Let me get this straight!?!
The Trudeau government commits $8.4 billion in the federal budget towards indigenous communities, infrastructure and social programs.
They’ve restored the full Kelowna Accord fiscal commitment of $5 billion plus over $3 billion dollars more!! The Kelowna Accord was brokered by First Nations leadership themselves.
That’s somewhere north of 21 times of any commitment made by the previous Harper government.
Is Kelowna your benchmark? Or is Stephen Harper your benchmark? Take your pick.
Even if you factor in the criticism that much of these commitments will be pushed out beyond the next election, that’s still way more funding ever allocated in the federal budget in the history of Canada.
Yet, for some of our leaders, it’s still not enough. Some have even criticized Justin Trudeau over it.
Dependant anyone???
Surely, there must be some way that First Nations leaders can work with this puny morsel of funding? Maybe we can’t all give Prime Minister Trudeau a headdress, but maybe, just maybe, he earned one this week.
How about a pat on the back? A handshake of thanks? Any semblance of appreciation for going above and beyond any other Prime Minister has ever gone towards helping and working with our communities?
No way. That’s not our style.
“Please, Sir. I want some more.”
This is the greatest commitment from any government in my lifetime and I believe the entire Red Machine deserves a Thanks….starting with Anthony Rota, MP Nipissing…..peace and love
You hit the nail on the head. I am proud that we are finally getting funding which will help our situations but come on folks. You have to do your part too. This is amazing and monumental. Take it for what it is. An investment in our futures and our children’s futures.
The problem that I have with the way money is allocated to First Nations is that it is way too much like the way the government funds social services, the arts, infrastructure, etc. Why isn’t it presented as a debt owed, as reparation for past and present exploitation, as an honouring of legitimate treaties, as rent owed on unceeded territories? (I’m not a member of a First Nation, but the latter is how I see it.)
That’s very insightful, Sandra. For years, some First Nations leaders have been pursuing a new fiscal relationship with the Crown that is more consistent with sharing resource revenues, conducive to self-government and our spending priorities and needs. This new fiscal relationship could also include historic treaty inequity. Right now, because we are so dependant on government funding (whether it’s owed to us or whether it’s adequate enough), it still comes from a legislative envelope and public accounts. That’s a whole lot of red tape, hoops to jump through and a whole lot of admin that comes right off the top. Thanks for the comment.