Canada, now's your chance

Page 4

Isn't Canada lucky?

The federal government has a fiscal dividend at a time when it has been told by a United Nations committee that it should stop playing politics with the human rights of Indigenous peoples.

What perfect timing! With all this extra money in the federal treasury, Canada can afford to prove to the world that it really believes in the ideas contained in the International Bill of Rights.

Sometimes things just fall together so perfectly, don't they?

All right, we admit sarcasm isn't the nicest way to make a point, but you have to admit it's effective.

Of course, we're not really that naive and we really do understand that the situation is a lot more complex than that. But, hey Ottawa, as you make your budget decisions, think about doing the right thing for all the people, not just the powerful and influential whose financial donations lubricate the political machinery in this country.

Politics is the art of the possible. We know that. We also know that Canadians are weaned on the idea that this is a compassionate liberal democracy where all people are created equal, where who are doing OK have an obligation to offer a hand up to those who aren't. Canadians who get an up close and personal look at the history of the federal government's dealings with Aboriginal people might suggest this ideal is a figment of a political speech writer's imagination. We'd really like to see you prove that wrong, because we were raised to believe in that Canadian ideal, too, and we think it's a good one.

Take a close look at the Assembly of First Nation poll results. Canadians want you to do the right thing regarding Aboriginal peoples. The numbers show it.

Incidentally, we think it was a very shrewd move by the AFN leadership to commission this poll. Just remember, the AFN has the budget but they don't represent all Aboriginal people in this country. If you meet during the holiday season or shortly after and it happens that you receive visits from a trio of ghostly apparitions and you decide to take our advice and make Indigenous issues your number one priority, then don't forget the off-reserve people, the Metis, the Native women who will tell you the AFN isn't their best advocate.

Cleanse the racist, colonial stains on the fabric of this nation. Forget about what Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come so perceptively called token policies and make-work compromises. Solve the problem once and for all.

It will mean a sea change in attitude. It will mean paying more than lip service to United Nations Covenants. It will mean giving up a bit of power.

But it will also mean you don't have to dread the year 2003, when the next report comes down from the UN. It will also mean that hundreds of Native people who right now are scheduled to perish, either in despair by their own hands or because of sub-par housing and health care, will live on and be vital contributors to the nation.

They say the hardest metal has been through the fire. You know, whether you'll admit it publicly or not, Native people have been through an inferno. With just a bit of respect, and a bit of help, the next generation will emerge immensely stronger.