http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/09/15/02602.html

Aboriginal Canadians: Collaboration or Confrontation?

by Robert Laboucane

In survey after survey, 76% of Canadians acknowledge they know next to
nothing about the history, circumstances, issues and challenges facing
Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and another 5% acknowledge they know
absolutely nothing about Canada’s Aboriginal citizens. With over 250,000
new immigrants coming to Canada each year and 10’s of thousands of
“visiting employees” being recruited each year due to a current labour
crisis, I wonder how much information is being shared with these “new”
newcomers to Canada about our Aboriginal people. I have asked and the
answer is a polite shrug of the shoulders.

This lack of understanding between cultures and about diverse Aboriginal
cultures -- in a country that prides itself in the eyes of the world on
being multicultural -- has led to ignorance, stereotyping and full-blown
racism. The isolation, separation, segregation and marginalization of
Aboriginal peoples by geography, law, legislation and policy is an ongoing
and ineffective process that must end. And end soon.

In Canada today there exists an environment of confrontation between our
Federal government, some provincial governments and most Aboriginal people.
For some unexplained reason this status quo has been maintained and allowed
to continue by successive governments for the past 300 years. I can tell
you that industry; individual citizens and international investors are
finding this circumstance unacceptable and are insisting on a climate of
collaboration, co-operation and community.

I guess we are just going to have to learn more about whom we wish to
partner with so lets begin. Industry expects their service providers to be
bringing added value to the table regarding advice on how to work with
their new Aboriginal community partners.

The terms Aboriginal, Native and Indigenous refer to the same group of
people, but all of these diverse groups are most often referred to as
‘Indians’. I, for example, am an Aboriginal person born here and living in
Canada – but I am not an Indian. Just as some of you may be of European
heritage but are not Austrian.

This mistake in terminology is only one example of a strong need for much
more Aboriginal awareness education. It should be understood that the term
‘Indian’ is not politically correct and with many down right offensive as
it refers to people from India rather than Canada’s founding peoples. Many
other cultures have varied language to refer to their first citizens; such
as Aborigines in Australia and the Maori of New Zealand.

Imagine what the Indigenous people of the Americas would be called if
Christopher Columbus would have been looking for Turkey rather than India!
Why we would have a “Turkey Act” and a “Minister of Turkey Affairs”.

There are three groups of Aboriginal people in Canada: First
Nations(Indians),Métis and Inuit. The majority of the 50,000 Inuit lives
north of the tree line in Canada’s Arctic, and make up the majority of
residents in Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Labrador.

Of the 400,000 Métis in Canada, most are located in the four western
provinces and have representation in every part of Canada. They are of
mixed heritage, usually descendents from First Nations who intermarried
with early European settlers. Their homeland consists of traditional
territories stretching from Ontario to B.C., north over the 60th parallel
and south into the states of Montana and North Dakota. They have the same
Aboriginal rights on the land in these areas as the First Nations and must
not be ignored.

They are indeed a bona fide stakeholder in rights on the land and must be
consulted as well, not just First Nations of which the Métis and Inuit are
not a part of.

The three categories of ‘Indians’ are broke into three divisions – status,
Bill C-31 and non-status. Status ‘Indians’ are registered in the Indian
Registry, which is maintained by the federal government’s Indian and
Northern Affairs department (INAC). These status ‘Indians’ are the only
Aboriginal group that are members of an ‘Indian band’ or tribe, and are the
only Aboriginal group of people in Canada that are referred to as First
Nations. These people are governed by the antiquated, race-based
legislation called the Indian Act.

The 640 separate Aboriginal governments in Canada are governed by elected
chiefs and councilors, most are represented nationally by the Assembly of
First Nations, an umbrella group whose present political leader is Grand
Chief Phil Fontaine.

There are about 690,000-registered status Indians in Canada, although since
1985 an additional 117,000 names have been added to this number as a result
of Bill C-31. This federal statute allowed those Aboriginal people who had
lost their status, Aboriginal and treaty rights and benefits to make
application to become ‘Indian’ again.

These new ‘registered Indians’ received a reduced bundle of benefits than
their existing “status” relatives, and since their creation by the federal
government they are quickly becoming an endangered species. Most of them
will all disappear in a short time frame of two generations, due to the
limits imposed by Ottawa. For a current up-date you might want to Google
‘The McIvor Decision” of the B.C. Supreme Court (June 2007).

Of these First Nations (registered status Indians) people, 60 per cent live
off reserve and the migration to urban centres continues at a torrid pace.
Many First Nation people are simply trying to get out from under the yoke
of the repressive and controlling Indian Act. Just 60 per cent of the First
Nation (registered status Indians) populations are actually treaty
‘Indians’. The other 40 percent are registered status Indians but are not
treaty. Those band members off reserve can still vote for Chief and
Council.

The Indian Act is blatantly out of step with the modern realities of the
Canadian legal system just as many claim the Mining Act is also seriously
flawed for today’s realities. This degrading Indian Act singles out First
Nations people and gives control of their lives and communities to the
Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, and other government officials.
First Nations women on reserve do not have even basic property rights,
because of the Indian Act imposed upon them. These same people are not
afforded access and protection under the Canadian Human Rights Act either.
Does the “rule of law” apply equally to all Canadian citizens?

I find I must disagree with many deluded and misguided judges rendering
decisions today based on this supposedly "fair" concept. This is putting
many mining companies and some provincial governments in very precarious
situations. Efforts to build positive respectful relationships with those
very Aboriginal communities who are about to become their new corporate
partners are being put in jeopardy.

Many First Nations people wish the Indian Act would be abolished, because
it violates normal standards of equality and freedom. It has been referred
to as an “apartheid law” that has led us to nothing less than a national
social disaster – and encouraged the “us verses them” mentality.

About 50 per cent of First Nations people are under 23 years of age and
many young people leave the reserve looking for better living conditions,
better health services, educational facilities and employment
opportunities. They want to leave behind the destitution, crime, poverty
and despair that fill so many lives on the reserve. Unfortunately, they are
also leaving their family members, elders, their languages and their
cultures.

In urban centres such as Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary, about 20 per cent
of the homeless population are Aboriginal people. They have chosen to live
a hand-to-mouth existence on the streets – homeless – instead of on
reserves due to the physical isolation and lack of opportunities in their
remote and impoverished communities.

Since 1995, the federal government has spent $100 billion of Canadian
taxpayer’s money on roughly half of the Aboriginal population. This money
comes from 33 federal departments, plus INAC, and there are very few
measurable indicators that circumstances and the quality of life of
Aboriginals has improved.

Many First Nations leaders tell me they only receive 20 per cent of this
money, yet an INAC official wrote to me and confirmed that Ottawa gives 82
per cent of its allotted funding to First Nation government’s with another
nine per cent going to provincial governments. The Congress of Aboriginal
People, in a recent report I received, shows 6,199 grants and contributions
to 2,054 recipients from 30 federal governments departments for a total
value of $5,606,665,491.00 Billion dollars. I have not been able to
determine if this funding is calculated into funds allocated to First
Nations governments. I also received a listing of 293 pages of recipients.
The fact that accounting for “grants” is not required seems rather strange
if not down right ludicrous.

Contributions on the other hand do require accounting but how do we know if
anything is being achieved? What, if any, are the measurable outcomes and
benefits of all this spending? Is anyone asking any questions about this?
Will any funding recipient step forward and reassure Canadians that we the
taxpayers are getting a reasonable return on our investments?

Why as Canadians can we not get a satisfactory explanation of these
disturbing numbers, especially when so many billions of dollars are being
spent each year? Could it be that we just don’t know enough about the
subject to be able to even formulate a reasonable question?

One must remember that every time someone leaves the reserve, the cost and
obligation of the federal government for each of those individual is
reduced by about 80%. What would motivate the federal government to make
things better on reserves? Aboriginal leaders tell me the on-reserve
population is continuing to grow despite the number of people leaving. We
know that from the Department of Indian Affairs spending reports that for
every $8.00 spent on reserves only $1.00 is spent on services to those 60%
of the band membership that lives off reserve. Seems a little backward to
me.

The deteriorating circumstances include grinding poverty, tainted water not
suitable for drinking or bathing in more than 100 communities at any given
time, major housing crisis, loss of language, extreme crime rates, rampant
health epidemics, youth suicide rates eight times the national average. For
Inuit youth, living in the remote and rugged Arctic, the suicide rate is 40
times the national average.

It’s incomprehensible that are we not demanding that our governments
deliver action rather than words. For those mining companies with assets on
or under the land and are embarking on a journey of consultation and
relationship building you really must understand the environment you are
going into. As well, learn who these Aboriginal people are. Why they are
where they are and how did they get to where they are socially and
economically. You should know them as well as they know you. Being able to
show your new partner that you have actually taken some time and made an
honest effort to know a little about them is a clear demonstration of
respect on your part and an excellent way to start your long term
relationship…just like any other serious courtship, remember!

Ultimately, Canadians must realize that the Aboriginal community is a major
stakeholder (rights holders) in the social and economic wellbeing of our
nation’s future. We must work together to create a country that respects
and cares for all of its citizens, no matter what culture, race or heritage
and I believe the whole business community has a very important role to
play in ensuring we maintain peace in valley.

About the writer:

Robert Laboucane, president of the Calgary, Alberta--based Aboriginal
awareness company Ripple Effects Ltd. (www.ripplefx.ca), works with over
600 companies, organizations and governments to promote better
understanding of Aboriginal citizens in the workplace.