As important an event as action start Steven Seagals visit to Kahnawake and Akwesasne was this past week, its time to get our collective head on straight again to better face more pressing issues of the day. This following statement was issued by Arthur Manuel of BC regarding Indian Affairsminister Valcourts comments about his government not going back to square one on the education bill: Valcourt: Colonial Dictator Education is a fundamental human right but Canada once again plays colonial dictator over Indigenous education. I suppose all Indigenous peoples remember when they first learn when we were Discovered. The essence of Canadian education of Indigenous children is to basically prove that we should be grateful the settler Discovered Canada and have been taking care us ever since. I seen the glow in the eyes of young children slowly disappear as they slowly experience the colonial doctrines of discovery and how it justifies the disparity between the local settler towns and our Indian Reserves. The high handed way that Valcourt is saying he is acting in the best interest of my grandchildren is a total outright lie. Colonialism in Canada emanated from the British North America Act 1867. Under the BNA Act 1867 England gave all law making power over our Aboriginal and Treaty territories to the federal government under section 91 and provincial governments under section 92. This British Act was Canada’s first constitution and dispossessed us of our land as Indigenous Peoples. Canada and the provinces continue to use this as the basis of decision making in Canada. If you add up all the Indian Reserves in Canada we have 0.2% of the land. This means that Canada and the provinces have 99.8% of our Aboriginal and Treaty lands. That is why Canada gets us to beg for basic education funding plus the $1.9 million dollar increase in education funds. They use our systemically imposed poverty to influence our weak minded leaders and chiefs to agree to their colonial high handed attitudes. Systemic imposed poverty means if you consider the land distribution between Canada and the provinces having 99.8% and us as having only 0.2%, as a loony. Then you can see who will be rich and who will be poor. That means every dollar of revenue raised from our Aboriginal and Treaty lands Canada and the provinces get 99.8% of the dollar and we get 0.2% of the dollar. That is why we are poor. You do not need Albert Einstein to tell you this or some expensive white consultant. [Just a side note some of our leaders actually think by making the remaining 0.2% fee simple land we can reverse our poverty, That is nuts. It will actually erode away the last of the land we have under some kind of Indigenous Peoples control.] Colonialism in Canada is basically dispossession, dependency and oppression. When Canada dispossessed us of our Aboriginal and Treaty Territories they made us dependent on them. That is why Valcourt can brag that he has the power to decide education for our children despite the fact he is not Indigenous. He is a colonial dictator. He does not believe in human rights but in Canadian colonial rule over Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous leaders and especially the chiefs have to quit cooperating and playing into the hands of Harper, Valcourt and especially the Department of Indian Affairs. Grow up, they want to terminate us as Indigenous Peoples. Valcourt actually brags about the dependency under which he has had the Assembly of First Nations for the last 10 years. He says we were rebuilding our relationship. That is a real lie. The Assembly of First Nations decisively rejected the Valcourt Indian Education Act. Canada may argue they have the colonial right to make legislation over us as Indigenous Peoples in the area of education but Indigenous Peoples on the other hand have the international right to self-determination because we are an oppressed peoples. Our systemic impoverishment is evidence of that. When Canada’s Constitution was patriated in 1982, the federal and provincial governments had to recognize and affirm Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. This especially includes such fundamental cultural rights as education of Indigenous children. How can Canada and the provinces even suggest that they can teach our children our languages and our culture. That is what Valcourt is saying and that is not true. He can divide and rule the chiefs at the AFN. Trying to use the chiefs who want to hold hands with him against those who want real independence and freedom from Canada’s colonial rule. Indigenous peoples need to make a choice. BC and the Maritimes chiefs at the AFN meeting wanted to amend the Valcourt Indian Education Act. I think that is wrong. I believe in full rejection of the Valcourt Indian Education Act. I believe in independence and freedom of Indigenous Peoples. Not ongoing federal and provincial colonial rule. Arthur (Manuel)
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 02:18:13 +0000
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