top of page

 

Attawapiskat

 

It’s time to stop the madness

I have written on this subject before with a sense of sadness and compassion for our native citizens. I still feel that these folks have been mistreated in many ways but for heaven’s sake, who in this country hasn’t. The last couple of generations have had it pretty good, I will admit but we all pay far too much in taxes and but for a few privileged we all have had struggles to overcome. This most recent uproar with the youth of a small native town in our remote north has taken over the media and the frenzy has been ridiculous.

In the past few months over 100 youths have attempted suicide. Were they serious about this?  Because if they were, they achieved this goal about as well as most every other thing they attempt? They failed. They were successful on one front, they got the attention of the media and our politicians and are now getting the sympathy of the general public that in large are like Lemmings and follow the leaders to yet another pay off to keep them under control. This pay off is working out pretty well with a dozen or so health workers sent in, in addition to the ones in place and the money.---  In addition to the Federal hand outs, $34 million per year to Attawapiskat, the province is giving what amounts to $1,000.00 to every man, woman and child in the town as special funding, for what? Will this money build them an indoor pool or give them better drinking water?

 These people are transported any where they desire in Canada by air for free whether it be for education or just a change of scene, they are given free dental,  free eye care, free prescriptions, no tax on gas, no income tax or tax on retail purchases, That means tax free cars, snowmobiles, boats   etc.  etc.  And free housing. 

Until our government comes up with a better plan for our natives, their problems will be with them and us for a long time. We must give these people more responsibility for their lives. One way would be to make them responsible for their own homes, give them ownership and put the responsibility on them to maintain them.  If clean water is a problem in their towns and villages, we need to teach them how to set up a proper water and sewer system and how to maintain it and then provide monitoring the same as in all rural communities. Pride of ownership must be instilled in their culture which will take some time but it must get started… We must make these people responsible for their own destiny. They should not be treated like children.

Solving this problem will not be easy, the hundreds of millions of our treasure can be spent with much better results when we make this a priority and install some much needed changes. Government perhaps should be taken out of the scenario and a benevolent King put in place for this most delicate challenge.

 

Paul D. Scott.

bottom of page