Black’s ideas deserve debate

Re: Let’s end the victimhood, Conrad Black, Aug. 5 Kudos to Conrad Black for saying what he believes (rightly or wrongly) in a public forum on this most difficult of subjects in Canadian society. It is most unfortunate that Conrad’s ideas on this topic could not be debated respectfully on the CBC or on university campuses across our country. For far too long in this country the default position by government when discussing native issues has been to just throw more money without any accountability. The former Conservative government of Stephen Harper effectively changed this by instituting such accountability. For some reason the Trudeau Liberals have repealed this legislation while spending more money. Canadians and native nations expect and deserve better. Gordon J. Akum, Toronto The poor living standards faced by Indigenous people in Canada are largely caused by geographic isolation and financial dependency. For many bands, a return trip to a hospital costs many thousands of dollars, and in some cases grocery costs can be triple those in urban centres. When there is little or no income other than government funding, the resultant standard of living can only be poor.

Providing relocation, support and education incentives to First Nations individuals and families would provide an option for those who want to leave the cycle of poverty behind, and provide a path to a new and better life. Richard Zylka, Calgary Another good piece from Conrad Black. Safe to say that if there were a statue of him there would be a petition to have it covered pending removal. Kope Inokai, Toronto