Obfuscated Thoughtlessness Inversed

Aboriginal people are younger on average, their unemployment rates are higher and incomes lower; they are more likely to live in crowded conditions; they have higher residential mobility; and children are more likely to be members of a lone-parent family. They also have a lower level of education. - Statistics Canada

Today, the Assembly of First Nations announced that they will be filing a Human Rights Complaint against systemically discriminatory underfunding in Canadian indigenous child welfare; unless this funding imbalance is immediately corrected.

Canada is still apprehending children from their parents at an astounding rate. One in ten first children are in foster care. This compares to one in two hundred amongst the non-indigenous population of Canadian children. Our country's genocidal policies of generational theft have not been stopped. Thinking Canadians should take this opportunity to stand up to this on-going racism. The devastating consequences of chronic underfunding and an over-focus on apprehension will have repercussions for our collective future.

According to CBC, the Assembly says that, First Nations children serving agencies, are funded 22% less than those that deal with non-aboriginal children. The Assembly calculates that equalizing funding would only take $107 million.

The long-term consequences of a failure to act now, are far more than the $3.27 per Canadian that correcting this potentially genocidal and obviously systemic discrimination would cost.

"It's not because we have a Conservative government in power that has caused us to take this action. This has been building up over a number of years and successive governments," said Phil Fontaine, who has often been criticized as a closet federal Liberal. Mr. Fontaine was forced to deflect accusations that the timing of this announcement could have political overtones.

This criticism can easily be assuaged by pointing out that, a human rights complaint:

• will not be resolved within the electoral time-lines,
  
• is before a commission that can not force the government to act even if they find systemic discrimination, and
• is a political issue and only the election of a government the likes of which we have never seen in this country, will result in justice for first peoples, young and old.

Overall, the proportion of Aboriginal people among provincial/territorial sentenced custody admissions has remained stable at 21% since 2001/02. The proportion of Aboriginal people among sentenced admissions to federal facilities also remained stable at 18%. - Statistics Canada

Justice must be achieved now! Not against one youngster who steals... we must do justice as a country, even though Canada has never before shown it feels.

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