We Have Reservations...

There's about 615 First Nations bands in Canada, with about 800 outstanding First Nation land claims, a mere one-sixth of which are currently under negotiation. The government allocates 9.1-billion in annual federal spending on programs and services for our aboriginal population, 1-billion of which is spend on overhead through the ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs. Another 1-billion has been spent by senior governments on treaty negotiations since 1993.

A century of government hand-outs and encouragement for self-government for First Nations has resulted in nothing but disappointment. Very few bands have proved themselves capable of surviving independent of government hand-outs. Aboriginals living on native reserves suffer ill health, live in unsanitary conditions, their children are often neglected, receive minimal educational opportunities and a horribly high suicide rate among teen-agers blights society.

All the efforts of the federal and provincial governments in attempts to ease these intractable problems have failed, despite increasing amounts of funding. The Assembly of First Nations, representing the First Nations chiefs, have their very special agenda, espousing the needs of their dependent populations, but appearing to be capable of providing little true leadership. Funds allocated to and through them remain unaccounted for and conditions fester.

Finally, some other leaders from among the aboriginal community are beginning to wake up to the reality that aboriginal needs have not been met and the various communities themselves, particularly the reserves, cannot possibly plunge any lower. The realization is sinking in that money alone cannot solve the problems of isolation, dependency, lack of self esteem and opportunity, unemployment and school drop outs.

Let alone the growing and increasingly troublesome reality of aboriginal gangs, thrusting their goon tactics within the reserves, victimizing targets in urban societies, and becoming part of the statistics whereby aboriginals represent an unacceptably-large demographic within Canada's prison systems.

Reserve placement either on prized landscapes where enterprising leaders can realize ways to bring their population out of the syndrome of hopelessness, or isolated reserves that can offer no employment opportunities to their people also play a large part in occasional triumphs over adversity as opposed to the more usual civic and social failures reserves represent.

But it's past time that the Assembly of First Nations saw challenges to their authority from within the aboriginal population. From such as Clarence Louie, chief of the Osoyoos Indian band in B.C. whose signage posted on his reserve, "Real Warriors Hold a Job" stands behind his long-term obligation to his reserve, bringing useful employment, civic normalcy and band enrichment into reality.

Statistics Canada's recent revelations of a growing youth demographic within the country's aboriginal population is an expression of good news both for First Nations and for the country as a whole. Describing also an impending danger to both should quality education and employment opportunities not derive from the growing incidence of aboriginals leaving reserves to begin urban lifestyles.

More than half of aboriginal children now live in poverty, with three-quarters leaving school before completing high school. They face a current reality of higher rates of violence in their communities, injuries, health problems, addiction rates, and incidences of suicide. All of which conditions can be identified as fall-outs of poverty and lack of opportunities.

The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples has an agenda antithetical to that of the Assembly of First Nations, bringing some fresh air and the potential of new opportunities and realities into the arena. Pointing out in some part the inane unpractibility of increasing funding for isolated reserves with their problems of sustainability.

The problems inherent in living conditions and opportunities for First Nations peoples are not uniquely theirs; other Canadians too face similar hardships. Statistics overall for Canada point to one in six children living in poverty. Rural and country dwellers, dependent on well systems cannot be guaranteed potable water, and among urban and country dwellers there is a substantial incidence of poverty as well.

Canada has its ongoing obligations to the state of well-being for all its citizens, no less that of First Nations peoples. The current unworkable solutions have solved nothing at all. It's past time for chiefs to assume their responsibilities to their tribal groupings, rather than focusing on the status quo where band councils and their friends remain well remunerated and nothing trickles down to profit the well-being of the majority in this feudal system.

The federal government has to harden its resolve and sit down with all the principals to hammer out solutions to the benefit of all aboriginals. Reservations that have been failures in encouraging their residents to become responsible for their own well being should restructure themselves, and remove to areas where their children can be exposed to greater opportunities.

Above all, it's time to get those treaties a whole lot closer to finalization. Much depends on solving all these problems, as aboriginal youth increase in numbers and Canada looks to absorb and engage them in supporting national employment needs.