Attawapiskat Nightmare 3

"The social and economic situation of the Attawapiskat seems to represent the condition of many First Nation communities living on reserves throughout Canada, which is allegedly akin to third world conditions," Anaya wrote. "Yet, this situation is not representative of non-Aboriginal communities in Canada, a country with overall human rights indicators scoring among the top of all countries of the world."

Pointing his finger at the federal government, Anaya noted that aboriginals in Canada face higher rates of poverty and poorer health, education and employment rates compared to their non-aboriginal counterparts.

Attawapiskat will have to wait until spring to challenge the Harper government over imposition of a third-party manager to handle the community’s finances.

The Federal Court has dismissed Attawapiskat’s attempt to immediately overturn the Harper government’s decision to impose a third-party manager on the community.

Justice Michael Phelan said the case against the third-party manager would be heard on April 24.

Phelan, however, also ruled that the third-party manager must release funds for the transportation and installing of 22 modular homes bought by the federal Aboriginal Affairs department in response to the housing crisis in the community.

Quote:

"Far too many aboriginal communities lack good roads, safe drinking water, a reliable source of electricity or heat, housing, schools or meeting facilities," said New Democrat Aboriginal Affairs Critic Linda Duncan (Edmonton-Strathcona). "This is a problem that stretches beyond Attawapiskat but also includes James Bay communities such as Fort Albany and Kashechewan."

Surely the answer here is to send in the military. Don't they have a decade of valuable hands-on experience doing all the things Duncan mentioned - in Afghanistan? Remember the Provincial Reconstruction Teams?

Why isn't the NDP calling on Harper to send in the military??

Members on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, all of them human-rights experts from around the world, questioned why headway has not been made in resolving the disparities between First Nations communities and the rest of the country.The international community has previously shown a great deal of interest in Canada's treatment of its aboriginal peoples, but this was the first time an international body had examined Canada's record since Attawapiskat.

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Speaking to the UN panel on behalf of the federal government Wednesday, a senior Citizenship and Immigration Canada official acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the past.

But Catrina Tapley also highlighted the range of programs established and actions taken by various levels of government in recent years to help natives, and the focus on jobs.

"Increasing aboriginal participation in the economy is the most effective way to improve the well-being and quality of life of aboriginal people in Canada," Tapley said, according to prepared remarks.

Fellow panellist Anwar Kemal, a former Pakistani diplomat who served in Ottawa in the 1980s, noted the "alarming statistics" that show aboriginal people significantly overrepresented in the country's prison system. He also took issue with restrictions on the amount of federal money going to First Nations programming.

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"There is discrimination against indigenous peoples that have been in the country throughout all history," added Ion Diaconu.

"This has led to an inherent state of poverty that has not been overcome despite all the efforts the government has made. You need to redouble efforts and eliminate the disparity."

Brazeau said he wasn’t sure what Idle No More is about.