Attawapiskat v. the patriarichal Prime Minister.

Today our Prime Minister is forcing Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence to pay $1300 a day for some Accountant to come into the community to take control of the local finances.  According to the CBC,

The federal government is forcing the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation to  pay a private-sector consultant about $1,300 a day to run its finances — even  though the government’s own assessments say the third-party management system is  not cost-effective.

Aboriginal Affairs officials told The Canadian Press they have an agreement  to pay Jacques Marion of BDO Canada LLP a total of $180,000 to look after the  reserve’s accounts from now until June 30.

The money comes from the Attawapiskat First Nation’s budget…

…Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the move in the House of Commons  Thursday.

“Not only is the government already spending millions of dollars in this  particular community, it is also spending additional monies on particular  emergency needs, because of mismanagement,” Harper said in question period.

I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t blame this on mismanagement, but we want to know if the mismanagement isn’t actually with the Minister and with the entire Indian Act.  I think the Opposition should call on the Auditor General to take third party management of Indian Affairs, instead of blaming the victim.  A full forensic Audit is in order.

$180,000 for six months work.  Who is worth that?  That in itself is a slap in the face to the Chief, who Harper and his indian affairs minister, John Duncan berated for collecting some $70,000 a year.  (please note, that figure should be cut in half in northern fly-in communities, as the cost of everything doubles)

First of all, if you need background information about the Indian Act and how it works, you need to go here.  apihtawikosisan.  113,538 other people have visited that blog post which is by far the best breakdown, in easy to read, conversational style that really helps to clarify things for your average citizen.  Attested to over and over again in the more than 900 comments.  I’ve added it to my favourites list and I think you will too.

Also, for context regarding the pervasive systemic nature of the dysfunction of the Indian Act and a vision for the way forward, you must read Merv Ritchie’s editorial here.  Although this deals with a nation halfway across the country, it’s the same thing.  The imposition of a patriarichal top down government of father knows best, complete with public humiliation,

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I would add that we need to draft a Canadian Constitution and a bill of rights.  The way they did in Iceland.  The way forward is not with incarcerating our poor and destitute, but lifting them out of poverty, providing the same basic services the rest of us south of 60 enjoy, health, education and the right to self determination.  The amount of money that the Government squandered on the G20, the Queen’s Jubilee, the Will and Kate show, the War of 1812 commemoration (Why that and not Louis Riel’s 175th birthday that just passed?), first strike fighter jets that don’t communicate in the North and are not backwards compatible with the rest of the squadron, fake lakes and Gazebo’s and heli-rides for MacKay? would have funded a minimum livable income for all.  Add in the cost of running the PMO’s PAB and the billion dollar security give-away to Obama to trade our privacy and sovereignty for a few unemployment insurance fraudsters (not to mention big business, especially Cargill and Monsanto, as we “standardise” our food, drug, pesticide standards and “streamline” the inpection process, translation good-bye Canada Food Inspection Agency, Canada Border Services, CWB and the small family farm)

I am not a lawyer.  I am definately not an Accountant.  I’m not even a writer.  This story, this genocide is so much bigger then Attawapiskat, that I can’t even convey the scope.  I will try to research this subject more deeply and hopefully, together we can all come up with a better way.