Too little too late... again
The Canadian government has come under
heavy fire for their actions regarding the
town of Attawapiskat. Despite an investment
of $90 million to the town, there are families
forced to live in tents with no running water.
If only this were an isolated case. The government historically only steps into these situations when public pressure becomes too much to ignore and this event alone has drawn international attention.
The Assembly of First Nations claims they need around 80,000 new homes in reserves across Canada to house the population. Stories of tragic teen suicide, rampant alcoholism and corruption in leadership are the sad reality of many reserves, yet little is done to improve the quality of living. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated in the House of Commons that the funds given to Attawapiskat alone amounted to $50,000 for every man, woman and child in the town. What remained unspoken, however, was how these funds were implemented. In 2005, the government was already spending $8 billion per year funding reserves and wanted to increase it to $10 billion, yet six years later, here we are.
The money allotted by the government to improve living conditions doesn't reach the people. The money is spent on contractors to come in from outside the reserve and build structures. According to the residents of these structures, however, in many cases, the contractors do sub-par work to save costs. It's sadly typical of what our government has become. Instead of giving the money to these communities, the government spends it on programs and strategies that they think will bring positive change. It's like the old catch- 22 of a parent telling their child they'll always have money if they budget and the child responding that they can't make a budget because they have no money. If we don't provide the resources for children in Attawapiskat to eat every day, how do we expect them to grow into adults who will lead the town in a direction of prosperity?
As per usual, the response to this event is too little too late. The traditional strategy of funding a problem only after it becomes a problem leads to an astronomical cost. A home with a bad roof can be repaired for a few thousand or even a few hundred dollars. A house that has burnt down, on the other hand, runs in the hundreds of thousands. There's no doubt that this latest chapter in the tragic saga of the treatment of First Nations will lead to increased funding, or a grant, or some other monetary apology, but will the cycle ever end? If we continue to fund these communities in the manner we do now, Attawapiskat will only be remembered as the first of many such towns to fall victim to government inaction. More money is a start, but there's no price tag associated with fixing the problem completely. The problems surrounding funding of Native communities are complex and require careful consideration, but by the time that happens, it will probably be too little too late, one more time.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
If only this were an isolated case. The government historically only steps into these situations when public pressure becomes too much to ignore and this event alone has drawn international attention.
The Assembly of First Nations claims they need around 80,000 new homes in reserves across Canada to house the population. Stories of tragic teen suicide, rampant alcoholism and corruption in leadership are the sad reality of many reserves, yet little is done to improve the quality of living. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated in the House of Commons that the funds given to Attawapiskat alone amounted to $50,000 for every man, woman and child in the town. What remained unspoken, however, was how these funds were implemented. In 2005, the government was already spending $8 billion per year funding reserves and wanted to increase it to $10 billion, yet six years later, here we are.
The money allotted by the government to improve living conditions doesn't reach the people. The money is spent on contractors to come in from outside the reserve and build structures. According to the residents of these structures, however, in many cases, the contractors do sub-par work to save costs. It's sadly typical of what our government has become. Instead of giving the money to these communities, the government spends it on programs and strategies that they think will bring positive change. It's like the old catch- 22 of a parent telling their child they'll always have money if they budget and the child responding that they can't make a budget because they have no money. If we don't provide the resources for children in Attawapiskat to eat every day, how do we expect them to grow into adults who will lead the town in a direction of prosperity?
As per usual, the response to this event is too little too late. The traditional strategy of funding a problem only after it becomes a problem leads to an astronomical cost. A home with a bad roof can be repaired for a few thousand or even a few hundred dollars. A house that has burnt down, on the other hand, runs in the hundreds of thousands. There's no doubt that this latest chapter in the tragic saga of the treatment of First Nations will lead to increased funding, or a grant, or some other monetary apology, but will the cycle ever end? If we continue to fund these communities in the manner we do now, Attawapiskat will only be remembered as the first of many such towns to fall victim to government inaction. More money is a start, but there's no price tag associated with fixing the problem completely. The problems surrounding funding of Native communities are complex and require careful consideration, but by the time that happens, it will probably be too little too late, one more time.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
