Thank-you for spelling out some of the difficulties we face in dealing with First Nations people fairly. Obviously, the matter is far more complex than many non-natives, including me, realize. My original opinion was based on the presumption that promises were made and not kept. As you've pointed out, many promises were implied, interpreted, assumed, and given such a foggy cloud surrounding the matter, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that a few were fabricated from lawyer and activist imaginations too. Obviously, this is not an easy challenge.
The best I can hope for is some genuine, honest, and compassionate negotiations carried out by reasonable, well-informed, and creative people on both sides so that a workable and just solution can be reached.
Cheers, PW.
P.S. I also must add that I do not support the wholesale, dependency fostering, Santa Clause like transfer of hard-earned tax dollars to people who believe they are entitled to suckle on the Ottawa teat for all eternity because their great-great-great-grandfather was promised some help adjusting to life with fewer bison. I say this in recognition that I feel that both sides share some responsibility in the matter. I may have given the impression in earlier posts that I view the present tragic condition of our First Nations people as entirely our (non-natives) fault. I wish to be clear that I feel both sides have contributed to the current mess and the co-operation of both sides will be required to find fair, just, and workable solutions. |
