I wish there was an Ointment for History

If Danny Williams tried to stop traffic on the 401 with a gun, he would get shot- possibly by the Prime Minister himself.

Two weeks ago, I didn't give a hoot about this issue. I figured it would lapse into abeyance the way it has for the past five years. A friend of mine sat across from me in my office and said "They are walking around with frickin' guns" and my response was "Meh."

Then over a long weekend - a select few of militants decided to close down the 401 for 12 hours. While brandishing weapons. I know they aren't representative of their "whole" community, but in many aspects - they speak to the problem.

There are two general comments I have to make before I look like a total cracker:

1) Anyone who thinks they can arrest traffic with (likely) illegal semi-automatic weapons deserves to go to prison, or, heaven forbid, get shot by the police. I don't care if you tell the cops you are going to do it or not- interrupt the lives of an ordinary citizen at the barrel of a gun at your peril. You will soon see the business end of the same.

2) If any other group tried to do the same thing, they would have been ejected from the scene, with or without an extra couple pounds of lead in their torso. The double standard was offensive to me, and it should be offensive to aboriginals.

That said, let me also provide the following statement so you don't think I am the biggest Luddite in the world. I honestly believe that as a people (if you can even categorize aboriginals as such) aboriginal Canadians have gotten the rawest deal in the history of raw deals. Notwithstanding the fact that around the world there are millions, if not billions, of people who have had their cultures disrupted by colonialism (yet another thing I blame squarely on the British) the way that Natives have been "handled" by Canada relative to other Canadians is deplorable. They deserve better. When compared to aboriginals in say Newfoundland, or Iowa, or Mexico - they are literally lucky to be alive, but that is not relevant - it is just a sticky truth that most people like to gloss over.

Aboriginal self government is not the answer. Accept this view as culturally insensitive, but there is nothing more corrupt in Canada than the current administrative structure on reserves. On average, people in Canada whose job title is "Chief" make a living that is above and beyond that which ordinary Canadians could ever hope to earn.

To put it bluntly, reserves are, in effect, third world countries within the most shining example of a first world nation. Leaders squander the resources allocated to the governed by the Government (yes, that is typed correctly) to feather their own nests and then beg (deliberate word choice) for more money for their people. Dude- do you really need a brand new Ford F-150 every year?

Don't take my word for it - look to the courts. There is a reason why the vast majority of leading cases for recounts, voter fraud, election irregularities and electorate bribery are all decided by the Federal Court, wink wink. There are corrupt practices going on at a rampant pace, and it both to protect the bounty that exists, and to attempt to seize it from others. Isolated bands with little access to what we would describe as conventional "justice" rely on their elected chiefs to provide them with support, guidance and the bare necessities of life. The control over those resources is power - and it is lorded over the governed at the ballot box.

That said - outside of education and health care - the annual budget for DINO/INAC is over 1.5 billion dollars based on the auditor general's 2004 annual report. Now, I am not an expert, but if you wrote a cheque to every status indian for their "share" of that money, they could all retire quite comfortably on Vancouver island. There are bureaucratic "self government" interests at play as well, no doubt.

"Status" indian is another wigwam altogether. An individual's "status" is based on a denominator fraction of your parentage recognized by treaties entered into by the "government" at the time. Personally, I am offended that any element of domestic policy in 2007 is based on British foreign policy prior to 1867.

So, of course, I don't have the perfect solution. Trudeau and Chretien were the closest in 1969, and in so doing, they recognized that there is no ointment for history (I just coined that myself). At some point you have to rip off the band aid and let the cut heal.

Bribery is not the answer - which is what Jim Prentice ostensibly did in Manitoba- peace in exchange for 75 acres of "prime" Manitoba real estate. Easy solution this time - on Montreal island- not so much. And, trust me when I say- they will be back.

Massive cash payments to "bands" in trust for the aggrieved just shifts the dispossessed and creates a different set of problems. Putting a price on the seizure of lands and disrupting a lifestyle which can never be recaptured is asinine. A piecemeal approach where each band leverages off of the last judicially approved settlement is just stupid.

Yes- we have to suck it up. Yes - we have to admit that we made mistakes, and then compounded them for generations. Yes - we have to understand that there are currently obligations, fiduciary ones at that, that must be part of any "solution." and YES - I understand that any solution will undoubtedly be seen as patronizing. Deal with it.

Admissions are a good thing. Maybe we should admit that the sum of our collective past wrongs do not provide for an excuse to avoid dealing with a REAL problem. Rather than continuing to compound the egregious errors of history by placating aboriginals with the bribery of self government as the federal government defines it - maybe we should allow aboriginals to self government the same way that I have it. Regional municipalities with delegated authority pursuant to the division of powers under sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution.

Of course, no one would ever accept it - unless they had to. One thing I have learned about Ottawa is that conventions are only conventions until they stop being conventions. What was a hard and fast rule yesterday, changes with the resolve of a single leader to stand up and say something is wrong.

The politician who proposes it has my vote- does s/he have yours?