Has The Mohawk Confederacy Not Heard......

.......that the City Of Toronto is in dire financial straits so their sit in/extortion tactic will probably not work like it has at places like Caledon. I can appreciate their concern about disturbing the salmon spawning when you consider the opportunities for living off the land in the Rouge Valley are minimal and gawd only knows how far it is to the closest Price Choppers.

Natives aim to save bridge TheStar.com - News - Natives aim to save bridge

Protesters set up camp on `sacred land' to push city to spend $1M to save span near Toronto Zoo

October 14, 2007

Jack Lakey
Staff Reporter

A native occupation of land adjacent to the Kirkhams Rd. bridge began yesterday, and those involved say it will continue until the city decides to repair and save the bridge, instead of tearing it down.

David Grey Eagle Sanford, who began the occupation yesterday with his wife, Kim, and several others, says his family ties to the Rouge Valley near the Toronto Zoo, where the bridge is located, go back 500 years, and that native interests are better served by keeping the bridge.

"I've been on this river and in this valley all my life," said Grey Eagle Sanford, who pitched a tent, started a campfire and hung a Mohawk Confederacy flag by the bridge. "My ancestors are buried all through here. It is sacred land to me.

More

What's Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander

Blair seems to imply that there is something insidious with Frontenac using an "archaic" law to achieve their goals but can't the same be said for every terrorist act committed by the Indians.

Legal hammers, human nails TheStar.com - comment - Legal hammers, human nails

September 27, 2007

Peggy Blair

At Caledonia, Six Nations Mohawks have occupied the site of a planned development for more than 18 months, claiming they never surrendered the lands in dispute. Parts of Caledonia are now blocked off and development in the contested area is frozen.

For the most part, Caledonia townspeople do not support the blockade. They are greatly inconvenienced and may not appreciate the Mohawk frustration at seeing reserved lands repeatedly developed over their objections or understand that the Mohawk claim has been outstanding for more than 100 years.

But as time drags on with no resolution, events have taken an ugly turn. Last week, a developer who tried to go behind the lines to check on his property was beaten viciously by native thugs. Iroquois traditionalists at the blockade say they don't condone the violence and had nothing to do with it, but have clearly been unable to control extremists on the line.

Just this week, Dave Brown and Dana Chatwell, a couple whose home is trapped between the blockade, sued the OPP and Ontario for more than $70 million in damages, claiming regular harassment by natives who pound on their windows and demand they present native-issued "passports" before entering their own land.

John Tory is now calling on the police to remove the protesters. He also wants changes to the Petty Trespass Act, making it illegal for any organization or third party to support or encourage a blockade.

But consider this. At Sharbot Lake, the Algonquins have blocked access to an area where Frontenac Ventures Company planned to build a uranium mine. Like the Mohawks, the Algonquins have refused to abide by a court injunction, instead demanding negotiations.

Another lawsuit for lost income is pending – Frontenac Ventures has sued the First Nations and Ontario for $77 million. But the tone of the blockade at Sharbot Lake is very different from that at Caledonia – here, the Algonquins have widespread support.

Another Caledonia On The Horizon

And you wonder how much McGinty will pay to solve a federal problem
like he did at Caledonia?

Gagging the messenger

Dalton McGuinty's provincial Liberals had a bad day on Thursday. Ontario's Premier had just finished a stump speech and was heading for his campaign bus when a man shook his hand and asked a simple question: "What are you going to do about the natives occupying my site? MORE....

See McGuinty - Updated: See McGuinty Threaten Media

See McGuinty run; Quattrociocchi, whose plan to build duplexes in Brantford has been put on hold because of a protest by Natives, voiced his concern over the situation but was simply told by the Premier that it was 'a federal problem'.

Brantford Expositor;

Quattrociocchi said he did his best to avoid problems before work started.

"I don't understand why this is happening," he said. "I've been playing by the rules and I'm a small developer.

"If my small eight-unit development has created such concern with some members of the Six Nations, then does this mean that all houses along the Grand River as well as the casino are owned by Six Nations?"

Looks like it...

A small Brantford development company will not yield to "extortion" by paying the Six Nations Confederacy Council a fee before it goes ahead with the construction of four semi-detached homes, its owner said yesterday.

Mike Quattrociocchi said that under the terms of a so-called development protocol, the aboriginal group wants him to give it about 4 per cent of the estimated $1.2-million value of project. He said he plans to resume construction next week, even though it is likely to trigger protests.

"They are going for the small guys because they know they can squeeze us," said Mr. Quattrociocchi, whose project was shut down last week by native protesters.

Earlier this week, the confederacy council, which represents the hereditary chiefs of the Six Nations, announced the creation of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, an agency that the chiefs say will "oversee" the development of lands in the Haldimand tract, an area six miles on either side of the Grand River.

From the comments - "It gets darker. Looks like Ben Chin tried to have the story hushed up."

Posted by Kate at 12:32 AM

I'm A Little Confused (Never Mind The Snide Remarks)

But isn't it the aboriginal "leaders" who vehemently opposed Harper's legislation that would give indians more rights and would hold chiefs more accountable.

PM signals Canada unlikely to back UN declaration

GLORIA GALLOWAY

Globe and Mail Update

September 9, 2007 at 8:57 PM EDT

SYDNEY, Australia — Canada's Prime Minister sent a strong signal Sunday that his government would not agree to sign to United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People when the matter comes to a vote later this month.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a late afternoon news conference in this Australian city that he has not yet decided what Canada's position will be with regard to the document that aims to limit the abuse and murder of indigenous people around the world.

But “the government of Canada has profound reservations about elements of the draft. And our government's position is we shouldn't vote for things on the basis of political correctness, we should actually vote on the basis of what's in the document and whether or not the government of Canada can and will implement the content,” Mr. Harper told reporters.

The UN General Assembly is expected to adopt the declaration before the current session wraps up on Sept. 17.

Supporters and aboriginal leaders in this country say the declaration has no binding effect but is a long-overdue step toward the recognition of aboriginal rights.

It Was A Given When Government Raises Sin Taxes

That the private sector will find ways to benefit from this action. The last figures I heard that the government has lost something like $1.6 billion in taxes. Ask yourself who are the individuals benefitting.........The underground products -- mostly coming from native reserves in the United States or Ontario -- rob the legitimate industry and government of revenue, shrink the high prices that are considered a key deterrent to potential smokers and allegedly fuel organized crime.

Ottawa To Mark Tobacco
The federal government is ordering high-security tax stamps for cigarette packages and planning stepped-up audits of tobacco factories and farms in a new campaign against the increasing number of contraband cigarettes flooding the Canadian market.

Another Victory For Innuit

I don't know if it just my imagination but the Innuit seem to be on another planet when it comes to successfully resolving issues that impact their people and they do so without a Warrior Society, blockades, etc. Congratulations and much success.

Quebec Inuit to sign historic self-governance agreement

BILL CURRY

From Monday's Globe and Mail

August 13, 2007 at 1:48 AM EDT

OTTAWA — A giant swath of mineral-rich land covering one-third of Quebec is on track to become a self-governing region for the province's 10,000 Inuit.

To be called the Regional Government of Nunavik, it will have its own elected assembly representing Quebec's 14 remote Inuit communities and a public service responsible for services normally delivered by provinces, such as education and health.

The Globe and Mail has obtained a copy of the agreement-in-principle between the Inuit, Quebec and Ottawa, which was initialled by the three sides last week, meaning it should be ready for a formal signing ceremony within weeks. A final agreement would then follow and the Inuit hope the new government will be in place by 2009.

The Nunavik government would be unlike any other resolved aboriginal land claim in Canada, both because of the region's massive size and because the system of government so closely resembles the British-inspired parliamentary systems found in Ottawa and provincial capitals.

The Regional Government of Nunavik will have an elected assembly representing Inuit communities. (Dean Tweed/The Globe and Mail)

Also, unlike native self-governments such as B.C.'s Nisga'a, the agreement is not based on ethnicity, even though the vast majority of the region's residents are Inuit.

Jean-François Arteau, the head legal adviser for the Quebec Inuit, said he would expect all future maps of Canada to include the Nunavik region, which uses the 55th parallel as a southern border and makes up one-third of Quebec.

“This is going to be a special territory that I think we should see on any map of Canada,” he said. “It's something new. A regional government. That doesn't exist anywhere.”

Why Is The Opposition Opposed To Human Rights For Indians

I would think three decades would have allowed enough time for discussion with those indian chiefs opposed to changes to their power base.......

Abysmal lack of rights for Indian women TheStar.com - comment - Abysmal lack of rights for Indian women

August 09, 2007

Peggy Blair

The Harper government's attempt to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act by removing section 67, which exempts the Indian Act from provisions in human rights legislation, has run into some roadblocks. The opposition parties have blocked an attempt by the government to move the legislation through committee, demanding instead that the government consult more broadly with First Nations communities. What's all the fuss about?

The Canadian Human Rights Act, including section 67, was enacted in 1977. Among other things, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, marital status and sex. Under the Indian Act at that time, women who married non-Indians lost their status while Indian men who married non-Indians not only retained theirs but their non-Indian wives were granted Indian status as well.

Having been chastised by the UN Human Rights Committee for violating Indian women's human rights, the Canadian government put section 67 in the new human rights legislation as a temporary measure, a way for the government to stop further complaints from Indian women while it consulted with First Nations peoples. But "temporary" turned out to be indefinite. Section 67 is still there.

Winnipeg Manitoba & Red River?

No.....Kashechewan reserve.

While I wouldn't want to put up with this whether it was in Winnipeg of Kashechewan I have to wonder what all this talk about substandard housing....if this is an example of substandard housing all lot of my Muskoka neighbors better lower their property asking price.