First Nations and the future
The Montreal Gazette of July 11 devotes some seven pages to the Oka crisis 25 years ago.
All the articles commented, very thoroughly, on the historical wrongs done to the First Nations by the latecomers to North America, from breaking of treaty rights with respect to land, to residential schools and current poverty of many communities.
What was missing from all of the commentary was any vision for the future of the First Nations. There was nothing to show how the First Nations can become communities where the young will want to stay and contribute. This is vitally important, especially where the First Nations have regained rights over large tracts of land.
There has to be a realization that the land is, for the foreseeable future, the only real asset that may provide improved living conditions.
Given the low productivity of Canadian industry, and the slow exodus of manufacturing jobs to the south, the funds for all social programs, and for First Nations communities, will come more and more from the mining and energy industries. And as time goes by, these will inevitably move north, onto First Nations lands.
To eliminate the abysmally poor living conditions that have resulted from federal funding, which are not likely to improve, First Nations must become important stakeholders in the development of mining and energy projects on their lands. It will be vastly better to deal directly with the companies involved in developing mining projects and pipelines, to ensure jobs, training, even housing, while ensuring good environmental practices for the lands.
After agreements have been reached with the developers, the projects can be presented jointly to the federal and other governments, who will then have a difficult time undoing what has been agreed upon.
Becoming full stakeholders in northern industry would be using the land to create jobs and wealth, with less dependence on meagre federal handouts that ensure perpetual poverty.
This will give a far better meaning to “Idle No More,” than using the phrase to signify resistance to develop- ments that can substantially improve the conditions in the north. Henno Lattik, Nuns’ Island