Lorne Gunter gave his political opinion about the state of First Nations affairs in the Edmonton Journal on June 12, 2011. I am not going to comment on his article because it is the most uninformed article that I've read in awhile.
Specifically, he said, "Ottawa needs to provide more consistent funding -over three to five years, rather than year-to-year -and be clearer about performance standards and what constitutes success. Meanwhile, on-reserve politicians need to give up the fantasy that their tiny communities are nations and need to be dealt with as such.
Until reserves begin to function as municipalities, First Nations destitution will remain."
Do not listen to Lorne Gunter for he knows nothing about the state of Aboriginal affairs. If he did, he would have advised the public that the federal government of Canada and the Indian Act is the problem, not the First Nations, and that as long as the Indian Act remains in place, there is not any amount of money or funding cycles that will reduce the poverty in our communities.
If Lorne knew what he was talking about, he would advised you that "self-government", not municipality-type governance, is the only action that will reduce the poverty in First Nations. The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development studied this issue and drew that conclusion.
It is views like Lorne Gunter's that perpetuate racism and stereotypes of First Nations people.
Lorne, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) is a good starting point for you to educate yourself on Aboriginal issues. After you read RCAP, read the Treaties because it will give you a VERY good idea about how the federal government is ignoring international treaties, which is detrimental to the interests of First Nations people, and which maintains the oppression and poverty among First Nations people.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Money+solve+aboriginal+problems/4933242/story.html
WHO IS WATCHING OUT FOR YOU?
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