[Bouncing Bettys]

Senator Lynn Beyak says First Nations should give up status cards

'None of us are leaving, so let’s stop the guilt and blame,' Conservative senator says in open letter

By John Paul Tasker, CBC News Posted: Sep 13, 2017 12:44 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 14, 2017 11:03 AM ET

After vowing to take the summer months to meet with Indigenous people after a series of controversial remarks, Conservative Sen. Lynn Beyak says she now believes First Nations should give up their Indigenous rights and integrate into Canadian society.

"Trade your status card for a Canadian citizenship, with a fair and negotiated payout to each Indigenous man, woman and child in Canada, to settle all the outstanding land claims and treaties, and move forward together just like the leaders already do in Ottawa," she said in an open letter published Sept. 1 on her Senate website.

(Indigenous people born in this country are Canadian citizens, and were given full voting rights in 1960.)

"None of us are leaving, so let's stop the guilt and blame and find a way to live together and share," she wrote. "All Canadians are then free to preserve their cultures in their own communities, on their own time, with their own dime."

Beyak made headlines in the spring after CBC News first reported her defence of the Indian residential school system in the Senate. The northwestern Ontario senator later expanded on her remarks before being removed from the Red Chamber's Aboriginal Peoples committee by interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose.

The senator, appointed under former prime minister Stephen Harper, also denounced the Liberal government's recent move to split Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two separate departments, with one focused on the delivery of services and the other tasked with negotiating treaties, among other initiatives.

Beyak said she worried this could simply lead to more bureaucracy and public servants who can do little to fix the ills that afflict many communities.

"No matter how qualified and well intentioned the participants, the last thing we need is another minister, ministry and bureaucracy in Ottawa to address the challenges," she said.

Senator Lynn Beyak says she doesn't need 'any more education' on residential schools
Senator Lynn Beyak stands by residential school remarks, cites 'fake news'
Tory senator wants to put 'focus on the good' done by residential school system

Beyak said Indigenous leaders have already assimilated into the mainstream, and so too should the "grassroots."

"The real problem, as identified in letters from the grassroots across the nation, and which no government has had the courage to address, is what they themselves identify as the Indian Act Industry in Ottawa, all living and working together comfortably, huge bureaucracies, massive expense accounts, fully assimilated to the ways of the white and Indigenous worlds, with available 5-star accommodations and business class travel, while the Indigenous population is constantly reminded that integration or assimilation is not good for them," she wrote.
White paper 'ahead of its time,' Beyak said

In revisiting her previous remarks, Beyak said she stood by her claim that history has been far too unkind to the residential school system. "A small number of Aboriginals found the schools bad," she wrote.

"Only 1 in 3 Indigenous children ever attended them. Very few were torn from their parents arms, but rather were enrolled by loving parents who were away trapping and trading for months on end."

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) found some Indigenous students spoke highly of the skills they acquired, the benefits of recreation and sports, and the friendships they made at a school, but on the whole, for most students, academic success was elusive in the crowded classrooms and they often left feeling isolated from their families, culture and language.

Thousands are believed to have died at the schools, and thousands of others reported physical and sexual abuse.

Beyak, who lives near Dryden, Ont., also praised former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's 1969 white paper on Indigenous issues, which proposed doing away with the Indian Act and treaties and eliminating a distinct legal Indian status.

She said Trudeau, and Jean Chrétien, the government's then minister overseeing Indigenous affairs, "got it right."

"Their paper was brilliant and ahead of its time. Can you imagine how life would be for Indigenous people today, had it been implemented nearly 50 years ago? Indigenous leaders soundly rejected it, without consulting their own people, but it still has merit," she said. "We do not need an Indian Act. We have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all Canadians."
Chretien White Paper

A 1969 white paper was a Canadian government policy paper that attempted to abolish previous legal documents pertaining to Indigenous people in Canada, including the Indian Act and treaties, and assimilate all 'Indian' people under the Canadian state. Jean Chrétien, far right, was the minister of Indian affairs at the time. (Provincial Archives of Alberta)

The white paper was later abandoned in the face of sustained outrage from First Nations people, who said their long-established treaty rights could not simply be extinguished unilaterally by the federal government.

The current Liberal government has also sought to dismantle parts of the Indian Act (namely parts that deal with land use) while maintaining constitutionally protected rights. Many First Nations people have spoken of their desire to get out from underneath the colonial document that dictates much of everyday life on reserves.

Life under Indian Act a 'horrible existence,' Indigenous senator says, but there's hope

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is leading an effort to review all federal laws that pertain to Indigenous people. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett has also sought to sign self-governing agreements with Indigenous groups, transferring control of education and health systems to First Nations peoples.

Bennett said Beyak simply doesn't understand Indigenous issues, and is peddling uninformed and offensive comments.

"What is also worrying is that she still won't admit she has a lot to learn. Once again, we suggest she sit down and listen to some of the survivors of residential schools. They have a great deal to teach her," Bennett said in a statement to CBC News.

Larry Smith, the Conservative leader in the Senate, issued a tersely worded statement late Thursday after Beyak's latest commentary came to light. He said Beyak's "personal opinions" do not reflect the positions of the larger caucus.

"Accordingly, we have taken additional steps to address Senator Beyak's ongoing role within our caucus," he said.
Senator Lynn Beyak says First Nations should give up status cards - Politics - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/beyak-indian-status-canadian-citizens-1.4284671?cmp=rss)
link to the letter itself: Senator Lynn Beyak (http://lynnbeyak.sencanada.ca/p108070/)

Regardless of the labels we might place on her, she has sparked the discussion on a long overdue and ignored debate. There is a long history of racism and abuse that seems to make its way into most discussions. That can't be ignored, but it can stall progress - look at the ongoing debacle that is the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, as an example.
Long term, what is the best way to move forward together while keeping a culture from going extinct?

[hud 91gt]

https://media.giphy.com/media/gl0mkIZOW6Nwc/giphy.gif

[Rallydrv]

In other news prices of glue set to drop

[Berzerker]

The only reason a "culture" would go extinct is if they didn't care enough to keep it established. Come up northern BC and go on a Res tour. You'll see exactly why we have stereotypes on Native people.

Berz out.

[quasi]

The only reason a "culture" would go extinct is if they didn't care enough to keep it established. Come up northern BC and go on a Res tour. You'll see exactly why we have stereotypes on Native people.

Berz out.

Hit up a major city in central Canada, Regina, Saskatoon or Winnipeg and you'll also see the same thing.

[hud 91gt]

BC is nothing compared to Northern Sask/MB/ON.

I hate getting into this conversation as I sound like a prick, but go experience it. Live on a reserve in these places for a couple years. What is seen in major cities, or reserves outside of major centres is far from what happens in the rest of the country.

There are serious issues, and support is definitely required. A paycheque and tax relief isn't the way to go about it.

[Mr.Money]

and they have to use out houses to crap in the worst of area's.

then things like this when third world countries at least have clean running water http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/potlotek-water-advisory-water-treatment-band-first-nation-cape-breton-1.4286206

[Oscar_Binswood]

BC is nothing compared to Northern Sask/MB/ON.

I hate getting into this conversation as I sound like a prick, but go experience it. Live on a reserve in these places for a couple years. What is seen in major cities, or reserves outside of major centres is far from what happens in the rest of the country.

There are serious issues, and support is definitely required. A paycheque and tax relief isn't the way to go about it.

Agreed. When I was policing a northern MB community, it was a huge eye opener for me. As well, I found that my friends/family back here could never relate to the issues I encountered.

[meme405]

She's right about one part of this. The reparation payments and funding system for aboriginals is one that has long grown out of control because it's an issue nobody wants to talk about or try and tackle for fear of looking like a racist or an asshole.

But you do have to think at some point "how much is enough", for how many years, and how many dollars are we going to pour into an endless drain to try and make ourselves feel better about what we did 100 years ago.

Over the years of working on remote sites I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of people, and it's people you wouldn't even know reaping the benefits of the funding to aboriginals. People who are like 1/16 or less aboriginal taking advantage of free education, not paying taxes, etc. etc. Many of them coming from well-off families, or relatively middle to upper class households.

The money is not going to those it was intended to go to, because the population we are looking to protect is dwindling, or else just isnt interested, or isn't given the opportunity to access the resources because much smarter people are finding a way to get into it first.

Like I said it's an unpopular opinion, but there does need to be a line somewhere that we say: "hey a tiny minority of the population is receiving an inordinate amount of rebates, incentive and reparations. While a much larger group of our society goes unaided and gets fuck all and is hurting much more"

[Mr.HappySilp]

BC is nothing compared to Northern Sask/MB/ON.

I hate getting into this conversation as I sound like a prick, but go experience it. Live on a reserve in these places for a couple years. What is seen in major cities, or reserves outside of major centres is far from what happens in the rest of the country.

There are serious issues, and support is definitely required. A paycheque and tax relief isn't the way to go about it.

What you think is the best way to go?

and they have to use out houses to crap in the worst of area's.

then things like this when third world countries at least have clean running water Potlotek First Nation advised its water unfit for drinking or washing - Nova Scotia - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/potlotek-water-advisory-water-treatment-band-first-nation-cape-breton-1.4286206)

About your out house comment some of the tour attractions in China still use out house. Actually is not even an out house is like just a pipe with shit and pee running around the wall and the stalls are just wooden boards between the person next to you. Anyone walks by can see you shit and poo.... so yea.

[Hondaracer]

and they have to use out houses to crap in the worst of area's.

then things like this when third world countries at least have clean running water Potlotek First Nation advised its water unfit for drinking or washing - Nova Scotia - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/potlotek-water-advisory-water-treatment-band-first-nation-cape-breton-1.4286206)

thats what happens when you refuse to live anywhere but a community that is a 3 hour plane ride away from the nearest city plumbing/infrastructure.

There is a reason why 95% of the population or whatever live along the Canada/US border, thats where things are..

I dont really have a problem with status cards, whatever, they can have a leg up that way (although the percentage of people who actually use the card to better themselves, whether it be through education, business, etc. is minimal im sure) The reservation system is obviously a broken one that gives it's inhabitants virtually no motivation to do anything with their lives, or even seemingly get a high school education.

At some point you kind of have to get over the past and try to move forward with your lives and make the best of your situations, generations that were not even alive during the residential school programs, "cultural appropriation" etc etc should not have to bear some sort of burden for what governments were doing GENERATIONS ago. People have no connection to that time and those people yet all we hear still is how the current govt and current people dont accept the blame of their forefathers.. enough is enough

I have two good stories as to how our tax dollars are effectively spent on native programs.

The first is a good friend of my families who was a home builder for 30+ years, he eventually landed a fairly lucrative contract to build homes on a few different reservations within BC. Stories that were passed down onto his company through government reps told of previous companies not really giving two shits about the people moving into these houses and having a fairly standoffish approach to their builds on these reservations.

Our family friend told his company and employees that they were going to take pride in these builds (even if they were just vinyl shit boxes) and were going to transition the new owners as they would any other home owner, full orientations, deficiency checks, run throughs of the systems of the home etc. treat the people with respect and dignity the previous builders seemingly hadnt.

He ended up building approx 30 homes and abandoned the contract. He said from the first home he built, not a single resident took an ounce of pride in their brand new FREE home. No one ever called back for deficiencies like doors jamming, drywall cracks etc. They would be called back because the new owner had dragged the drywer across the room, cut a hole in the ceiling, and vented the dryer into the joist space of the living room.

Or drive by 2 months later and the front stairs would be pulled off for fire wood, 20+ holes kicked in walls a month after moving in. etc etc. this was the case with literally EVERY house he said.

Another gooder on how your tax dollars are spent effectively is a guy who used to work at my former company. He grew up with a native girl from the north shore who ended up getting some minor degree in marine studies. She was essentially ushered through a govt. subsidized program to get people into government roles. From the description she was essentially a conservation officer with a bit of background for marine study.

The govt. built her a new dock somewhere along the north shore, bought her a $175,000 zodiac, and funded endless make work projects as a beacon to the people around here to do "good" in their lives.

So many tax dollars are simply flushed down the toilets with these programs because people dont give two shits. Drive through a reservation anywhere in the interior etc. and people have brand new 2017 snowmobiles that got left out over the summer and will rot in that spot until they are burned.

But hey, gotta appease those hurt feelings from hundreds of years ago.

[meme405]

Some good articles on how much, and how money is being flushed down a toilet within the current system:

Federal funding not a problem for First Nations as yearly spending has risen to $9,056 per capita, study finds | National Post (http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/federal-funding-not-a-problem-for-first-nations-as-yearly-spending-has-risen-to-9056-per-capita-study-finds)

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/first-nations-funding-in-canada-four-streams-with-substantial-growth

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/taxpayers-are-generous-first-nations

Those articles establish a few things:

1. We spend much more on aboriginals than we used to.

2. We send much more on aboriginals than other citizens

3. Aboriginals enjoy benefits MUCH greater to that of the average citizen, while maintaining all the same rights and priveledges of other citizens.

4. Despite points 1, 2 and 3, aboriginal communities continue to live in ruins, as money and funding is flushed down the toilet through lack of accountability and the common understanding that if the problem starts to look solved then the money will stop flowing.

Item 4 is the disappointing one. The thought that "if we look like we are suffering, then nobody will take the money away". It's honestly why I believe reservations continue to look the way they do while the remainder of the community around it looks like a regular suburban area.

Can someone offer up a better reason? I mean it's established we spend more on the reservations than other areas, so why is it reservations continue to operate like third world countries, while everything around them looks normal.

[punkwax]

:inout:

[Berzerker]

On the plus side I applaud her actually opening dialog on the subject. Any time you run a risk of offending people en masse, it's a huge risk politically. Unfortunately, You are going to have a huge divide with all the non Indian people saying enough is enough and all the Indian people saying we want more.

Berz out.

[Derek_N84]

On the plus side I applaud her actually opening dialog on the subject. Any time you run a risk of offending people en masse, it's a huge risk politically. Unfortunately, You are going to have a huge divide with all the non Indian people saying enough is enough and all the Indian people saying we want more.

Berz out.

not to mention super virtue signaling white knights just waiting to jump on the next lgbt/racist debacle

[carisear]

not to mention super virtue signaling white knights just waiting to jump on the next lgbt/racist debacle

paging Manic!

:chairdance:

[will068]

On the plus side I applaud her actually opening dialog on the subject. Any time you run a risk of offending people en masse, it's a huge risk politically. Unfortunately, You are going to have a huge divide with all the non Indian people saying enough is enough and all the Indian people saying we want more.

Berz out.

You need a non-white Prime Minister to lead this.

Preferably some immigrant who moved here from a 3rd World Country, experienced living in a 3rd World Country and realize how lucky he/she is to live here, faced racism while growing up in Canada, toughened up, and became successful.

[Berzerker]

not to mention super virtue signaling white knights just waiting to jump on the next lgbt/racist debacle

It's a real fucking shame that it's become wrong to have an opinion that goes against the grain. All of a sudden you become a troll or hater.

Berz out.

[Bouncing Bettys]

After watching an episode of History Buffs (one of my favourite YT channels) on the film Dances With Wolves (one of my favourite films), I started to rethink my positions somewhat regarding the Sioux at Standing Rock. This episode ties it all to the film and gives an interesting perspective on that situation which is worth watching. Unfortunately I can't recall the exact timestamp where Standing Rock is discussed at length but it is most of the second half:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d732rPkjqOU

I can see how a largely nomadic people who thrived for over 14,000 years in the Americas with little or no contact with outsiders might struggle to adapt. They weren't some comparatively advanced people that were conquered and just needed to learn the language, customs, and power structure of the conquerors like the Norman conquest in England. The conquerors, in this case Canada, hasn't exactly been helpful, to put it mildly, in helping them transition to our way of life.

Residential Schools, which were still a thing within my lifetime, were one of those attempts. One of my classmate's at TRU attended a Residential School and had such poor hearing which he said was from being smacked on the ears. One of the most prominent buildings in north Kamloops is an old Residential School which the Kamloops Indian Band now operates out of. A nice visiual reminder that is hard to avoid and I'm not sure why they didn't just demolish it.

Don't get me wrong, natives are no angels. This Continent is rife with genocide and violence, long before Europeans landed. Recently, I even learned that people like the Cherokee owned black slaves and fought on the side of the Confederates during the Civil War.

My son is 1/4 native. Unfortunately his grandfather is not in our lives to be able to shed some light on the family history. My ancestors were colonists so the meeting of those two backgrounds would make for some interesting dinner conversation. Knowing how fucked up my teeth were and how expensive braces were, it would be nice if he could benefit from having status.

I just don't see how we can continue the way we are going without complete assimilation. Immigrants come to Canada and hold onto their culture and heritage so I don't see why they couldn't.

[ScizzMoney]

I don't understand why people get so offended by this. I am mostly Native, with a bit of Scottish, Irish, Chinese, and Hawaiian. My uncle is the Chief of our band, and my father is the hereditary Chief (Just means my grandfather was Chief and my dad is older than my uncle, but didn't want the job).

I think in a lot of cases a buyout could be really good. There are a lot of great Indian bands out there, and a few really shitty ones. This proposed payout would be good for Indians who are members of shitty bands. The types of bands that misuse funding and funnel the money into the people that are in their tribal councils rather than use it to better their communities. It would also be great for taxpayers too, if we could get rid of the crooked bands. If anything, it is good to open the conversation about how and why to spend any money going to anyone receiving tax money, regardless of race.

On a side note. My mother was sent to the Residential school in Kamloops when she was just 5. When she was 13 or 14 she was in the first test group of Native kids that were integrated into a Catholic school.

[Berzerker]

I find it amusing how you just said you wish he was status to get his teeth fixed. What about everyone else? Just because he's native he deserves free dental? How is that anything to do with Indian history? Trust me I'm not knocking you at all just pointing out the facts.
My wife is status. Her family is from Haida Gwaii and her father is in line for chief but didn't want the job. We use it for is cheap gas on the rez's up here. We also paid no taxes on our vehicles (we shouldn't be paying taxes on used vehicles anyways fuck you ICBC) and all Her medical stuff is covered by status medical. We don't live on a Rez. We don't do ANYTHING Indian related (pow wows and shit)
Do I think it's fair? Not really? Do we use it? Yes why not? Would I care if it was taken away? Nope.

Berz out.

[underscore]

People who are like 1/16 or less aboriginal taking advantage of free education, not paying taxes, etc. etc. Many of them coming from well-off families, or relatively middle to upper class households.

When I worked as a cashier in a store that was built on native land the people I saw status cards from weren't people you'd expect to see a card from. I'm sure if I dug into my history I could find that I'm 1/16 or some shit but I don't bother because I think it's a bullshit system that needs to be changed. Just throwing money at people never has and never will work.

Hell even when I went to school in a town with a large aboriginal population I think I saw maybe 1 native guy going to class there in the year I was there, even though loads of locals could have been getting a free education.

I can see how a largely nomadic people who thrived for over 14,000 years in the Americas with little or no contact with outsiders might struggle to adapt. They weren't some comparatively advanced people that were conquered and just needed to learn the language, customs, and power structure of the conquerors like the Norman conquest in England. The conquerors, in this case Canada, hasn't exactly been helpful, to put it mildly, in helping them transition to our way of life.

Originally maybe, but Columbus rolled up over 500 years ago. Take most modern people and dump them into a pre-1492 environment and I doubt they'd do very well. A lot of people like to blame the "evil white man" but right now everyone's putting on jeans in their house before they hop in their car to go to the store to get food. Oh and they're living past the age of 45, which is probably pretty nice.

I just don't see how we can continue the way we are going without complete assimilation. Immigrants come to Canada and hold onto their culture and heritage so I don't see why they couldn't.

Why would they have to give up their culture? Obviously people need to blend things at some level (everyone should probably be conversational in English or French) but I don't see why they can't maintain it the same way immigrants do. The majority of what people from any background do has nothing to do with their culture or heritage.

[Tapioca]

Here's the main reason why the Crown (federal and provincial governments) can't get out of the Aboriginal business:

Aboriginal rights are contained in the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 91 of the Constitution specific states that the federal government is responsible for Status Indians. Section 35 of the Charter upholds Aboriginal rights.

Aboriginal status may not be fair to many of you, but it's part of our Constitution. The only ways to get rid of it are to change the Constitution or to make every Status Indian extinguish their rights. The latter is what the Senator is suggesting, but you can't really treat the extinguishment of Aboriginal rights like the settlement of a class action lawsuit. Besides, this would really only impact people who are Aboriginal today - what about those who are born tomorrow? Lawyers would probably argue that Indian status and Aboriginal rights exist outside of statute, which means that you would have to remove Aboriginal rights through a Constitutional amendment. Amending the Constitution is a non-starter in Canada and would open up a Pandora's box of other grievances, such as Quebec's special status in Canada.

Chretien wrote his White Paper when there was no Charter. It's a much different legal context with respect to Aboriginal rights today.

[meme405]

You know whats funny, in an age of transgender, and the government allowing everyone to be whatever they want to be.

What if one day I wake up and decide, fuck I really feel like an aboriginal. I like crossbows, and chasing buffalo's bear foot, and camping every night. Fuck it. I'm going to be a Navajo. Who's going to stop me. Gonna stop paying these bullshit taxes, go to school for free, say fuck you to my dentist and my doctor.

[hud 91gt]

What you think is the best way to go?





My views are quite simplistic but to start...

A good majority of people in these places have no reason to strive for anything. Before the white man came along, the drive was survival. Food, shelter.

Now they have shelter given to them, and money in their pocket for food. Without any direction, why would they do anything else other then be a stereotypical native. The upbringing of these families is generally very abusive, both physically and with drugs/alcohol.

I honestly compare the upbringing of a Native American on a reserve to the upbringing of some extremely wealthy family friends I have. Brought up in a dysfunctional family, but they had all the money in the world. These kids are now 27, and 30 and can't even pay for their cell phone bill. They never needed to. House built for them, cars purchased. Credit cards in hand. Their dad complains that non of them want to go into business to take over his business so when he dies they won't lose everything.

Guess what, they don't want to. They've never had to lift a finger in life and have had everything given to them. He discourages any effort for going down a different avenue with school, but for fucks sake at least they want to do something. Right now only one of them works. Baby steps in life. Let's first pay a cell phone bill, maybe pay for gas and we can work from there before running a business.

What am I trying to say? Well, a slow assimilation I guess. It will hurt, but to society as a whole it will bring less drain. Their culture can be saved if they want it. Every other culture seems to keep it.

This bring back memories to my times in Pukatawagon Manitoba. I worked for a company which was owned by the reserve. The band had someone who wanted a job. They asked me to put him to work. Marcel was really neat. Probably close to 50 years old, missing half his teeth, had a bunch of kids and just idolized me (I was maybe 21 at the time). He use to tell me all sorts of stories. Like the time he caught a baby goose and brought it home and put in his bath tub so he could show his baby daughter. Marcel couldn't pronounce my name (It's Colten), so he called me Golden. On many occasions Marcel wouldn't show up which was acceptable because the caribou were heading through the region, or the fishing derby was on. But one day another man showed up and introduced himself. "Marcel doesn't want to work anymore, but he said I could take his job."

I thought that was really nice of Marcel. I don't think Wayne lasted the day though.

Lol.

Anyhow, it's a touchy issue, and it needs fixing. Handing rich kids money isn't doing society any better, but at least they can purchase higher quality drugs/alcohol if they want.

[ScizzMoney]

..Gonna stop paying these bullshit taxes, go to school for free..

I wish I was able to go to school for free. Had to pay like everyone else and even took out student loans. The band I belong to only gets enough funding for 3 students per year (better than nothing, at least 3 get to go).

[hud 91gt]

I wish I was able to go to school for free. Had to pay like everyone else and even took out student loans. The band I belong to only gets enough funding for 3 students per year (better than nothing, at least 3 get to go).

Interesting fact.

Lucky that your band even had 3 people graduating high school to even attempt post secondary. I'm assuming not a remote reserve.


I saw an article regarding the Inuit in Iqaluit a couple years ago. If I remember correctly it was just stating how low the high school enrolment is these days. So much that they were very proud to have 5 kids graduating. This is in Iqaluit. The capital of Nunavut. A thriving metropolis compared to many places.

[Manic!]

:nicethread:Interesting fact.

Lucky that your band even had 3 people graduating high school to even attempt post secondary. I'm assuming not a remote reserve.


I saw an article regarding the Inuit in Iqaluit a couple years ago. If I remember correctly it was just stating how low the high school enrolment is these days. So much that they were very proud to have 5 kids graduating. This is in Iqaluit. The capital of Nunavut. A thriving metropolis compared to many places.

Inqaluit population is 7,740 and not all are Inuit. So we don't know if 5 is good or bad.

[Bouncing Bettys]

When you are accused of wrong think, the pitchforks come out.
Sen. Lynn Beyak's position in question after latest remarks about First Nations
Facing possible sanctions by her own caucus, and calls for her resignation by the mayor of Winnipeg, Sen. Lynn Beyak has responded to the backlash over her latest comments about First Nations people and residential schools.

The Conservative leader in the Senate, Larry Smith, is also now distancing himself from the Tory senator, and is taking steps to address her continued role in the caucus.

"The personal opinions expressed by Sen. Lynn Beyak do not reflect the positions of the Senate Conservative caucus. Accordingly, we have taken additional steps to address Sen. Beyak's ongoing role within our caucus," Smith said in a statement.

When asked for clarity on what exactly those promised next steps would be, Smith's office said it had no further comment at this time. A spokesperson for Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Smith's statement on the issue stands.

Mayor wants Senator Lynn Beyak to resign over 'incredibly ignorant' comments

Sen. Beyak says First Nations should give up status cards

Beyak, appointed by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2013, has been a source of controversy after she made comments earlier this year defending aspects of the Indian residential school system.

In an open letter recently published on her Senate website, the northwestern Ontario senator said she now believes First Nations people should give up their Indigenous rights and become Canadian citizens.

(Indigenous people born in Canada are already citizens of this country.)

Beyak did not respond to an interview request from CBC News earlier this week. But in another open letter sent to the parliamentary press gallery Thursday, Beyak addressed CBC News by name in responding to a story about her latest comments.

"[The CBC reporter] forgot to mention an important paragraph where I clearly stated that victims of the residential schools should be compensated immediately. I continue to advocate for them often and wonder what is taking so long. As stated in my letter, the dollars are going to lawyers and red tape obstacles instead of the deserving individuals," she wrote.Of course the reporter forgot - didn't fit the narrative he was pushing.

"What we have been doing is obviously not working, spending billions of dollars annually, yet filthy water and inadequate housing [are] still a reality on too many reserves," Beyak wrote.

Senator meets with Sioux Lookout reconciliation committee

The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA), a deal reached by the former Harper government with some 80,000 Indigenous people who attended the schools, did provide financial compensation for the pain and suffering the system inflicted on many of its pupils. The financial payout was accompanied by a landmark apology by Harper in the House of Commons.

As of September 2017, more than $3.1 billion has been paid to former students.

According to the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat, 98 per cent of all claims have been resolved. "We continue to work diligently to find a fair resolution to the rest," James Fitz-Morris, a spokesperson for the minister, said Thursday.

Conservative Senate Leader Larry Smith said Beyak's "personal opinions" on Indigenous issues do not reflect the positions of the Conservative Senate caucus. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

Smith's newly appointed chief of staff, Stephen Kelly, worked with the late Jim Prentice when he was the minister of Aboriginal affairs in the Harper era. Kelly served as a senior policy adviser and followed Prentice to Industry and Environment Canada when he was subsequently shuffled in cabinet.

Prentice, who died in a plane crash in 2016, was active on the residential school file while in office, and signed off on the final compensation agreement with survivors.

Prentice worked as a constitutional adviser in South Africa at the end of apartheid and also championed the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which would go on to conduct an exhaustive six-year study of the residential school system and its lasting impact on Indigenous communities.

Beyak has said the TRC did not "shed any new light" on Indigenous issues.

As of Thursday afternoon, Beyak was still listed as a Conservative senator on the Senate's website. Smith could yet strip Beyak of all her Senate committee duties — she is a member of the Senate's defence, agriculture and transport committees — or remove her from the caucus outright.

Former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose had already removed Beyak from the Senate's Aboriginal Peoples committee after she doubled down on her rosy depiction of residential schools and lamented the TRC did not "focus on the good."

'Small number' found residential schools bad: Beyak

In revisiting her previous remarks this week, Beyak said she stood by her claim that history has been far too unkind to the residential school system.

"A small number of Aboriginals found the schools bad," she wrote. "Only one in three Indigenous children ever attended them. Very few were torn from their parents' arms, but rather were enrolled by loving parents who were away trapping and trading for months on end."

Thousands are believed to have died at the schools, and thousands of others reported physical and sexual abuse.

Beyak has also expressed frustration with the current state of Indigenous relations, calling on First Nations people to drop long-standing grievances and integrate into the larger Canadian society.
Sioux Lookout Beyak meeting 1

Sen. Lynn Beyak met with community leaders in Sioux Lookout, Ont., on July 11 to discuss issues surrounding truth and reconciliation. (Supplied by Darlene Angeconeb)

"Trade your status card for a Canadian citizenship, with a fair and negotiated payout to each Indigenous man, woman and child in Canada, to settle all the outstanding land claims and treaties, and move forward together just like the leaders already do in Ottawa," she said.

Senator's comments defended by Tories, rebuked by others
Beyak says she doesn't need more education on residential schools
Beyak: Put 'focus on the good' done by residential school system

"None of us are leaving, so let's stop the guilt and blame and find a way to live together and share," she wrote. "All Canadians are then free to preserve their cultures in their own communities, on their own time, with their own dime."

Sen. Lillian Dyck, the Liberal chair of the Aboriginal Peoples committee, said she is exasperated with Beyak's continued promotion of an antiquated view of Indigenous relations.
"The more I read her letter, the more upsetting it is," Dyck said in an interview. "She's in a very solid state of denial, and it's bordering on racism."
Dyck

Senator Lillian Dyck says Beyak's comments are bordering on racist. (Jason Warick) Fuck off with this bordering on - it's either racist or it isn't.

"Who the heck does she think she is telling First Nations people what to do? Telling us what is good for us — 'Trust me, I know' — that's absolutely the epitome of colonial thinking," said Dyck, who is a Cree from Gordon First Nation.

"This is how we got into this mess. She's using her Senate seat to voice opinions that are really off the wall. Should I go and tell her to give up her Canadian citizenship?"

Beyak's comments also prompted Mayor Brian Bowman of Winnipeg to call on the Tory senator to resign her seat in the Red Chamber. "A Canadian senator should know who Canadian citizens are," he tweeted Thursday with the hashtags "make it awkward" and "resign."

A Canadian Senator s/d know who Canadian Citizens are. #makeitawkward #resign https://t.co/vPTlem3DdD pic.twitter.com/ZMo1kOwIZt
— @Mayor_Bowman

"We've got Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members working very hard at reconciliation and when you have a member of the Canadian Senate make public statements like that, on the record, they're terribly damaging to our reconciliation efforts," he said.
Sen. Lynn Beyak's position in question after latest remarks about First Nations - Politics - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lynn-beyak-conservative-caucus-in-doubt-1.4289265)

[Manic!]

Whats the point of the senate anyway?

[hud 91gt]

:nicethread:

Inqaluit population is 7,740 and not all are Inuit. So we don't know if 5 is good or bad.
I lived there 3 years of my life too. I'm pretty aware ;) But your right, the whole population is not Inuk.

[GabAlmighty]

Good god, just come up to the arctic and witness the debauchery. I wasn't a very racist person until I moved up here and witnessed things first hand. All they want are more and more handouts on top of everything they get. The amount of money the government spends up here on the communities is ludicrous...

Take this for example. Tomorrow I am flying to a very small community up north (200 people max) to do two full days of shuttling people from there to some lake an hour away so they can go on a "cultural hunt", means they're going to decimate the caribou population a little more than it already is. So the community is paying for a DHC-6 to go there and do two full days of flying. I don't know what my company charges per hour on the thing but it's between $1000-1500/hr. And probably be close to 7-8hrs of flight time per day. Who do you think is ultimately footing this bill? (cuz there ain't no work in that community).

I could go on and on... It's extremely infuriating.

[Berzerker]

Here's a video from my security camera's around my building today.....
https://youtu.be/OcaQhzpgokk

They sit behind my building and get drunk all day in front of my warehouse.


Berz out.

[GabAlmighty]

SKODEN!

[ScizzMoney]

Another shitty thing is that most of you guys only see and notice the bad apples. But that is everyone, white people in communities with a lot of black people only notice the shitty ones, and vice versa. I live in Fort McMurray and come across the same attitude towards natives up here. Even on my work team they would say the same thing, but they didn't realize that myself and our team leader are both Native. Now that they know they see it. I guess when we're not riding horseback and shooting our bows & arrows we kind of blend in.

[Mr.C]

Regardless of the labels we might place on her, she has sparked the discussion on a long overdue and ignored debate. There is a long history of racism and abuse that seems to make its way into most discussions. That can't be ignored, but it can stall progress - look at the ongoing debacle that is the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, as an example.
Long term, what is the best way to move forward together while keeping a culture from going extinct?

Integration.

Shit, worked for Brazil. Still lots of racism there (like, lots), but African culture, for example, is ingrained deeply in all layers of Brazilian society, even though we had slavery until 1888.

[hud 91gt]

Another shitty thing is that most of you guys only see and notice the bad apples. But that is everyone, white people in communities with a lot of black people only notice the shitty ones, and vice versa. I live in Fort McMurray and come across the same attitude towards natives up here. Even on my work team they would say the same thing, but they didn't realize that myself and our team leader are both Native. Now that they know they see it. I guess when we're not riding horseback and shooting our bows & arrows we kind of blend in.

Ain't it great when you are taken out of a sometimes predetermined destiny (I'm talking particularly about two remote reserves in northern MB, born here your destiny has already been made) and given a chance. Amazing isn't it. I hope this comment was not directed at me. It's the situation not the people.

[CharlesInCharge]

All present immigrants and past settlers (3-4 generations at most) are simply cash cows (by way of exorbitant tax and inflation devaluing earnings) for the empire.
They are also very simple minded as the propaganda machine runs deep coupled by slave wage earnings that hit hard. Muh resources, muh tax dollars... a Native American uprising couldnt come quick enough.

[Berzerker]

Ain't it great when you are taken out of a sometimes predetermined destiny (I'm talking particularly about two remote reserves in northern MB, born here your destiny has already been made) and given a chance. Amazing isn't it. I hope this comment was not directed at me. It's the situation not the people.


And rightly so. I manage a furniture store in Smithers. 9 out of 10 natives that come in here are asking for a quote on furniture so the band can buy it for them. This is usually to replace the sofa the band bought them a couple years ago. They trash it because they don't care and will just get replacements free anyways.

When you get a Native that integrated they usually don't care for the res natives either. They are just as judgmental as everyone else. Last month I had a guy come in and purchase a bunch of furniture. He lives on one of the rez's up here. When I asked his address he told me then said "Look for the biggest house on the street with nicest yard." Then he laughed and said "Yea I'm one of those workin natives. There aren't many of us out there!"
This came from a native who lives on a Res and calls it like it is.

How can you ask them to integrate when they literally have no reason to leave the rez. They have stores where they don't pay tax, they get money from the government and free housing. They drive brand new cars and trucks into the ground due to lack of maintenance and lack of care and let their brand new houses rot because when they get to bad they just tear it down and build a new for them.

This isn't opinion, I see it on the regular here delivering to the local Bands.

Berz out.

[MarkyMark]

I wonder if this is the future of society after everything is automated. Free money and no work will ruin us all.