Posts Tagged ‘Indigenous’
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Native patience runs thin four years after residential-school apology
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
Jun. 11 2012
… patience with discussions about poverty, housing, resource-sharing and education is wearing thin among first nations… the federal government is fighting in court to quash demands from first-norganizations to fund aboriginal child welfare at the same level as provincial governments. On education, demands that first-nations schooling be funded at the same level as provincial schools have been met with process – a task force… and promises for legislation down the road.
Tags: Indigenous, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Workfare can do for First Nations what it did for Mike Harris’ Ontario
Saturday, June 9th, 2012
Jun 7, 2012
Opponents claim workfare boosted the ranks of the working poor – people left welfare to find employment in low earning and insecure jobs. But even they do not dispute that welfare rolls fell by more than half a million people after 1995. The Harris government was indeed fortunate that the introduction of the policy coincided with the end of the recession. Nevertheless, it achieved its policy goal… The new policy stems from a 2009 evaluation of the government’s native income assistance program, which found a dependency ratio rate of 36% on reserve in 2005/6, compared to a national rate of 5.5%.
Tags: economy, ideology, Indigenous, poverty, rights
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Workfare for reserves: Tory plan ties benefits for aboriginals to job training
Friday, June 1st, 2012
Jun 1, 2012
The Harper government is planning a workfare program that would oblige young aboriginals on reserves to undertake job training in return for a welfare cheque. Ottawa wants to take young natives off welfare rolls before they become too used to receiving social assistance. The government already spends $400-million on a range of training programs but sources suggest new money will be earmarked to improve delivery of programs for natives on reserves… In the March budget, the Tories said they want to “better align on-reserve Income Assistance programs with provincial systems” in terms of compliance and program requirements.
Tags: Indigenous, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
An accountable act
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
May 05, 2012
Although this bill on its own won’t undo the damage of the Indian Act, it helps to address one of the fundamental problems on many native reserves today — a lack of accountability for taxpayers’ dollars spent… This legislation is meant to deal with the worst of the worst, so individual band members can ask their leaders where the money went when the water isn’t running, the heat isn’t turned on, or the school isn’t being built. It’s a direct way of empowering natives to question their leaders, without fear of reprisal.
Tags: Indigenous, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Aboriginal reconciliation: An open letter to Stephen Harper
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Apr. 30, 2012
Your apology and any actions you have undertaken since have only been the expedient motions demanded by tragedy, catastrophe or the public outing of your government’s callous indifference to the needs of Canada and her people. Because it’s not just aboriginal people you harm when you deign to disengage us from vehicles of healing. You harm Canada. You make the entire country less.
Tags: budget, ideology, Indigenous, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Taking on the Feds for Aboriginal Equality
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
20 Apr 2012
Ten years ago she led FNCFCS on a mission to work with the government of Canada to bring equality to all Aboriginal people. But after five years of government rejecting proposal after proposal for fair education, safe housing and clean drinking water on reserves, FNCFCS took them to court. On April 18, FNCFCS won their case in Federal Court, and will head back to the Canada Human Rights Tribunal for another hearing.
Tags: Indigenous, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Reserve kids underfunded, court decides
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
April 19, 2012
Under the Indian Act, the federal government is responsible for funding health, education, police services and child welfare on reserves, all of which fall under provincial jurisdiction off reserves… children on reserve receive 22 per cent less funding for services than those who live off reserve. That distinction was central to the government’s argument that comparing funding from two different levels of government was both “unreasonable” and nonsensical. In her decision, Mactavish said the tribunal “erred in failing to consider the significance of the government’s own adoption of provincial child-welfare standards in its programming and funding policies.”
Tags: Indigenous, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Harper’s disregard for aboriginal health
Saturday, April 14th, 2012
Apr. 09, 2012
The abysmal health status of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples is Canada’s greatest shame… There’s a disturbing pattern here. The government has also cut funding to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. And the First Nations and Inuit Health branch at Health Canada oversees what is without question the worst health system in Canada, making every effort to slough the responsibility off onto the provinces and territories… “The Conservatives want out of the aboriginal business.”
Tags: budget, Health, Indigenous, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | 1 Comment »
Rae argues retirement benefit cuts a massive hit to Canadians
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
April 3, 2012
The Budget cuts retirement benefits by raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65 to 67 years, forcing Canadians to postpone their retirement for two years. For low income seniors it’s even worse. They stand to lose up to $30,000 which could hike seniors’ poverty by up third. It’s a massive hit to the least-well off. It’s mean-spirited and it’s wrong. The Conservatives offered zero financial analysis to justify the cut because there is none…
Tags: budget, ideology, Indigenous, pensions, poverty
Posted in Social Security Debates | 6 Comments »
Health Canada should not have closed National Aboriginal Health Organization
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Apr. 09, 2012
… NAHO has played a crucial role in advancing research on aboriginal health, collecting and analyzing data, and leading community initiatives, such as programs to help people quit smoking, prevent suicide and avoid teen pregnancy… Aboriginals face unique challenges that seriously impact their health… The closure of NAHO will… leave a gaping hole for those who are most in need.
Tags: budget, Health, Indigenous, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
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