Things on the Attawapiskat file got even more interesting yesterday with leaks of the independent audit of the band’s finances – the full report going online later in the day on the Aboriginal Affairs website. The gist – there was almost no due diligence with spending on the reserve, little to no documentation, and no way to tell if any of the money has been spent effectively. And remember that Spence’s partner is the band’s co-manager, whose job it is to handle the money. Spence has also known the audit’s results since August 28th, and has refused to comment to the audit firm about it. While it was due to be released no later than the middle of next week, the PM’s spokesperson denied that it had been withheld deliberately. And Spence? Shut out the media from her Victoria Island campsite while her spokesperson said that the audit was wrong and wondered about the timing of the release. Paul Wells notes that of all the leaders, past prime ministers and would-be leaders who’ve visited Spence, Thomas Mulcair was conspicuously absent, which may have turned out to be a prudent thing. Jonathan Kay parses the lessons inherent in that year-old CBC report on Attawapiskat, and applies them to the current situation. John Ivison looks at the audit, and the context of Theresa Spence’s ever-changing goal posts, while Andrew Coyne looks at the tensions in the Aboriginal community between those looking to modernise with incremental advancements the way the current government is proceeding with, and those who consider those advancements “genocide.”
Tag Archives: First Nations
Roundup: The continued protests
Despite the meeting arranged with Stephen Harper, Idle No More protests continued across the weekend, including at border crossings. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin met with Chief Theresa Spence on Saturday and said that she’s an inspiration for many. Spence is continuing her hunger strike until she’s sure that “concrete action” will be taken, which seems to be yet another case of goalposts being moved, each one fuzzier than the last. While APTN checks the math that SunTV did on Attawapiskat’s finances and comes to a few different conclusions, a year-old CBC report from the community reappeared over the Twitter Machine yesterday which shows that there are some serious governance problems on the reserve.
As the Parliamentary Budget Officer turns his gaze to the contract for joint support ships that the Royal Canadian Navy has been planning on building for years now, it looks like that particular process is its own mess, but in a reverse fashion from the F-35s, where the civilian side is taking too much control and there seems to be little regard for what the military’s needs are, while the focus remains solely on costs.
Roundup: Harper sets his own terms
In a somewhat surprising move, Stephen Harper agreed to a meeting with Aboriginal leaders next week – but it’s not exactly on the terms that Chief Theresa Spence demanded. Harper set the date for the 11th, while the AFN had proposed the 24th and Spence wanted one within 72 hours. Spence also wanted the Governor General in attendance – never mind that it’s not his role – but it doesn’t appear that he’ll be there. And Harper will let the AFN determine the agenda of the “working meeting.” Spence says she’ll attend, but will continue her hunger strike until then regardless. Grand Chief Atleo, however, appears to have his own problems as First Nations leaders are questioning his role and his legitimacy through these kinds of negotiations. From the other side of the debate comes a look at how the government has been taking pragmatic and incremental approaches to changes to First Nations issues that hope to bring greater economic opportunity, but they are measures being protested currently. Here is yet another reminder why, under Responsible Government, it’s inappropriate for Spence and company to call for the Governor General to join these meetings. And Maclean’s rounds up a dozen different opinions on the Idle No More protests, while also putting together an interactive map of where those protests happen.
Roundup: Moving the goal posts
Today in Idle No More news, hunger strike veteran Elizabeth May counsels Chief Theresa Spence to meet with everyone – especially Conservatives, whom she has been rebuffing to date. May also suggests there be a go-between that can meet with Spence and the PM, but Spence’s people rule that out. Spence’s people have also declared that she is no longer giving interviews, nor will she drop the demand that the Governor General be included in the meeting, even though he has stated his desire to stay out of the politics of the situation (as is proper under the rules of Responsible Government). AFN Grand Chief Shawn Atleo has called for a First Nations meeting on the 24th and has invited the PM and the GG to attend, and that could be a compromise that allows both sides to save face – err, except that Spence says that the 24th is too late, and that she intends to fast until the meeting happens (which, it should be noted, appears to be a case of goal posts being moved). And moving the goalposts even more, Spence apparently now demands that the PM and GG meet with aboriginal leaders within 72 hours or there will be “mass demonstrations” around the country – which doesn’t exactly sound either feasible (materials need to be prepared, schedules cleared and leaders assembled), and like a fairly top-down directive from what is supposed to be a grassroots movement.
In related news, Senator Brazeau says he’s getting death threats for his position on the Idle No More protests. Jon Kay looks back at the history of the Attawapiskat treaty, which is a pretty fascinating read (even if you don’t have to agree with his conclusions). Also, despite some of the torque in this piece, there are some pretty interesting questions being raised about the finances of Attawapiskat, where money does seem to be flowing through the reserve despite the third-world conditions there.
Roundup: Beware the simplistic statements
Today in Idle No More, NDP MP Charlie Angus warns that the demonstrations could get a lot uglier if Harper doesn’t meet with Aboriginal leaders. Columnist John Ivison cautions against the simplistic statements being traded in the protest, as the issues are complex and some of the assertions being made are as disingenuous as they are inflammatory.
The Mint starts withdrawing the penny from circulation in a month’s time.
Environment Canada commissioned an Ipsos poll with some pretty loaded questions about things like carbon taxes, and then the government put out an equally torqued release based on the results.
Roundup: Leadership versus grassroots
So that #IdleNoMore protest is getting more interesting as internal divisions become evident. Chiefs are talking about making “breach of treaty” declarations and cross-country economic disruptions, while the founders of the movement are distancing themselves from the chiefs, as part of the protest is to get around the established power relationships and keep the movement at the grassroots level. These founders have even distanced themselves from Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, calling her hunger strike as being in support of the movement, but that the movement is about Aboriginal people and not the chiefs. Spence is trying to get said grassroots to unite with the chiefs rather than shame them for past mistakes, and says that the chiefs are ready to “humble themselves.” But the founders point out that the movement is about the people taking the lead, and not the established leadership. (And if you’re still not sure what it’s all about Pamela Palmeter, who ran for the leadership of the AFN last year, breaks it down for you here).
Remember those reports of the new polymer dollar bills melting? The Bank of Canada insists that it’s not actually possible – but won’t release their internal data about it under the exemptions for national security and international relations. Also of note is that the number of complaints of mutilated bills declined sharply with the new polymer banknotes, for what it’s worth.
Roundup: Heading in a dangerous direction
Former Prime Minister Joe Clark met with Chief Theresa Spence on Saturday, and says that Canada and the First Nations are headed in a “dangerous direction,” and is calling for direct and honest dialogue. Spence then met with Liberal and NDP MPs and Senators on Sunday, who described her as “quite weak” but nevertheless determined. Meanwhile, here is a look at the persistent and unsolvable problems with the Attawapiskat reserve.
Roundup: Fobbing off responsibility onto the Speaker
Two former MPs and the former Commons law clerk are talking about bringing in some rules changes to empower the Speaker to bring more order to the Commons – and there we get into the decorum distraction yet again. The Speaker already has tremendous powers to expel members from the House, or to deny them the opportunity to speak if they misbehave, but they are rarely employed. Former Speaker Milliken didn’t want to expel anyone, lest they go running to the media in the Foyer and getting a bigger soapbox, or they could take off and travel or dine at House expense. His suggestion was penalties that would affect their privileges – such as docking their pay or expenses for the day, but he couldn’t get traction for that idea when he broached it previously. But whenever these discussions come up, there needs to be the awareness that the Speaker is just the referee and not omniscient – he or she can’t determine whether or not answers are deemed sufficient, or have a hand in committee business, or determine whether or not omnibus bills are out of order. For one, it puts too much power in one single individual, but for another, it further absolves MPs of their own responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately. They have tremendous powers to hold themselves and each other to account if they actually wanted to – but they don’t. Hell, it’s their job to hold government to account, and not the Speaker’s, so if the government makes huge omnibus bills, it’s the job of MPs from all sides to call the government out – not the Speaker’s. But no – they fob off the responsibility to someone else, preferably the Speaker, because he’s “neutral” and thus, more “authoritative,” never mind that it’s an intellectually and politically lazy construct. The NDP are great at this narrative right now, with Nathan Cullen holding press conferences vowing greater decorum and proposing all of these great powers to the Speaker to enforce it, and then half an hour later, during QP, his own caucus members are standing up and calling cabinet ministers names. Oh, but they’re just being funny, Cullen says, and if the Speaker doesn’t like that, then he can put an end to it. Sorry, no – if you want to preach decorum, then practice it. Meanwhile, let’s come up with more proposals to further treat MPs like a) children with no impulse control or b) drones whose only task is to recite speeches prepared for them by the leader’s office, and vote according to how said leader’s office demands. Because that’s the sign of a mature democracy.
Roundup: Late to the planning stages
Are we back? It feels like we’re back now.
Despite the fact that we should definitely be planning now for the 150th anniversary of Confederation celebrations that will happen in 2017, both the federal and many provincial governments remain rather mum on the subject, with the federal government barely giving handwavey signals that they are thinking about said anniversary, with things like the Museum of History announcement.
A report on the death of a Canadian soldier by Israeli forces was quietly removed from the DND website, a move that the soldier’s widow believes is a political move by the government meant to shield Israel from criticism.
As the US gets to work on its cyber-security issues, Canada will need to play a part given how integrated much of our infrastructure is.
Roundup: Page takes aim at the real problem of Parliament
iPolitics‘ Colin Horgan had a good talk with Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, who breaks down some of the key concerns that his office has – that the political executive is now steamrolling budgets through without due diligence and telling MPs to trust them and check their work afterwards, when the Public Accounts come out, because the process is so convoluted. And he’s right – it is broken, but not only because the executive has gamed the system, but because MPs have decided to abdicate their responsibility to scrutinise the estimates because they have other priorities, like their eleventieth Private Members’ Bill that won’t see the light of day, or scoring political points in the scandal of the day, or pet hobby projects that yes, they may care about and may be important, but ultimately at the cost of their actual job of scrutiny. Add to that how they’re using their staff to shepherd through passports and immigration files rather than assisting them in the actual analysis work. Yes, the system needs to be fixed, but I will caution that the changes need to come from the ground up. Voters need to demand that their MPs do their due diligence, and MPs need to take that job seriously and not fob it off onto the PBO, as they have been doing, often under the rubric that his numbers can be trusted because he’s non-partial. Meanwhile, there is insufficient pushback – especially from the government backbenchers, who aren’t supposed to just parrot mindless slogans – and we wind up with a situation like we have today. At least Page is talking about the actual problem and laying the blame where it needs to be laid, rather than just pouting about the current government being mean (as so many others are doing).