Editorial: Loaves and fishes budget

The scatter-shot approach to federal budget making employed by the Conservative government on Jan. 27 has put a smile on the faces of many. There was something in the budget for everyone. Tax breaks for the middle class, some social housing for the poor, five extra weeks for those unlucky enough to have lost their jobs in this time of economic crisis, but lucky enough to qualify for employment insurance. Ditches will be dug, cement will be poured, buildings will go up, roads will be rolled out and, low and behold, on reserves there may be schools built. Everybody's happy. And why not? The entire nation came begging, and with the voting public's blessing, the Conservatives plunged into the icy waters of debt and came up showering the nation with gold coins.
'One for you, and one for you, and there's one for you.' But therein lay the trouble. One? One gold coin? How is that going to help?
The problem with scatter-shot is that it covers a wide area; fine when attempting to bring down a pheasant, but what about an elephant, and that's what is staring Canada in the eyes today, a big raging elephant tossing around the limp body of our economy like a cloth doll.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's attempt to quiet that elephant is akin to throwing a few peanuts about its feet, so unfocused is his approach, but what's important is that it has also put a smile on the face of his boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. There was something in the budget for him too. Time. New Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff dared not defeat this budget. Another few months, at least, in power for Harper; another few months to set traps for the Liberals, to work on the voters in Ontario, to figure out a recovery plan for vote-getting in Quebec.
But that's all he's got, because folks are already starting to notice that a gold coin doesn't go very far, and some, like the mayors of large cities, who begged for a stimulus package that would jump-start their shovel-ready infrastructure projects, have begun to notice that their coins have strings attached.
For First Nations and other Aboriginal peoples, we're just happy to be finally included: $515 million for infrastructure-schools and clean water. Such luxury. So happy are we with this nod to our needs (though we hoped for so much more), we didn't notice that many of the gold coins we were offered were pulled out of our own back pockets. Call us skeptical, but we think we are going to discover that the monies in the budget earmarked for Aboriginal peoples will be the only truly "green" thing about this document-they'll be recycled, repackaged and redirected.
To say that the Harper Conservatives have a credibility problem would be a gross understatement.
A-in-chut Shawn Atleo, the BC regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said it best when he said the devil is in the details. He was speaking about a previous promise of funding made to fight pine beetle devastation in British Columbia, only to see monies promised for that same disaster relief promised in this budget. Is this more money, or the same money flowing from a different tap?
"We have reason to be cautious as this budget appears to have abandoned previous promises that First Nations had been counting on," Atleo said.
In this loaves and fishes budget, it seems that Aboriginal peoples are again left getting the crumbs.
"I urge them to see this budget not as complete strategy, but rather as an initial phase that must be improved on quickly and effectively to ensure First Nations receive their full share," said Atleo.
Amen, brother, Amen.