Phil Fontaine complicates the world:
Unfortunately, tangible progress is not happening fast enough to contain the mounting frustrations of younger natives. “Canada’s biggest challenge is what to do about First Nations poverty,” Mr. Fontaine asserts. We agree.
What a challenge. It’s called, “getting a job.”
People have used this ingenious strategy to confront their poverty for some time. But it likely won’t fly amongst some people. Where are the lawyers? The consultants? The bureaucrats? The Royal Commission? The academic studies? “Hello, people!?…this is no way for natives to deal with their poverty!!!“
smarter than balbie wrote:
The consultants? they’re busy blogging, enlightening all the dopey neocons takes precedence over you know; consulting…Whooeee!
Posted on 17-Jul-07 at 9:15 pm | Permalink
Aaron Unruh wrote:
Heh.
Posted on 17-Jul-07 at 9:20 pm | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
What a challenge. It’s called, “getting a job.â€
———————-
Wow, it’s all so simple now!
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 1:15 am | Permalink
balbulican wrote:
Yawn.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 5:07 am | Permalink
Smarter than Ezra wrote:
How many young adults who grew up with FAS and still cannot read would you relocate and hire, Aaron? I think the problem is larger than just “get a job.” And would you pay them enough to make it worth the large effort they would have to exert? If so, then, indeed, you have the solution and I say go for it. Tax payers everywhere would thank you for your insight and generosity.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 6:16 am | Permalink
Ryan wrote:
Yet another incredible simplification of a very complex problem compliments of Aaron. Looking forward to your two-liner on how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 8:17 am | Permalink
Steve wrote:
What the FN people in this country need is to get rid of the Phil Fontaines of the world and find their own version of a Martin Luther King.
A real leader who will stand up to the tribal fiefdoms created by chiefs, stand up to the ‘Indian Industry’ created by lawyers, ‘advocates’ and associated left wing white self-flagellators. Somebody who will look the native population squarely in the eye and tell them not to ‘Burn baby Burn’ (or is it ‘blockade baby blockade’?), but to ‘Earn baby Earn’. Beat ‘Whitey’ at his own game.
Then and only then will they (and we) ever get off of this merry go round.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 9:16 am | Permalink
Greg Farries wrote:
I think Osoyoos Chief, Clarence Louie could be that guy:
http://www.thepolitic.com/arch.....nce-louie/
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 11:26 am | Permalink
Aaron Unruh wrote:
“And would you pay them enough to make it worth the large effort they would have to exert?”
…..wow. Some of the comments on this thread are awe-inspiring in their seeming contention that natives are unable to go out and get jobs like everyone else. Who’s the racist here?
The ironic thing is that Flanagan is the only writer in recent memory who has assumed that natives can actually make it in modern Canada without the assistance of the benevolent state. White people who benefit financially from the current despair on reserves, like Balbulican, are more than happy to attack Flanagan in response.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 11:56 am | Permalink
Smarter than Ezra wrote:
It isn’t so much that they cannot go out and get jobs, as much as that there are not a lot of people willing or able to hire them (for many reasons - the less nasty tend to be low-skill/illiteracy and therefore they cannot do the jobs being offered, and no jobs to be provided in remote areas where Aboriginals tend to live because of the reserve system in Canada, etc.) Many Aboroginals who come to cities also find it very difficult to find employment, precisely because they are not white, and they do not get jobs.
Is that what you mean by racism Aaron? If so, then I agree. Racism is one of the large barriers to their success.
And, I am a little confused. How do white people benefit financially from their current despair on reserves. Doesn’t it cost the tax payer a lot of $$$ to keep them out of work and on the reserve? Somehow I am missing something.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 12:40 pm | Permalink
Smarter than Ezra wrote:
And, I was not being flippant when I asked about incentives. A low-skilled Aboriginal who knows they have very little chance of making it into the mainstream labour market requires a lot of incentive to leave the reserve and try to make it against all of the odds (i.e. finding a fantastic non-racist employeur like yourself who might be willing to pay them a fair wage in order to support themselves and their children - young aboriginal men and women are 4 times more likely to have children than non-Aboriginal young men and women - while understanding that they will require extensive training in order to adapt to the labour market).
How many non-racist employers do you figure there are who are willing to do all of this for a young aboriginal person given the current immigration system where we are bringing in people who are more educated than the average Canadian? Where are the incentives for employers to hire Aboriginals with this reality?
I don’t think you have thought through your position of “they should find jobs” and that will solve all the problems.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 12:45 pm | Permalink
smarter than balbie wrote:
I was over at stagleft to ask balbull about his business in relation to native affairs and came away thoroughly disgusted by the hate emanating from that site. I thought I would appeal to the site’s owner to clean-up the hatemongering posters only to discover that he’s the head cheerleader. Pressing on (holding my nose and gagging) thru the comments I came across their great “9/11 the Joos/Bush did it” debate and then further to the bozo who leads his comments with Whooeee! and then it goes into the crapper from that point. The further I travelled thru the “site of hate” the angrier I became, I was ready to chew nails and fart tacks. I will no longer visit the “site of hate” until the owner acquires some much needed critical thinking skills and the quality of posters that are on a par of their fellow traveller cyntie at canadiancynic.blogspot disappear to nether regions of their hate-filled world.
Posted on 18-Jul-07 at 5:52 pm | Permalink