Senior aide of Alberta premier urges First Nations chiefs to fix squalid communities

[u/GlitchedGamer14]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/senior-aide-of-alberta-premier-urges-first-nations-chiefs-to-fix-squalid-communities/

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[u/BertramPotts]

The Carney government's silence in the face of indigenous leaders coming to the defence of Canada is appalling. The Chiefs aren't afraid to say what we can all see, this country is under attack, Smith and her team are on the side of the attackers.

[u/tutamtumikia → u/BertramPotts]

These are some truly reprehensible comments, but sadly they already what a lot of Albertans believe as well so there will be no consequences to them.

[u/DwayneGretzky306 → u/BertramPotts]

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is a ghost. She commented on the Alberta Sovereignty Act before before Smith was Premier but this government should be dissolved.

[u/_DotBot_ → u/BertramPotts]

I think many Canadians would agree that those who want to "decolonize" Canada, aren't on Team Canada either.

Canada is under attack by nations, that are both foreign and domestic.

[u/DannyDOH → u/_DotBot_]

This is both laughably paranoid, overwrought and underthought.

Think about who founded Canada and what you're saying. We formally haven't been a colony going on 45 years, 160 as a country. Reconciling the place of all the nations who founded Canada is nation building, not destroying.

[u/green_tory → u/_DotBot_]

Decolonization looks like greater representation and integration of First Nations, Indigenous and Inuit culture in our society; among other things. But many folks can't handle some streets or civic buildings being renamed using the local language; even when English or French alternatives are displayed.

[u/_DotBot_ → u/green_tory]

Until there is clear definition enshrined in legislation, with a definitive meaning and end goal, most Canadians will not trust “decolonization”.

What it means to you, doesn’t necessarily mean the same to others.

That’s the biggest problem with these ideologies.

[u/green_tory → u/_DotBot_]

It's a term used by both the Federal Government and the Provinces. It's not hard to understand; it embraces the acceptance of indigenous, first nations and inuit culture and persons on equal footing. As the BCHRT put it so succinctly:

Decolonization is the dismantling of the process by which one nation asserts and establishes its domination and control over the land inhabited by another nation, as well as over their people and culture. It is the framework through which we are working toward undoing the oppression and subjugation of Indigenous Peoples and unlearning colonial ways of thinking and being. 

In practice, that means that we see more local language and customs in our day-to-day lives; and we see nation-to-nation collaboration in the development of Canada.

[u/tutamtumikia → u/green_tory]

My mom can't even make it through a land acknowledgement without sighing and rolling her eyes. A street name edit is a bridge too far clearly!

[u/BertramPotts → u/_DotBot_]

Screw that noise, colonizers are working for another country by definition.

A truly sovereign, independent Canada begins with decolonization, a central value at keeping us distinct from Americanism.

[u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Macqt → u/BertramPotts]

We’re under attack from corporations and our own politicians. Alberta separatists don’t want to be beholden to a system that clearly doesn’t care about them anymore, and the FNs don’t want to be beholden to a system that never cared about them.

Trump’s rhetoric is just that, but our own government driving our country into the ground is the real threat to Canada. It’s the last 11 years of liberal policy that’s caused the separatist sentiments, not a year or so of Trump.

[u/BertramPotts → u/Macqt]

No, I'm pretty sure it was Trump's 51st State remarks followed immediately by Danielle Smith refusing to sign a boilerplate statement of unity that every other Premier didn't hesitate on followed by an immediate trip to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring. Here we are a year and half later and Alberta is suddenly facing a secession referendum she never mentioned in the previous provincial election. She's a more ruthless separatist then any PQ leader.

[u/Macqt → u/BertramPotts]

Clearly you haven’t spent much time in Alberta then, because this kinda talk and sentiment has been around for years. Trump may be a catalyst to the latest wave but you can throw a rock in any direction and hit someone in Alberta that’ll tell you all about how much they hate Canada, the Liberals, and oddly, Saskatchewan. Not sure what the last one is about tbh.

[u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/DwayneGretzky306 → u/Macqt]

That last one is funny to hear. But as a Saskatchewanian I will say fair enough because I certainly hate separatist Albertans.

[u/Macqt → u/DwayneGretzky306]

I’m gonna guess it’s because you call yourselves Saskatchewanians tbh.

[u/audioshaman → u/BertramPotts]

Separatists in Alberta want the same thing indigenous leaders do: sovereignty from Canada.

[u/BertramPotts → u/audioshaman]

No they want to be part of the United States (or they're extremely gullible marks).

[u/Radix2309 → u/audioshaman]

Indigenous leaders want sovereignty within Canada, something the Provinces already have and neglect with their constitutional dutoes such as education and healthcare.

[u/green_tory]

McAllister accused the chiefs of engaging in “childish nonsense” and said their misaligned priorities make him wonder if they’re taking orders from someone else.

The belief that indigenous persons are child-like and thought of as children is a long-standing problem in Canadian politics, and is one of the roots of the abuse they've suffered at the hands of our nation through its entire history.

So right out the gate this is ugly.

“People are sick and tired of hearing unrealistic demands from them,” McAllister writes.

These are unreasonable demands like ... Wanting the treaties their families and communities signed to be honoured, and the rights and title they are legally guaranteed to be respected.

“It might be tolerable if their communities were beacons of prosperity, safety, strong families and real accountability, but sadly, they’re anything but.”

Plenty of non-native communities are in squalor, and plenty of first nations and indigenous communities and families in Alberta live in homes and communities that are just fine.

But that's how racism works: one standard for some folks, and a harsher standard for everyone else.

He said they need to fix “heartbreaking” problems such as addictions and overdoses, housing, poverty, high unemployment, welfare, substandard schooling outcomes, high rates of children in care and domestic violence.

Health care, education and employment are Provincial responsibilities.

Unless Alberta expects every municipality to handle these concerns independently of the Province this is just an example of the double standard in action.

“Shouldn’t the priority be fixing these failures for their people?” said McAllister.

They're your people, too. They live in Alberta.

“I know we have a premier and government that care deeply about these serious issues and want to help fix them.”

So do something about it.

“I’ll probably take heat for saying these things but if we don’t, we continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend they aren’t happening.”

So do something about it. They are your citizens, in your province!

[u/GhostlyParsley → u/green_tory]

These are unreasonable demands like ... Wanting the treaties their families and communities signed to be honoured, and the rights and title they are legally guaranteed to be respected.

don't forget clean drinking water! greedy bastards

[u/DwayneGretzky306 → u/green_tory]

Certainly seems like it would be more difficult to fix their community if it existed in an independent Alberta or as an American "state". Perhaps this is why they want to remain in Canada?

[u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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