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David Langtry

Acting Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission

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Why Are There So Many Aboriginal People in Prison?

Posted: 03/15/2013 8:00 am

I think most Canadians are proud of Canada's reputation for respecting the rights of others. Anyone who has visited countries less fortunate would probably agree it's a reputation that is richly deserved.

But this Canada, the Canada I know and love, is a relatively recent entity. Respected Canadian author and historian Irving Abella eloquently makes that point in a recent Globe and Mail article. In it, he observes, the Canada of the first of half of the 20th century would be hard to recognize today.

The old Canada, he writes, was "a benighted, closed, xenophobic society in which minorities were barred from almost every sector of Canadian life." Worse still, racism was embedded in the mindset of the ruling classes and permeated public life.

The transformation of Canadian society did not come about by accident. It was driven by the determination of a wide cross-section of Canadians to build a society free of the kind of racial, ethnic and other barriers that are at the root of so much misery on the planet. Over and over, through the post-war period, Canadians expressed this determination in elections, choosing Parliaments and Prime Ministers committed to transforming an exclusionary, white-dominated society into something much more inclusive, more humane -- an example to the world.

The Canadian Human Rights Act is one outcome of this endeavour. Parliament designed it as a tool to remove barriers to opportunity based on ethnic origin, skin colour, gender or disability. Millions of Canadians would not have been able to live the lives they wish to have and are able to have (to paraphrase the language of the Act) had these barriers remained.

But there are areas where we seem locked in a time-warp.

Personally, I find it shocking that close to one in four inmates in the federal correctional system is an Aboriginal person. Yet Aboriginal people make up only four percent of our population. They are ten times more likely than anyone else to end up in jail. And that number is climbing. What does this say about our country?

This was raised as a matter of urgency by Howard Sapers, the Correctional Investigator, in a Special Report to Parliament. I appreciate the complexity of these issues, and the challenges of dealing with them. But denying the facts doesn't make them disappear. Since the release of his report, Mr. Sapers has expressed concern that his calls for action are falling on deaf ears.

Female offenders are the most vulnerable in the prison population. They are twice as likely as male offenders to have a significant mental health diagnosis at time of admission, and they are far more likely than males to self-harm in prison.

And one in three is Aboriginal.

Not only are Aboriginal women over-represented in our prisons, a disproportionate number are held in solitary confinement. This creates barriers to access to rehabilitation programs. As a result, Aboriginal women in corrections do not get paroled early if at all. They end up serving more time. Some end up serving additional sentences for crimes committed in detention. Their mental health deteriorates.

The condition of female Aboriginal inmates with mental illness is of particular concern. Aboriginal women are the most vulnerable among this vulnerable group. These are women scarred by generations of neglect, abuse, and systemic discrimination.

I commend the Correctional Investigator for drawing attention to these issues. If it is true that his recommendations have been dismissed out of hand, I am saddened. This is not the Canada I grew up in. The Canada I know and love. The Canada the world admires.

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  • A native dancer looks on during an 'Idle No More' gathering on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

  • Native dancers rally during an 'Idle No More' gathering on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

  • Idle No More Mall Protest

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/LJ_Henshell"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/630755180/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/LJ_Henshell">LJ Henshell</a>:<br />A First Nations Drummer plays during a protest at Intercity Shopping Center in Thunder Bay, Ontario

  • It's about the future

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/LJ_Henshell"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/630755180/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/LJ_Henshell">LJ Henshell</a>:<br />A child protests in Thunder Bay, Ontario

  • United we stand

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Doug_Cleverley"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/805699678/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Doug_Cleverley">Doug Cleverley</a>:<br />At the #IdleNoMore rally in Owen Sound (Saugeen Ojibway Nation territory), during a spontaneous round dance at the main downtown intersection.

  • Killer Whale Dance

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/4441016.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop">Courtney Harrop</a>:<br />Idle No More actions, Coast Salish Territories, Powell River, BC

  • Idle No More #J11

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/4441016.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop">Courtney Harrop</a>:<br />Coast Salish Territories, Powell River, BC

  • Idle No More #J11 March

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/4441016.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop">Courtney Harrop</a>:<br />Coast Salish Territories, Powell River, BC

  • Tla'Amin Prayer Song #J11 Idle No More

    Tla'Amin Prayer song on #J11 2013 Idle No More, Coast Salish Territories, Powell River BC

  • Tla'Amin Killer Whale Dance, #J11 #IdleNoMore

    Tla'Amin Killer Whale Dance, #J11 #IdleNoMore, Coast Salish Territories, Powell River, BC

  • C45 affects all Canadians! Join the fight.

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Eleanor_Kure"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/840875359/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Eleanor_Kure">Eleanor Kure</a>:<br />At the Idle No More protest in Halifax Nova Scotia. with an eco-justice article in pocket, spreading the word that Bill C45 affects every Canadian, not only First Nations. Thank you FN, for beginning this movement.

  • Piyesiw Awasis

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/mizzren"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/3183681.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/mizzren">mizzren</a>:<br />Thunderchild First Nation @ Lloydminster Flash Mob. January 16, 2013

  • <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/01/16/idle-no-more-queen-elizabeth-2-highway-blockade-alberta_n_2490009.html">Idle No More supporters jump onto a truck</a> as they are pushed by a driver trying to pass, as the protesters block Highway 2 as part of a planned national day of action, in Edmonton, Alberta on Wedneday January 16, 2013.

  • Aboriginal protesters march down Huron Church Road towards the Ambassador bridge in Windsor Ontario, Wednesday, January 16, 2013. About 1000 demonstrators disrupted traffic to the country's busiest border crossing for several hours.

  • Aboriginal protestors pray at the end of their blockade of a CN railroad track just west of Portage La Prairie, Man., on Wednesday, January 16, 2016. They ended their protest without incident.

  • Aboriginal protesters demonstrate at the base of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor Ontario, Wednesday, January 16, 2013. About 1000 demonstrators disrupted traffic to the country's busiest border crossing for several hours.

  • Idle No More demonstrators block a CN east-west track just west of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba Wednesday, January 16, 2016.

  • Mississaugas of the New Credit support INM

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Vicki_King_Jamieson"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/750500023/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Vicki_King_Jamieson">Vicki King Jamieson</a>:<br />New Credit Youth supporting INM

  • Montreal Idle No More

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Caillum"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Caillum">Caillum</a>:<br />Thousands of people, both Native and Canadian, show their support at an Idle No More protest in Montreal on January 11th, 2013.

  • #Denendeh #J11 #IdleNoMore #YZF #NWT Yellowknife "Northwest Territories"

    Video of the Global Day of Action rally in downtown Somba K’e (Yellowknife)on the Akaitcho territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation in Denendeh (Northwest Territories).

  • #IdleNoMore March and Round Dance in Yellowknife Denendeh NWT

    "Today (Friday, December 21, 2012) in Denendeh and across the globe, we made an impact, a statement for true justice to be brought forward and acknowledged. But it will not stop, for the 8th fire has been lit and will only grow. Mahsi for all who showed up and united, we felt the support....we felt the fire!! And there's more to come in the new year." On Facebook By Lawrence Nayally, Melaw Nakehk'o and Eugene Boulanger https://www.facebook.com/events/112403725595655/

  • Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, wearing a headdress, takes part in a drum ceremony before departing a Ottawa hotel to attend a ceremonial meeting at Rideau Hall with Gov. Gen. David Johnston in Ottawa, Friday January 11, 2013.

  • Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, centre, departs a Ottawa hotel to attend a ceremonial meeting at Rideau Hall with Gov. Gen. David Johnston in Ottawa, Friday January 11, 2013.

  • Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with First Nations leaders in Ottawa on January 11, 2013.

  • Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with First Nations leaders in Ottawa on January 11, 2013.

  • Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence makes a brief statement on Victoria Island near Parliament Hill Friday January 11, 2013 in Ottawa. Spence is speaking out for the first time about how her reserve spends government money, saying most of what flows to her isolated James Bay reserve actually gets spent outside the community.

  • Aboriginal Chiefs stand at the main gate to Parliament Hill during a protest Friday January 11, 2013 in Ottawa.

  • Idle No More protesters listen to speakers during a rally on Parliament Hill Friday January 11, 2013 in Ottawa.

  • Gordie Odjig of Wikwemikong stands at the west gate to the Langevin Block during the aboriginal meeting in Ottawa on Friday, January 11, 2013.

  • Idle No More at UBC Vancouver

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Randall_Gray"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/100001602753648/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Randall_Gray">Randall Gray</a>:<br />

  • Idle No More at UBC Vancouver

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Randall_Gray"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/100001602753648/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Randall_Gray">Randall Gray</a>:<br />

  • Los Angeles Rally In Solidarity with First nations

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/hp_blogger_Melinda Gopher"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/contributors/melinda-gopher/headshot.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/hp_blogger_Melinda Gopher">HuffPost Blogger Melinda Gopher</a>:<br />Brock Conway, Blackfeet activist, with Saulteaux Actor Adam Beach and companion. Photo: Morning Star Gopher

  • Native protesters march up Wellington Street in Ottawa on Friday, January 11, 2013.

  • Four-year-old Phoenix Sky Cottrelle,from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, holds a sign as aboriginal protestors gather on Victoria Island before they march to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, January 11, 2013.

  • Aboriginal protestors hold signs as they march from Victoria Island to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, January 11, 2013.

  • Gordie Odjig, an aboriginal protestor from Wikwemikong, shouts as he marches from Victoria Island to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, January 11, 2013.

  • Woman's Voices

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/4441016.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Courtney_Harrop">Courtney Harrop</a>:<br />Idle No More event Dec 30th,2012. Tla'Amin Nation Coast Salish Territories Powell River, British Columbia.

  • Idle No More Edmonton

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/AUPELOCAL6CHAIR"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/4411530.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/AUPELOCAL6CHAIR">AUPELOCAL6CHAIR</a>:<br />Planned overnight and what a turn out!

  • IdleNoMore March, Dauphin, Mb

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Phyllis_Racette"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1354341984/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Phyllis_Racette">Phyllis Racette</a>:<br />#IdleNoMOre Dauphin, Mb

  • Chicago Idle No More @ the Canadian Consulate

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Jolene_Aleck"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/644015258/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Jolene_Aleck">Jolene Aleck</a>:<br />Chicago's Idle No More 1.5.2012 rally @ the Canadian Consulate

  • VancouverC Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • A man waves a flags as aboriginal protesters and supporters in the Idle No More movement block the Blue Water Bridge border crossing to the United States in Sarnia, Ont. on Saturday, January 5, 2013.

  • VancouverA Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • VancouverB Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • VancouverD Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • VancouverH Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC, January 2, 2013.

  • VancouverF Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • VancouverE Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • VancouverG Jan 2 2013

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/gerrybates">gerrybates</a>:<br />Idle No More at Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

  • Flag Planting

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/seawaytoday"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/seawaytoday">seawaytoday</a>:<br />Akwesasne Idle No More att Cornwall, ON

  • Dec 21st 2012 Idle No More Ottawa: Berdine

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Gail_Chicky_Gallagher"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/535670179/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Gail_Chicky_Gallagher">Gail Chicky Gallagher</a>:<br />

 
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Swank62
0 Fans
01:47 PM on 03/21/2013
The reason there are more Aboriginal people in prison is because the reservation system is one giant big FAIL. We segregated Aboriginal people on plots of land in rural areas, far away from large centers consequently they have no access to jobs, home ownership and a sense of pride. Who wouldn't turn to alcohol, drugs, and gang activity in that hopeless environment? As well, most folks in prison have also been in foster homes. They are disenfranchised from their families, communities and society as a whole. Get rid of reservations and assimilate Aboriginal people into the rest of Canadian cities and we'll see more of them getting education and jobs, home ownership and pride. Reserves need to be relegated to the rest of history along with residential schools. Aboriginal people can retain their language and culture just like Italians, East Indians, and any other distinct group of people who live in Canada.
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NecktopPC
280 Fans
11:09 AM on 03/20/2013
"Why Are There So Many Aboriginal People in Prison?"

Good question!

And why is there a 52% increase, in proportion of black offenders in federal system since 2000?
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/14/crawford-black-prison.html

These people are usually at the bottom of the graph, of the 99%ers, with little or no means for a decent means of lively hood.

The PRISON INDUSTRY is a very lucrative one, and more recently; it is becoming a very private industry too.

The commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada says he’ll need to spend about $2 billion to deal with the increase in prisoners due to the Conservatives’ law-and-order agenda.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2010/10/19/crime-cost-2-billion-don-head.html

Faced with lawsuits and bad publicity in their home country, U.S. private prison corporations are lobbying to enter Canada -- and the Canadian government is considering allowing them, news reports indicate.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/13/prison-privatization-canada_n_1670755.html

Privatized Prisons and Prison Labor IS Slavery
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vrw-qeGSAYc

Judge Jim Gray on The Six Groups Who Benefit From Drug Prohibition
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b6t1EM4Onao#!

Always - always - just follow the money!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Gustav Hotch
Don't worry...be happy !
48 Fans
03:29 PM on 03/18/2013
Less education you get more chances to end up in prison
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Rickerando
27 Fans
04:06 PM on 03/16/2013
education.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hal Wood
30 Fans
03:06 PM on 03/16/2013
The main problem is excusing Indians for their crimes. A lot of cops look the other way at Indian crime because they see the low punishment rates and it becomes a waste of time . There is no reason why Indian who abuse their familes or commit criminal acts need to be coddled. If what people are saying about high crime rates by Indians , that Indians shouldn't be punished is a solution. , then close all prisons for everyone because white , black etc have all had rough lifes. Babysitting Indians has not worked,make them take responsibility for their crimes.
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Serendipity Zen
152 Fans
06:15 PM on 03/16/2013
You are paying $113,000 per year per indian to keep them in prison. If there is a cheaper way to correct their behavior why would you reject it?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hal Wood
30 Fans
11:11 PM on 03/16/2013
I was saying that if Indians are given a free pass just because they are Indian, that is excusing crime according to race . Most criminals have reasons for being criminal, so why not look at it all, as a whole. Free passes to violent Indians ,is just punishing the rest of Canada.
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charley0008
89 Fans
07:24 PM on 03/16/2013
"The main problem is excusing Indians for their crimes." I take it that you are talking about the cultural consideration given to First Nations on issues effecting mental health within the courts.
But it would appear that you have no idea why the high court spoke out do you? Contrary to your scenerio above, First Nations were being singled out for arrest to fill the old quotas that used to exist because they were an easy target. First Nations within the courts were ten times more likely to be given prison sentences over the same offence by a caucasion offender, in a particular aboriginal women. Racism toward First Nations as you demonstrate has been a long and ugly Canadian past time with those practioners always finding an excuse for their hatred toward First Nations.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hal Wood
30 Fans
11:15 PM on 03/16/2013
It sounds like you are finding an excuse to exercise your hate of Canadians in the usual passive -aggresive Indian way. You cannot whine and cry about the lack of police on reserves to stop Indian crime and then complain that too many Indians are being arrested.
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Liz Wilson 2
“a small group can change the world
321 Fans
12:47 PM on 03/16/2013
Prison used to be symptom management. The prison guards that protested outside of Harper's office in Calgary earlier this year (before the ban on demonstrations) tried to impress on the government that the new slate of people sent into prison are gang members and prison serves are very different role for them and this is making prisons extremely dangerous.

If we were serious about reducing crime in Canada we would address the problem differently. At this point its like we have a leak in the dam and the solution is a couple of bailing buckets in the lake forming at the base of the hill. .
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huffing and puffing2
28 Fans
10:52 AM on 03/16/2013
i just had a thought, instead of sending people to prison, if we created a university for criminals and forced them to finish high school and get a degree and atleast excel at a 75% passing grade and over, i bet you we would get more of them off the street.most people[not that i am an expert] probably find themselves involved in all kind of things more out of need and dillusionment,than a wreckless streak.
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Whitey McWhite
58 Fans
12:10 PM on 03/16/2013
The fact is most judges in canada are reasonable. They will give people oppertunities to correct their mistakes without jail time however the problem is native people are far less likely to go through with those opportunities. The reason why they end up in jail isn't because they break the law at ten times the rate of everyone else it's that they are far less likely to do community service, goto treatment programs and other non lockup punishments. It's a very complex issue and a lot of it has to do with the sky high levels of substance abuse which cascade into all sorts of other problems. It isn't however the result of judges saying ohhh I hate native people and therefore I am going to give you more time than a white person for the same crime.
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huffing and puffing2
28 Fans
05:08 PM on 03/16/2013
i do agree with you that most judges probably understand. i think the programs put in place probably have to adapt not just to natives but perhaps to a segment of the population that have not always been given the best opportunities from birth. not only genes are passed from our parents, often their coping mechanisms too! sweat lodges have made a difference and healing circles also.may the healing continue!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Robert C Lawson
justice & human rights for all
44 Fans
09:23 AM on 03/16/2013
Yes it is a sad reflection on our country that this is so, One area that seems to be always overlooked is how certain orginised crime groups have selected "reserves" and natives[preferably as children] for exploitation!The native child is often seen by these creatures as "not worth it" and as such can and are being used and abused at a much larger rate than in the general population,often the "chiefs" of these reserves condone and participate[some knowingly,some not] in this exploitation and abuse.What are called "stand over tactics" are a common occurance on many reserves, and the bread winner is selected and attacked/set up! so the family can then be exploited,..food for some serious thought people I should think/hope?,..lets not just look at the usual, often created! "excusers" and get at the reailities as that is where the real solutions often lie,, Go ask Justice Canada about crime rates,gangs and recidivism on reserves and ask the experienced! officers what they are really seeing in action,, it may surprise you, then again, maybe not?,..
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Open blogger
0 Fans
09:04 AM on 03/16/2013
I've read some interesting arguments for both sides on this blog, but IMO, the onus is on the federal government. First and foremost, there ought to be a proper monitoring system that'd ensure funds allocated for the development of first nations are properly managed, and corruption at all levels dealt with. This would ensure the development of better social programs to reduce poverty in these communities, and also that the younger generation get educated. Education is the key as it'd open the minds of the younger generation to what possibilities there are beyond their communities, and also help them acquire skills for jobs.
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Lucille MacPherson
1 Fans
07:27 PM on 03/15/2013
I once volunteered at a Remand Centre teaching inmates to read. Many of the people there were Aboriginals who had not been able to acquire an education..one reason was that the family at home could not help. Living on the reserve is a dead end because you can't make a living, hunting and fishing there anymore.You come to the city...but..
Can you imagine your life in the city, if you can't read menus,street signs, apply for a driver's licence or get help finding a job ?

Whites ostracize you so you look for those like yourself. Food money comes when you either steal it or sell drugs.
Our government does throw millions of dollars AT the Reserves , but there is no accounting for the way it is spent.. We spend millions more housing prisoners. Should we whites be looking in the mirror when we ask " why so many natives are in prison ? '
I once started to work in a Fed. Gov't office administering to Natives in Alberta. I went home and told my son about the millions of dollars being spent on native people.
At that time , I felt that it would make more sense if each native was given a huge one time payout and let him be responsible for himself. My son said , ' yes mom but then all you white folks would be out of a job '
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Billk29
Justified Ancient of Mu
176 Fans
04:55 AM on 03/16/2013
So how do you make people be successful in life by our standards when they don't seem to want to and then just look at us and say 'you don't understand'?
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Fern Dawg
33 Fans
11:58 AM on 03/16/2013
That's not very nice, you are generalizing and that makes you sound intolerant.
Our aboriginal people have been treated poorly for a very long time some a beaten down so much they give up. YOU don't understand B29.

your keywords "they don't seem to want to"
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humanrightssolidarity
53 Fans
07:05 PM on 03/17/2013
Right that is the problem those lazy native just don't want to live up to our high standard.. it has nothing to do with the effects of the residential schools that completely destroyed the native community as a whole.
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olssy
26 Fans
03:04 PM on 03/15/2013
On a more positive note, 0% of insider traders were aboriginal. Poverty has more to do with the reason a population is over represented in the prisoner population than anything else.
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Whitey McWhite
58 Fans
12:12 PM on 03/16/2013
Another key one is drug addiction, both in the native population and in the population in general. There needs to be many more dollars put into treatment because if not people will offend again and again to feed habits and as a result of their deranged behavior under the influence.
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JrTokin
50 Fans
01:10 PM on 03/16/2013
"On a more positive note, 0% of insider traders were aboriginal."
lol, well said too olssy!

I've noticed there's a big drive for criminals to do "work detention" (such as CorCan prison-orientated "government office furniture making" for ALL levels of government AND private industry, and "telemarketers" )... could it be Harper's crime-bills are just creating a world of slave labor and that's where a lot of our jobs are going?
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bumbaclaude
King Harpo
82 Fans
02:12 PM on 03/15/2013
Harpo/Flanagan Calgary school in action.

While in prison they are not included in statistics (poverty, unemployment....)
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Anne Nonny-Mouse
13 Fans
01:42 PM on 03/15/2013
If you commit the crime, then you've made your choice.
I don't care who you are.
I don't care where you are from.
Your ancestors didn't do it. The Government didn't do it.
You did.
Any color, any creed, and any race. Crime is crime.
Own up for once.
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kfergi
17 Fans
03:05 PM on 03/15/2013
Taking responsibility for ones actions and not blaming others is something all of use should do more of.

Taxing tobacco so high that whites start buying native tobacco products. Enact mandatory minimum prison time for tobacco sellers. Don't criminalize the whites who bought the tobacco. The lawyers in Ottawa who passed these laws now have a non ending supply of natives to work in the prisons. It is a sweet deal for those who's lively hood depends on more and more criminals.
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Fern Dawg
33 Fans
12:07 PM on 03/16/2013
Tobacco is taxed because it kills. The 1 st Nations people should not be selling tobacco it's bad karma and I bet their Great Spirit wouldn't approve of commercial tobacco sales it has nothing to do with ceremonial tobacco. I don't think much of gambling but a least there's no health effects unless of course you lose your house and the self inflicted gunshot to your head kinda missed and now your'e in a coma being fed by a tube.
The 1st nations should be selling cannabis, grow good bud and we'll buy it. The feds can't come on your land to seize the plants but you will have to smuggle it out.You will get lots of support.
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huffing and puffing2
28 Fans
10:56 AM on 03/16/2013
yes you are right but not everyone starts at the same level stepping stone.and that too is a fact, and by no means am i trying to justify, but often depression does not create futuristic or self caring thoughts.
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LockeDemosthenes
6 Fans
02:39 PM on 03/26/2013
You are right, not everybody starts with the same advantages etc. everybody is dealt a different hand in life. That is reality. Sadly though, life is not fair. While we can't control the hand we are dealt in life, we CAN control how we play that hand. When you turn reasons for dysfunction into excuses for dysfunction you give away all accountability as well as any power to change. Keep doing that, keep enabling that limited way of thinking, and the cycle will continue instead of progressing towards something better.
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kfergi
17 Fans
01:00 PM on 03/15/2013
How about poverty,alcohol and prohibited drugs as a large factor in Native incarceration.
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Johnny LaRue
political correctness is just incorrect
56 Fans
06:31 AM on 03/16/2013
No
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Whitey McWhite
58 Fans
12:14 PM on 03/16/2013
Of course it is as it is the cause of most incarceration in general.
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bruce mcgoose
34 Fans
12:43 PM on 03/15/2013
I would feel a lot more hopeful about this situation, if I saw some real,tangible ownership of responsibility and willingness to take accountability. But it always boils down to blaming the racist Gov't., all the while denying the fact that they themselves had a hand in this mess as well.

We can't find a solution until we identify the problem. We have been stuck here for decades, time for all of us to look into the mirror, ask ourselves some tough questions, and fix this embarrassment.
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