Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘Native Issues’ Category

Yesterday we were visiting some relatives in Brantford, Ontario. The conversation turned to native issues, as it often does these days.

Actually, this time the topic came up quite abruptly when it was discovered that one of the guests had had an SUV stolen that very day from a cinema parking lot. The general feeling was that it was likely now on a nearby reserve being dismantled for parts. Car thefts are a big industry for some native youth. The problem is that police rarely enter the reserves so it is quite a lucrative racket.

Just like illegal smokes, this is a very difficult area to prosecute since the current provincial government is disinclined to take a hard stand against crimes committed by natives.

The OPP is losing the respect of many citizens in Brantford and Caledonia. Police are not being seen to enforce the law, and this has left many non-natives angry and cynical.

The whole Six Nations situation in Southern Ontario is a boiling pot of resentment on both sides. One of the guests last night blamed the feds for not taking action. I reminded him that law enforcement is a provincial issue, but he said that tons of money is flowing from the Federal Government to help pay for the OPP reinforcements in Caledonia. These costs are escalated by virtue of the fact that many cops are having to be housed in local hotels because there simply aren’t enough officers living in the area. They also make huge overtime bonuses as well, according to what I was told.

I didn’t want to get into an argument with him, but I was thinking that having the federal government (and therefore all Canadian taxpayers) bankrole the policing costs in Caledonia hardly makes the feds responsible for the milquetoast attitude of the OPP. If that is the case, then we are all complicit in the application of two-tier justice in Southern Ontario.

This morning I came across this article from the Brantford Expositor - "We don’t have a solution to your problem ", says land claims negotiator.

There are a few very important items here that everyone needs to be made aware of:

The federal government is doing all it can to resolve Six Nations land claims, said Ron Doering, chief federal negotiator, during a speech to the Rotary Club of Brantford on Friday.

However, the federal government has no jurisdiction or responsibility when it comes to land development or law enforcement concerns , he said…

…For the federal government to intrude into the realm of land development issues would be illegal , Doering said, adding that the government has no part in law enforcement.

Doering, a lawyer with 35 years’ experience in law and public policy administration, told the gathering that he does not recall a "more complicated" set of negotiations than the current talks with Six Nations.

He said it annoys him to read media reports that take "cheap shots" at the government and ask why the feds have not stepped up to the plate.

"I’ve been at the plate," he said…

…a $125-million offer was presented in May 2007 to Six Nations to settle four outstanding claims. No reply was received.

Government negotiators then decided to focus on a single, smaller and more straightforward claim involving lands flooded by the building of the Welland Canal in the 1820s. That offer for $26 million has neither been accepted nor rejected, Doering said.

"If we can’t settle this, I’m getting discouraged about if we can settle any claims," he said, adding that other Six Nations claims, some involving stock- holdings of the Grand River Navigation Company and dating back to the mid- 1800s are "diabolically complicated."

Doering also explained how the monetary figures for land claims settlements are determined through complex calculations of the value of money and land over time.

If anything, the government’s $26-million offer erred "on the side of being fair and generous as final and full compensation" for the Welland Canal flooding of 1829, he said…

…Talks between the Six Nations’ and government representatives are temporarily on hold while Six Nations’ negotiators are "taking a break," he said.

"I’ve given up making predictions but I hope to be back at the table in the next couple of weeks."

So in reality, if anyone should be ’stepping up to the plate’, it should be Julian Fantino, Dalton McGuinty and the dysfunctional Six Nations’ negotiating ‘team’, which is often at odds with itself.

And if Dalton tries to tell you otherwise, send him that Expositor link.

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Update: And you gotta love this from Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant :

"We are not where we should be," Bryant said. "It’s been 200 years. … The Harper government needs to stop hesitating and get on with a solution."

200 years and suddenly the Harper government is at fault for not coming up with a solution fast enough. It is enough to make you want to laugh - or weep in despair and frustration at the empty rhetoric and ridiculous finger pointing.

Related: Why are talks taking so long? Ron Doering offers his top 10 reasons.

Update: This post has been featured at Jack’s Newswatch - Daily Blogger.

Please listen to John Tory live on the Jeff Allan show this morning for all three hours.

Right now he is addressing the economy, as well as the (lack of) the rule of law in Ontario. Listen live here and please try to call in.

Now’s your chance to air your grievances, all you malcontents.

Moebius, that means you!

(From MacKay - May 31, 2006 )

Please visit my poll page and cast your vote at one or both of the two polls about Julian Fantino vs. Shawn Brant.

The first poll asks if Fantino should be suspended. Current results sit at 91% saying no and 9% saying yes, out of a total of 55 votes since July 20.

The second poll is more specific, asking whether Fantino should be suspended, fired, given the Order of Canada or none of the above? Only 9 votes have been cast here, but 78% of the respondents have voted for ‘None of the Above". 22% say he should be fired.

The National Post takes a shot at fellow MSM this morning with their editorial, Fantino’s Non-Scandal:

…The only "danger" at issue here is the risk of this country being overrun by native protests in the face of cops who have both hands tied behind their backs.

How exactly did this increasingly wimpy nation get to a point where it is considered "scandalous" for a police officer to use Bmovie tough talk to eject thugs from public property? More to the point: Why are our media colleagues cheerleading this embarrassing phenomenon?

Well, Shawn Brant, his lawyer and NDP MPP Peter Kormos certainly know how to use the media to their advantage. And to his credit, Dalton McGuinty has stood by Fantino on this one. I grudgingly give him a thumbs-up for that. The NDP’s action is shameless and irresponsible.

However, that this is even a story one year after the fact is symptomatic of our weak-kneed progressive attitudes when it comes to applying the law of the land to all citizens equally.

Or as Julian Fantino himself has observed,

"I find the whole thing ludicrous,” the Ontario Provincial Police commissioner said in an e-mail.

"It’s all utter shameful madness that under the circumstances . . . I and the OPP would be portrayed as the villains and Brant the victim. But, then again, some people have no shame,” he wrote.

"Ironically, only in Canada can someone basically usurp the rights and lawful entitlement of tens of thousands of people and obstruct commerce by leading a so-called blockade using criminal tactics (and have) such unlawful actions be made out to be legitimate and its mastermind then the victim. This is insane!” he wrote.

It is indeed insane.

But when you have an Ontario Premier with a long-standing policy of incremental appeasement and an apparent policing philosophy that involves merely ‘keeping the peace’ when laws are broken, then he shouldn’t be too surprised when an alleged perpetrator of a crime is made to look like victim.

It is a logical progression.

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Update: Thanks to Sol for directing me to this excellent commentary in today’s Sun - Apparently Fantino’s an o.k. guy. It seems that the Kangaroo Court comprised of MSM and left-leaning politicians has been less than honest with us regarding the context of Fantino’s comments:

…What you probably haven’t heard is the next thing Fantino said: "I don’t want to do that. I want to help you deal with the suicides (on native reserves) … I’ve travelled to … reserves. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve seen it. I’ve been to Kashechewan and some of these other places. I’ve been there … "

Shawn Brant himself seemed quite impressed with Fantino at the time.

If this is Peter Kormos’ way to get face-time before an NDP leadership race, I think he’s picking the wrong issue.

Neo has more - What percentage of Ontarians…

Another tip from Sol - Christina Blizzard: Shawn Brant vs. everyone.

The Ontario NDP party is now increasing the pressure on Julian Fantino by calling for him to either resign or be fired.

This significantly ups the ante from just a few days ago when Shawn Brant’s lawyer had simply asked for Fantino to be temporarily suspended and that his comments be investigated.

My poll is still active but I may need another one to reflect this new development.

Meanwhile, do you think Julian Fantino should be suspended?

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Update: OPP head defends tactics in defusing 2007 aboriginal protest. (Globe)

Welcome CBC readers! Please vote here! (Even though the poll can’t keep up with the story!). Thanks.

Tuesday Update: Christina Blizzard has a great column in this morning’s Sun - McGuinty is right to back top cop:

…McGuinty must stand by Fantino, or risk provoking a thousand anarchists across the province.

And shame on New Democrat Peter Kormos for calling Fantino, "bellicose," "pugilistic," and "inflammatory."

Someone’s being inflammatory — and it isn’t Fantino.

I’m not always on the top cop’s side. But in this one, his personal intervention in the all-night negotiations saved the province from what could have been a bloodbath.

Suspension? I don’t think so. Give Fantino a medal.

Thank you, Christina. You can cast your vote right here.

Shawn Brant’s lawyer wants Julian Fantino suspended and investigated for comments he made to Brant during critical negotiations surrounding the Aboriginal Day of action at the end of June 2007.

Apparently the issue is the language that Fantino used in an attempt to discourage Brant from holding Canadian travellers hostage (CTV):

The wiretap documents suggest the OPP was minutes away from moving in on First Nations blockades on Highway 401 during the aboriginal day of action.

The phone conversations — recorded without a court order — indicate Fantino told Brant he would do “everything I can within your community and everywhere else to destroy your reputation.”

So how do you see this latest development? Has Fantino overstepped his jurisdiction? Or do you see him as some kind of hero, since he prevented any bloodshed?

I have a poll up here which I am still trying to perfect from a technical point of view, but please have your say there and in the comment section. Thanks.

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Monday Update: Excellent column by Joe Warmington in today’s Sun - Give Fantino a lot of credit:

… “There is danger in allowing this man to be left at the head of the OPP,” Rosenthal was quoted by the Sun’s Ian Robertson. “The danger is life and death … they should suspend Commissioner Fantino pending an inquiry.”

Of course, such words, and legal dancing over the legality of such things as a wiretap are going to gain attention in an attempt to get the best deal for a client. However, when I read this, it struck me how lost in all of this is the fact that protesters had blocked one of the world’s busiest highways and rail lines — both the lifeblood for commerce in this country.

Fantino was able to hastily negotiate peacefully an end to this blockade; he should be given a medal. It did not turn out to be another Ipperwash or even a long drawn out situation like the one at Caledonia. It was over in a matter of hours. As the province’s top cop, the guy did his job.

It’s interesting to me that on one hand the OPP are criticized and even sued for not doing enough to end native standoffs and now there are calls for inquiries for doing too much. With this one, instead of pats on the back for the OPP and its gutsy leadership, the ghost of Dudley George was trotted out as were the violins for some so called native protesters who, by the way, are not elected by their own band members, are not part of the Assembly of First Nations and are not sitting at the table of numerous legitimate land claims negotiations.

This was not a land claim but merely a bunch of protesters cutting off the country’s citizens from reaching each other by highway or rail!…

Exactly.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but why are municipalities in Ontario continuing to issue building permits on disputed land? Why not wait until the land claim is resolved?

Or would that make too much sense?

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Update: Not much work going on today.

Jeff Allan just had Aaron Detlor and Ken Hewitt on his show, discussing native protesters ignoring a court injunction to stay away from a Brantford construction site.

Of course, no arrests were made. Ken Hewitt said it’s like déjà vu. Detlor says it is justified because it is native land.

Do you think this is justified? Would you buy a property in Brantford now?

Jeff says it’s (native occupation) like ‘gangrene coming up your leg.’

Related: Expositor - Not a step forward.

Far from accomplishing "the square root of nothing" as Ralph Goodale referred to the other two opposition parties, it seems that a lowly NDP aide saved the day on Wednesday.

While all the big chiefs including those from all four political parties were busy arguing over procedural nuances, four little words from Jack Layton’s aide saved the day (via the Star ):

…Stepping outside to pose for a photo about an hour before the historic occasion was to begin, Layton told NDP press secretary Ian Capstick he feared the impasse would taint the moment with partisan pride.

"He expressed his great concern to me that an opposition party would move forward with an aggressive motion on the floor of the House of Commons, and that Conservatives would feel compelled to shut it down," Capstick said yesterday.

Then came those four words.

"Committee of the whole," Capstick said he told Layton, and the leader called Harper to save the day.

That phrase meant Parliament could take its ceremonial mace off the table, let the Speaker of the House sit in a regular chair and otherwise shed some of the formality that would have prevented the aboriginal leaders from responding.

"It provides the House with a unique opportunity to have a more fulsome debate, without being constrained by party rotation, without being constrained so tightly by time limits and a whole host of different things," he said…

I love stories like this. It’s refreshing to hear about solutions coming from people who are passionate about this country. And I love that Capstick is getting the press credit that he deserves.

Another side of this story hovers in the background at Chief Patrick Brazeau’s blog, where he suggests that there was some disagreement amongst the native leaders regarding how things should proceed and whether or not there need be a response (June 11, 2008 5:55 AM ).

Also, if you read some of Brazeau’s comments, you’ll see that what he is saying is not so far off what Pierre Polievre mentioned in his badly-timed radio interview for which he apologized yesterday:

…Personally, I was never fully in favour of the settlement package that was negotiated for the simple reason that money has never, doesn’t and will never solve the problems. Real healing begins within one’s own heart, mind and soul - not from a signed piece of paper.I believe the financial resources could and should have been better utilized to ensure residential school survivors and their offspring had access to real methods of counselling and healing. The second reason I didn’t personally support the settlement is because too many individuals personally benefitted financially from it. It is not my duty to name names but simply to highlight the point and let others who are interested do the homework …

Contrast this with what Pierre said :

"…Now, you know, some of us are starting to ask: ‘Are we really getting value for all of this money, and is more money really going to solve the problem?’ My view is that we need to engender the values of hard work and independence and self-reliance. That’s the solution in the long run — more money will not solve it. .."

Yes, some of Polievre’s tone and choice of wording was insensitive, and the timing was abhorrent, but don’t you see a grain of truth in it? Was he really being a "racist" or a realist?

I think both subplots in this story underline the importance of keeping an open mind, and trying to find creative solutions to our ongoing problems in this country.

Let’s start thinking outside the box of political-correctness.

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Update: As I said before, I feel so sorry for the victims of residential schools. I feel that this is a totally different issue from all the others and needs to be addressed as such. Please read this Globe piece, "I accept the Prime Minister’s apology ".

PM Stephen Harper is now addressing the House of Commons with the formal apology statement to abuse victims of native residential schools.

Live feed here.

One thing that struck me right off the bat was how the Prime Minister thanked the Leader of the NDP for his persistence in addressing this issue. It was a great demonstration of non-partisan cooperation and shows that in spite of how dysfunctional the House may seem at times, we can still be proud of our Canadian Government.

On the other hand, Jonathan Kay seems rather cynical of the whole process.

3:30 Update: Many native people are now wiping away tears while Stephane Dion talks. (OK - No smart remarks please.)

I think many of us have underestimated the significance of this event for these victims of abuse. I think it is part of the healing process for them - one more step towards closure.

* * * *

Chief Patrick Brazeau had some profound words to offer in the morning of this historic day (June 11, 2008 5:55 AM) :

…As an Aboriginal Canadian, it’s unfortunate to see the partisan politics and ludicrous demands made by some leaders on this historic day. If one wants to play partisan politics, why didn’t the former Liberal governments not issue a formal apology when they had 13 years to do so?

Kudos to Prime Minister Harper for doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

It is said that one need not listen or believe in what someone says but to look at what they do.

I will take part in the ceremony and like all Canadians, I will be awaiting the Prime Minister’s remarks with great anticipation because it’s been a long time in the making and finally, survivors will hear what they have been wanting for for so long. Congratulations to all survivors and from the bottom of my heart, meegwetch to you all!

Globe update: Canada Apologizes.

Thursday afternoon update: More apologies - Tory MP apologizes for ‘hurtful’ remarks (Globe).

It appears that the City of Brantford is going to be the brave little mouse that attempts to bell the cat.

The ‘cat’ in this case is the H.D.I. which has been creating an unstable business atmosphere for developers in that city. Brantford has finally had enough and is seeking a court injunction and damages for harm caused by the uncertainty.

The City of Brantford is also asking that the Canadian armed forces be put on notice that they may be needed very shortly.

This will certainly be one to watch because while Dalton McGuinty advises businesses not to pay what has been called an ‘extortion ‘ fee, he does nothing to back up the advice. Police are told to merely ‘keep the peace’.

So it seems that Brantford has decided that they are going to draw a line in the sand here.

But as today’s Expositor editorial notes, just who will be falling over the cliff is anyone’s guess.

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Saturday Update : BRANTFORD’S ACTION SCOFFED AT - Spectator .

Injunction case on hold - Expositor .

A sad day in court - Expositor .