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styky
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 Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 9:46 am Post subject: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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All I saw was the headline and I new it must be my favorite Chief. We need a couple dozen Chief Clarence Louie's across this country. 
Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!'Thu, March 20, 2008
By KERRY DIOTTE
source
The feds dish out $10 billion annually for programs to help Canada's one million aboriginals.
Despite that, natives continue to have shockingly high rates of school dropout, poverty, incarceration and mortality compared to other Canadians. Add in substandard housing and sky-high unemployment and it's a national tragedy.
Enter Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie, 47, a B.C. aboriginal leader first elected chief at the tender age of 24.
Louie has a refreshing view of how to solve the problem.
Natives need to get off their butts and get a job, he says. As well, the feds and other politicians must stop spending so much money on welfare programs and the like and pour more cash into economic development. He estimates 96% of that $10 billion spent annually goes to social programs and just 4% to economic development.
That's the message the blunt, outspoken leader delivered yesterday at the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation's annual luncheon.
"Our people have to get away from that mentality of spending money (and start) making money," Louie told the gathering. "I love creating jobs and I love making money," he said, sparking applause from attendees at the Shaw Conference Centre.
Louie's British Columbia band of 460 people is among the most affluent in Canada. It owns and operates nine businesses, including a construction company, a Readi-Mix company, a championship golf course, vineyards and an upscale winery.
Every person on his reserve who wants a job can have one. As well, the businesses employ aboriginals from four western provinces, as well as many non-natives.
Louie truly is the Don Cherry of native leaders. He's not politically correct. He's not afraid to tell it like it is and he's not afraid of criticism, admittedly having had a fair bit of that from some fellow native leaders.
"If Don Cherry can get called down in Canada, Clarence Louie can, too," he smiles.
"You can't hire people based on race," he told the crowd, adding he likes to surround himself with the best business people, regardless of their skin colour.
He tells other bands to do the same thing when they make economic development plans. The gospel according to Louie rolls off his tongue.
"The best social program is a job," he said. "You can be a socialist all your life but you still have to work for someone."
Louie told how he avoids going to big aboriginal conferences where they're talking about "wellness and healing" and "poor me." He scoffed: "Money doesn't fall from the sky."
Louie confessed he "avoids politicians, even native politicians because they're all the same." But he's glad the federal Tories set aside more money for aboriginal economic development and that Alberta has set up a Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
At the end of the session, Louie was swarmed, rock-star-like by native leaders. I asked him if there's ANY unemployment on his reserve.
Sure, he admits - probably 15 or 20 young people "who should be working ... you know, those kids with their baseball caps on backwards."
He said he tries to help them with some social programs, "but what these kids really need is a kick-in-the-butt program."
Hail to the chief for his common-sense approach. We need more politicians in Canada just like him.
_________________
FREE DOMINION FORUM RULES
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope ~ Sir Winston Churchill
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people''''s money." Margaret Thatcher |
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| Ipberg2 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| I've heard from Aboriginals who live on reserves near Calgary that they don't want to work in the city because they are afraid of the city. Or else they have worked for a while in the city, decided it wasn't for them, and gone back to the reserve. It's going to take two generations of leaders like this Chief Clarence Louie to change attitudes. For better or for worse, these Aboriginal-owned and managed casinos seem like the main way to bridge the gap between the cultures. |
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| GreyBowel Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| styky wrote: | | All I saw was the headline and I new it must be my favorite Chief. We need a couple dozen Chief Clarence Louie's across this country. |
Chief Louie's community is in a wonderful area within driving distance of the USA border and close to urban centres. Chief Louie is just the most successful (and that's debatable) of chiefs who think this way and he owes a lot of it to the land he lives on. But he obviously shows a winning attitude.
I have a problem with the first line of the column:
| Quote: | | The feds dish out $10 billion annually for programs to help Canada's one million aboriginals. |
First- If INAC's budget is included in this money, than it isn't all going to Aboriginals as INAC also is in charge of the governance of all communities (and the resources and their revenues), Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, within the territories.
Second- This story is about First Nations - not 'Aboriginals', so how much do First Nations get? Not including the money given to the Metis and the Inuit?
Third- I believe most non-Aboriginal communities recieve money from the feds and it isn't refered to as 'help', but infrastructure, maintenance and governance funding. If First Nation communities were treated as municipalities from day one, they would still be recieving money from the feds, like the vast majority of municipalities in Canada do.
Also the idea that Chief Louie is seen as a 'rock star' is just down right funny. Not saying he isn't respected, but I've never seen him fawned over. |
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styky
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 11:13 am Post subject: |
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Fawned over someone is something that I don't do. I do however like his message and his can do attitude.
_________________
FREE DOMINION FORUM RULES
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope ~ Sir Winston Churchill
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people''''s money." Margaret Thatcher |
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 Catholic CanadianJoined: 10 Apr 2006 Total posts: 2303 Location: Toronto aka Third World dump run by raving socialists Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 11:21 am Post subject: |
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| Our government has made them dependants for so long, this is the price we all pay. We've robbed them of their pride. |
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Yoda
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Total posts: 15085 Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 11:24 am Post subject: |
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"We're owed and they aren't"
That is the difference between the aboriginal community and everyone else in Canada.
That is the same difference between the black community and everyone else in the US.
That is why in Canada and in the US, refugees can come with nothing and in a generation are well on their way.
Meanwhile, the aboriginals in Canada and the blacks in the US continue to say "We're owed"
_________________
Thinking like a peasant will always result in debt and slavery.
You cannot educate people who sincerely desire to remain ignorant.
“Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know.” - Aldous Huxley |
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Wlyonmackenzie
Joined: 30 Oct 2002 Total posts: 14830 Location: Knee deep in Progressivist BS Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 11:31 am Post subject: |
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Chief Clarence Louie is a wonderful roll model for Canadians and First nations alike. His sole intent is to break the dependency cycle by breaking the victimhood mindset and political/bureaucratic industry that caters to it.
_________________
Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive; those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis, In Freedom .
Celebrate Hard Likker and Handgun week here at the Shadowy GroupTM   |
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| Ipberg2 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 11:31 am Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| GreyBowel wrote: | | I believe most non-Aboriginal communities recieve money from the feds and it isn't refered to as 'help', but infrastructure, maintenance and governance funding. If First Nation communities were treated as municipalities from day one, they would still be recieving money from the feds, like the vast majority of municipalities in Canada do. |
Municipalities are creations of provincial and territorial governments. Direct funding by the federal government to municipalities is only possible with the aquiesence of provincial government. But the treaties with First Nations were signed directly by the federal government and it took responsibility for them as respect for the status as nations rather than just communities. The federal government could not then nor still can not treat First Nations communities as municipalities when that's the jurisidiction of provinces and territories, without amending the Canadian Constitution. Ideally there would be a new national, comprehensive treaty among First Nations, the federal government and provincial/territorial governments to phase out the reserve system entirely and establish these communities as ordinary municipalities like you say. But the likelihood of that happening is about as remote as Canada establishing a colony on Mars. |
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| GreyBowel Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| styky wrote: | | Fawned over someone is something that I don't do. I do however like his message and his can do attitude. |
My comment was in reference to the chiefs swarming Chief Louie like a 'rock star'. He does have a good message. |
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| GreyBowel Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Yoda wrote: | "We're owed and they aren't"
That is the difference between the aboriginal community and everyone else in Canada.
That is the same difference between the black community and everyone else in the US.
That is why in Canada and in the US, refugees can come with nothing and in a generation are well on their way.
Meanwhile, the aboriginals in Canada and the blacks in the US continue to say "We're owed" |
You certainly are a victim. |
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| GreyBowel Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 12:08 pm Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| Ipberg2 wrote: | | GreyBowel wrote: | | I believe most non-Aboriginal communities recieve money from the feds and it isn't refered to as 'help', but infrastructure, maintenance and governance funding. If First Nation communities were treated as municipalities from day one, they would still be recieving money from the feds, like the vast majority of municipalities in Canada do. |
Municipalities are creations of provincial and territorial governments. Direct funding by the federal government to municipalities is only possible with the aquiesence of provincial government. But the treaties with First Nations were signed directly by the federal government and it took responsibility for them as respect for the status as nations rather than just communities. The federal government could not then nor still can not treat First Nations communities as municipalities when that's the jurisidiction of provinces and territories, without amending the Canadian Constitution. Ideally there would be a new national, comprehensive treaty among First Nations, the federal government and provincial/territorial governments to phase out the reserve system entirely and establish these communities as ordinary municipalities like you say. But the likelihood of that happening is about as remote as Canada establishing a colony on Mars. |
I'd say the municipalities are a lower jurisdiction than provinces, but I don't think their legal existence flows from the provinces, but from the Canadian governance system. It should be noted that the governance structure of First Nations has a provincal componant in the form of INAC regional offices, but the regional director general, who is in effect our premier, is hired by INAC... not elected, which sort of defeats that whole checks-and-balances thing.
If you would like to see change in First Nation governance, I encourage you to speak to your local politician. A new treaty certainly is impossible if Canadian politicians are not motivated by their constituents. |
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| Ipberg2 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| GreyBowel wrote: | | I'd say the municipalities are a lower jurisdiction than provinces, but I don't think their legal existence flows from the provinces, but from the Canadian governance system. |
A province or territory could decide to abolish municipalities outright and there's nothing the federal government could do to legally stop it. Municipalties exist only according to the provisions of the Municipal Act in their province or territory. This is why debates over whether municipalities should amalgamate or divide occur entirely on the municipal and provincial/territorial levels.
| GreyBowel wrote: | | It should be noted that the governance structure of First Nations has a provincal componant in the form of INAC regional offices, but the regional director general, who is in effect our premier, is hired by INAC... not elected, which sort of defeats that whole checks-and-balances thing. |
There's just too much bureaucratic overhead in the governing of First Nations and you've pointed out one example.
| GreyBowel wrote: | | If you would like to see change in First Nation governance, I encourage you to speak to your local politician. A new treaty certainly is impossible if Canadian politicians are not motivated by their constituents. |
Any change which does not endorse First Nations self-government and more Canadian taxes flowing to First Nations councils is rejected by First Nations leaders and that would include treating First Nations communties as mere municipalities. This is why most non-First Nations politicians shy away from talking about the kind of changes I support. |
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| GreyBowel Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 20/ 08 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| Ipberg2 wrote: | | Any change which does not endorse First Nations self-government and more Canadian taxes flowing to First Nations councils is rejected by First Nations leaders and that would include treating First Nations communties as mere municipalities. |
First Nation leaders do not vote in the House of Commons or Senate. Any killing/delaying of legislation was done by the people who do vote in the House of Commons or Senate. Canada has no problem forcing legislation on Indians, the Indian Act and its amendements, as well as the FNGA, are good examples of that. It is Canadian voters getting uppity that gets Canadian politicians worried. The Indian Act employs over 4,000 employes and at least that many contractors. There is plenty of Canadian-made inertia in regards to changes in First Nation governance.
If you would like to see change in First Nation governance, I encourage you to speak to your local politician. A new treaty certainly is impossible if Canadian politicians are not motivated by their constituents |
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Meistro
Joined: 19 Jul 2007 Total posts: 804 Gender: Unknown
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| Posted: 03/ 21/ 08 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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"The feds dish out $10 billion annually for programs to help Canada's one million aboriginals.
Despite that, natives continue to have shockingly high rates of school dropout, poverty, incarceration and mortality compared to other Canadians. Add in substandard housing and sky-high unemployment and it's a national tragedy."
Oh there's not "despite" that at all. When you subsidize, sloth, laziness and poverty, shockingly, you get more poverty.
There is a dis-utility to labour. People don't want to work unless they have to - but without a job what are you going to do? Get into trouble obviously.
_________________
The opinions expressed are those of one Zachary Andrew Karpinski Young. Freedominion does not advocate civil disobedience, tax revolt, the egging of politicians or treason. |
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| Machiaveli Joined: 27 Jun 2004 Total posts: 437 Location: Montreal Age: 24 Gender: Male
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| Posted: 03/ 21/ 08 3:08 pm Post subject: Re: Aboriginal chief tells his people, 'Get a job!' |
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| Ipberg2 wrote: | | GreyBowel wrote: | | I believe most non-Aboriginal communities recieve money from the feds and it isn't refered to as 'help', but infrastructure, maintenance and governance funding. If First Nation communities were treated as municipalities from day one, they would still be recieving money from the feds, like the vast majority of municipalities in Canada do. |
Municipalities are creations of provincial and territorial governments. Direct funding by the federal government to municipalities is only possible with the aquiesence of provincial government. But the treaties with First Nations were signed directly by the federal government and it took responsibility for them as respect for the status as nations rather than just communities. The federal government could not then nor still can not treat First Nations communities as municipalities when that's the jurisidiction of provinces and territories, without amending the Canadian Constitution. Ideally there would be a new national, comprehensive treaty among First Nations, the federal government and provincial/territorial governments to phase out the reserve system entirely and establish these communities as ordinary municipalities like you say. But the likelihood of that happening is about as remote as Canada establishing a colony on Mars. |
100%... Some Communities in Northern Quebec ( I believe) have decided to try something new and opt for a more liberal (in the classical term), property ownership system (as opposed to the communist style reserves own everything). The End result was that First Nations with this recently adopted system saw their quality of life increase as people took care of what they owned and they felt they deserved what they worked for...
One question though: Under Section 91 of the NABA, ''Indian" reserves fall directly under Federal Jurisdiction..
Couldn't Ottawa simply turn these into ''federal municipalities" without the consent of the Provinces?
_________________
"A Prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise" -Niccolo Machiavelli |
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