Conference kaosws::canada

    Neil,
    
    	Okay I'll bite ...are you inuit ?
    
    	North American Indians need to be given a wake-up call.
    If any other group acted the way they do, the military would be
    brough in and charges would be laid. No excuses no appologies.
    
    	I do understand that natives peoples have been given a raw deal
    over the years and that the government has been dragging it's feet
    over outstanding land claims.....
    
    	.....however.....
    
    Indians can not agree among themselves about who should speak for them,
    who can make deals for them, and what lands are in question.
    
    IMO natives should be given a choice.
     
    Live with and like the rest of Canada without any different priviledges.
    
    			or
    
    Live on an expanded self governing reserve system, paying no taxes to
    the federal government and sharing none of our services.
    ex) welfare, medical care, police, fire dept, education etc...
    
    
    Brian V
     
                                                                       

    >> Okay I'll bite ...are you inuit ? <<
    
    No, my ancestors came from Europe, but everything I wrote in the base
    note is true.  I just worded it that way to point out that I can use
    the same arguments as the Indians.

    OK... let's think ...you are not Inuit, your ancestors came frome
    Europe before there was any Indian around, ... 
    I get it: you are a buffalo, a moose or a bear !?

    
    Uh, Canada has only existed since 1867, so this isn't exactly 
    a major puzzle....he said before CANADA existed....considering the 
    Maratimes were heavily settled by then.
    
    Then again, it might be Cro-Magnon, or even older, like Cro-Marketing.
    
    
    
     
     

    My ancestors were here before confederation too and they had to swear
    an oath to the King and sign a 'treaty' of sorts in order to be granted
    a homestead. Over time we've voluntarily split up and sold off various
    bits and peices for financial gain but a singificant number of my
    aunts uncles and cousins still live on parts of the original homestead.
    Only recently has the government started to exproriate some of what's left 
    and even then the current owner gets something approaching fair market
    value in compensation. 
     

    yah and my ancestors have had their property taken by Germany, and
    before that we were overrun by Rome and before that....
    
    
    Brian V
    

    Update...
    
    The policeman was convicted of shooting Dudley George at Camp
    Ipperwash...
    
    
    Sidenotes.
    
    The natives got screwed in the past. Although the federal government
    drags its heals on Native land claims, this by no means gives way to
    violence. I have heard talk before about a so called 'Native uprising',
    if this happens, the natives will lose, and lose badly. Political
    pressure is the way to go, it may not be your government, but it is the
    only way to a solution.
    
    Also, Keith you talk if it is presently our (Canadian White person?) fault 
    on how the natives were treated in the past. Your comment of
    "Congratualtions.." is really a stupid remark. We had no input into the
    past. We were born into this country as you were, and because of
    different ancestors, you take it as a personal cause. Your beef is with
    the federal government not me, I owe you nothing but respect, as I
    would give anyone else in this country. I am proud of this country, 
    not its past. I am Canadian first, then Irish. I see no difference
    between yourself and me, both of us working the same job, needing
    basically money and to survive in these crazy times. Should I see a 
    difference because you are native? Do you see a difference because I am
    Irish? So when attacking ignorant comments, make sure you know 
    what and who your beef is with. Sometimes these debates spill over
    to as if the debators were directly responsible for the actions of
    others and this is wrong.
    
    Sean
    
    
           
    
    

    Sean:
    
    	True my beef is with the government. 
    And you may feel my note of "congradulations" is stupid.
    Is it? 
    I used it in reference to the opening statement. Not as an attack on
    all people.  I just read the opening again and it still bugs me.
     
    You talk about non violence and political pressure.  How is that
    attained with such a small percentage of the canadian population?
    You say that present day Canadians had no input into how the natives
    were treated, and that it is not your fault.  Have you every done
    anything to try and rectify the problems of the past?
    Have you maybe ever written a letter to the
    government? or signed a petition? or maybe even sat in on a peaceful
    attempt of political pressure?  Or do people just hope this will go
    away?
    
    	I will say this.
    The government in place now has done good things for this country
    (just for a second,  don't divide the gov't or counrty up by race)
    
    Just imagine if the government that is in place now, was'nt.
    Maybe we'd all live in t-pee's and live off the land.
    Technologically behind the rest of the world.
    Maybe we could even be divided up into 50 more United States.
    
    I know the natives will never be able to restore what they once had.
    It just won't happen.  I'm just saying that there are some terrible
    wrong things with the government and it's treatment of natives, and the
    attitudes some people have toward them.
    
    You have to watch more than the stand offs on the news to understand
    the "big picture" In the last 6 years thats all people have seen and
    learned about the indians. 
    
    I would nullify all my status treaty rights just for fair treatment.
    
    keith