Megan Markle

[stewart]

Should they head out into the redneck regions then they will be treated just as Canadians treat any foreigners, with disdain and contempt.

That's not how I have found them, they tend to be very friendly and welcoming.

 

[averageguy54]

Alberta.

Having spent some time in Alberta, actually Wetaskiwin which is only an hour or so from the Hobema Indian Reserve I would tend to agree that, at least some, of them are articulate, well educated smart lads. You do need to know that the Hobema Reserve is a lot better off than most, because they have royalties coming in from oil wells on their land and had chiefs with the foresight to channel that wealth into programs and infrastructure to benefit all reserve members. This reserve would be the exception to the rule, although there may also be a few others in Alberta with similar circumstances. But even with that said they have their issues as well. Imagine sitting in your car on Main St, or the High St as you call it, and a `middle aged Indian woman staggers down the street intoxicated, leans on your fender,drops her drawers and has a p*ss in broad daylight. She doesn't even bother to look and see if anyone is in the car. Then she gets up and heads into the liquor store for a refill.
The "white settlers" didn't "nick their land". Yes we settled it but all the treaties were signed by Queen Victoria.We were not an independent country at the time, so you don't blame us for that mess. We are just the ones who have to clean it up for you.This has cost us hundreds of millions of dollars and we're still cleaning. they settled for treaties rather than face annilation at the hands of the British armies, so these treaties could actually be perceived as peace treaties. It's also an argument that has really worn itself out with Canadians, it no longer creates front page news. Funny though, for all the righteous posturing about discriminated rights and claims, how a few million dollars seems to make everything better. . Each and every reserve receives "Treaty money" from the Federal government, which was to help them get re-established as a society and live within the confines of the treaty. This money shows up at the end of each month. It is deposited in the band bank account for distribution by the Chief and Council. In the native tribal system the Chief is responsible to make sure that all members of the tribe are looked after, much how like Socialism is supposed to work. Most Chiefs are currently taking a salary on the high side of $200,000 per annum and Councillors are looking in the $100,000 range. Conveniently most Councillors are friends of the Chief. This comes off the top. the rest is doled out "as the Chief see's fit". Now if you go and look at some of these reserves you will notice a wide range of disparity in housing, from homes worthy of any high end suburb to buildings so decrepid that even rodents won't live in them, and everything in between. Want to take a guess which house is the Chief's?
Every year these Chiefs are in front of the Feds looking for more houses to be built on the government's dime to replace condemned housing that the government built 20 years ago to replace condemned housing built 20 years before that. It is the Chief's responsibility to maintain the housing.
Every reserve has massive problems with drug and alcohol abuse, and once again the Chief's are at the table looking for federal handouts to solve the problem. However, what are they doing about it on their own, after all, as the Chief they can ban these substances from the reserve, they do have the authority to do so. They also have the authority to deal with anyone who contravenes that decision, but do they? No, so I think you have to ask yourself why, if they are so concerned with the well being of their people.If the people in the tribe were not happy with how their Chief is looking after them they are able to change Chiefs when they come up for re-election, but it seldom happens, so why not? I will admit that I seem to recall 1 reserve banning alcohol and drugs some time ago when they got a new FEMALE Chief and things were starting to get turned around there(Manitoba, I think).
These reserves do have a lot of problems but sitting around getting drunk and stoned is not going to solve them. Sitting around blaming "white settlers" for their problems is going to solve them. Sitting around blaming residential schools and the Church isn't going to solve them. Sitting around doing nothing is not going to fix your future and neither is sitting around blaming someone else for your problems. Any society that spends all its time looking at the past has no future.

 

[averageguy54]

That's not how I have found them, they tend to be very friendly and welcoming.

I have to agree with stewart. Having been to most of the provinces the only place I found the type of problem Scribus claims was in urban areas of Quebec and as soon as they thought I could understand what they were saying in French, they immediately switched to English and were polite and accomodating.
I know that in my area, which is rural, whenever we get someone in that starts "putting on airs" and appears to be "looking down his nose" at us, we can and will readily return the favour.
Nothing wrong with a big ole V8 hemi, they're lots of fun, but I guess if you've never had one you wouldn't really understand. They can also do lots of work. When I was in BC I watched a V8 440 hemi 4WD tow a Steiger tractor hooked to 50' of chisel plow hooked to 50' of disc harrow and 50' of seeder off a muskeg hole. Impressive!

 

[stewart]

Having spent some time in Alberta, actually Wetaskiwin which is only an hour or so from the Hobema Indian Reserve I would tend to agree that, at least some, of them are articulate, well educated smart lads. You do need to know that the Hobema Reserve is a lot better off than most, because they have royalties coming in from oil wells on their land and had chiefs with the foresight to channel that wealth into programs and infrastructure to benefit all reserve members. This reserve would be the exception to the rule, although there may also be a few others in Alberta with similar circumstances. But even with that said they have their issues as well. Imagine sitting in your car on Main St, or the High St as you call it, and a `middle aged Indian woman staggers down the street intoxicated, leans on your fender,drops her drawers and has a p*ss in broad daylight. She doesn't even bother to look and see if anyone is in the car. Then she gets up and heads into the liquor store for a refill.
The "white settlers" didn't "nick their land". Yes we settled it but all the treaties were signed by Queen Victoria.We were not an independent country at the time, so you don't blame us for that mess. We are just the ones who have to clean it up for you.This has cost us hundreds of millions of dollars and we're still cleaning. they settled for treaties rather than face annilation at the hands of the British armies, so these treaties could actually be perceived as peace treaties. It's also an argument that has really worn itself out with Canadians, it no longer creates front page news. Funny though, for all the righteous posturing about discriminated rights and claims, how a few million dollars seems to make everything better. . Each and every reserve receives "Treaty money" from the Federal government, which was to help them get re-established as a society and live within the confines of the treaty. This money shows up at the end of each month. It is deposited in the band bank account for distribution by the Chief and Council. In the native tribal system the Chief is responsible to make sure that all members of the tribe are looked after, much how like Socialism is supposed to work. Most Chiefs are currently taking a salary on the high side of $200,000 per annum and Councillors are looking in the $100,000 range. Conveniently most Councillors are friends of the Chief. This comes off the top. the rest is doled out "as the Chief see's fit". Now if you go and look at some of these reserves you will notice a wide range of disparity in housing, from homes worthy of any high end suburb to buildings so decrepid that even rodents won't live in them, and everything in between. Want to take a guess which house is the Chief's?
Every year these Chiefs are in front of the Feds looking for more houses to be built on the government's dime to replace condemned housing that the government built 20 years ago to replace condemned housing built 20 years before that. It is the Chief's responsibility to maintain the housing.
Every reserve has massive problems with drug and alcohol abuse, and once again the Chief's are at the table looking for federal handouts to solve the problem. However, what are they doing about it on their own, after all, as the Chief they can ban these substances from the reserve, they do have the authority to do so. They also have the authority to deal with anyone who contravenes that decision, but do they? No, so I think you have to ask yourself why, if they are so concerned with the well being of their people.If the people in the tribe were not happy with how their Chief is looking after them they are able to change Chiefs when they come up for re-election, but it seldom happens, so why not? I will admit that I seem to recall 1 reserve banning alcohol and drugs some time ago when they got a new FEMALE Chief and things were starting to get turned around there(Manitoba, I think).
These reserves do have a lot of problems but sitting around getting drunk and stoned is not going to solve them. Sitting around blaming "white settlers" for their problems is going to solve them. Sitting around blaming residential schools and the Church is going to solve them. Sitting around doing nothing is not going to fix your future and neither is sitting around blaming someone else for your problems. Any society that spends all its time looking at the past has no future.

Interesting comments, particularly around treaty money being distributed. Same thing happens here, some do it better than others.
It is not only the indigenous population that have issues, reading your comment about the Indian woman pissing in the street reminded me on driving through Congelton last year, a young lady ( I use both terms loosely), she was white anglo saxon, dropped her trousers on the pavement outside a few shops, had a pee and then stood up with the full map of Tasmania on show, before pulling up her pants and carrying on her way.

 

[stewart]

I have to agree with stewart. Having been to most of the provinces the only place I found the type of problem Scribus claims was in urban areas of Quebec and as soon as they thought I could understand what they were saying in French, they immediately switched to English and were polite and accomodating.
I know that in my area, which is rural, whenever we get someone in that starts "putting on airs" and appears to be "looking down his nose" at us, we can and will readily return the favour.
Nothing wrong with a big ole V8 hemi, they're lots of fun, but I guess if you've never had one you wouldn't really understand. They can also do lots of work. When I was in BC I watched a V8 440 hemi 4WD tow a Steiger tractor hooked to 50' of chisel plow hooked to 50' of disc harrow and 50' of seeder off a muskeg hole. Impressive!

The problems that Scibus describes are possibly due to being in an urban area, the same could be said for many urban areas around the world.
I agree nothing wrong with a V8. My car has one, the Ute has one as does the boat, you cannot beat the power they have and the noise they make.

 

[averageguy54]

The problems that Scibus describes are possibly due to being in an urban area, the same could be said for many urban areas around the world.
I agree nothing wrong with a V8. My car has one, the Ute has one as does the boat, you cannot beat the power they have and the noise they make.

You could be right. Back in the 70's we had a Prime Minister that gave oil-rich Alberta a good screwing over with his National Energy policy and Albertans, in general are highly suspicious of the motivations and ambitions of newcomers.

 

[Bald Rick]

Margaret Trudeau had a strong following.

She was also in the habit of “forgetting” to put on her knickers ...

 

[averageguy54]

She was also in the habit of “forgetting” to put on her knickers ...

God love her.

 

[Hilly]

And the first thing to happen in Canada is get paped get into legal battle funny how they leave his brother alone lol

 

[Henarar]

And the first thing to happen in Canada is get paped get into legal battle funny how they leave his brother alone lol

Yep, only remarked to Clare last night when the news was on that you don't seem to hear much about William and Kate, spose they just get on with the job

 

[Still Farming]

Kate in Cardiff today apparently.

 

[Hilly]

Yep, only remarked to Clare last night when the news was on that you don't seem to hear much about William and Kate, spose they just get on with the job

Harry like his mother always moaning about them but always attracting attention ...

 

[Bald Rick]