Manitoba grand chief challenges AFN

"As these institutions have become more politicized and more developed along bureaucratic lines, we've lost them," Nepinak said at the meeting Monday.

In a bold symbolic gesture, Nepinak threw his government-issued Indian status card into the trash ? a sign of what he said he wants to do for First Nations people.

"This Indian Act card is done with me and I'm done with it," Nepinak said, before he stood up and tossed his card into a garbage can.

Currently, Canada's First Nations people are governed by the federal Indian Act, which was created in 1876. Under the act, a status Indian has rights to health, education, and tax exemptions for which other Canadians don't qualify.

But Nepinak said he no longer wants anything to do with the legislation.

"Do something with that Indian card but distance yourself from it as much as you can," he said.

"We need to recreate treaty cards and put our faith back in one another again. I think that's how we deconstruct the Indian Act."

"martin14" said
Gee, does this mean he is also going to refuse the Rights to Education, Health and Tax breaks ?

Or is he going to declare war on us ?

"This is a period of scientific uncertainty around nutrition," said Mosby. "Vitamins and minerals had really only been discovered during the interwar period.
"In the 1940s, there were a lot of questions about what are human requirements for vitamins. Malnourished aboriginal people became viewed as possible means of testing these theories."

The first experiment began in 1942 on 300 Norway House Cree. Of that group, 125 were selected to receive vitamin supplements which were withheld from the rest.
At the time, researchers calculated the local people were living on less than 1,500 calories a day. Normal, healthy adults generally require at least 2,000.

"The research team was well aware that these vitamin supplements only addressed a small part of the problem," Mosby writes. "The experiment seems to have been driven, at least in part, by the nutrition experts' desire to test their theories on a ready-made 'laboratory' populated with already malnourished human experimental subjects."

The research spread. In 1947, plans were developed for research on about 1,000 hungry aboriginal children in six residential schools in Port Alberni, B.C., Kenora, Ont., Schubenacadie, N.S., and Lethbridge, Alta.

One school deliberately held milk rations for two years to less than half the recommended amount to get a 'baseline' reading for when the allowance was increased. At another, children were divided into one group that received vitamin, iron and iodine supplements and one that didn't.

One school depressed levels of vitamin B1 to create another baseline before levels were boosted. A special enriched flour that couldn't legally be sold elsewhere in Canada under food adulteration laws was used on children at another school.
And, so that all the results could be properly measured, one school was allowed none of those supplements.

Many dental services were withdrawn from participating schools during that time. Gum health was an important measuring tool for scientists and they didn't want treatments on children's teeth distorting results.

"raydan" said
And the Liberals were in power at that time, not the Conservatives... the shame.

"martin14" said
And the Liberals were in power at that time, not the Conservatives... the shame.

"Freakinoldguy" said
And the Liberals were in power at that time, not the Conservatives... the shame.

"Curtman" said
No, ratifying then cancelling the kelowna accord was. And ignoring the issue for most of the decade after.

Try to keep on topic..

The press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on the November 25, 2005 outlined $5 billion in spending over 10 years, but did not set out the means for the fiscal distribution between federal departments, provincial and territorial governments, and Aboriginal groups.

"Freakinoldguy" said
No, ratifying then cancelling the kelowna accord was. And ignoring the issue for most of the decade after.

Try to keep on topic..

"Freakinoldguy" said
But hey, as for staying on topic, here's another gem about the Kelowna accord.



So after reading your previous posts about people like Theresa Spence I can certainly understand your outrage at the thought that the Conservative Government would have the nerve to cancel a 5 billion dollar taxpayer funded native welfare program with no accountability, stated financial goals or government oversight like the Kelowna accords.

So instead of blaming Harper like you always do why not blame Paul Martin for not having the testicles to put the proper checks and balances into place before promising our tax dollars to a select group of people who have continually abused the system for their own personal gain while letting their own constituents languish in poverty.

Kelowna deal included $1.8 billion for education

A rough agenda released by Martin's Liberal government in the days before the conference suggested the meeting would focus on five critical areas: health, education, economic development, relationships between government and aboriginals, and housing, including incentives for private home ownership on reserves.

Ottawa said the initiatives would represent a 10-year commitment to raising the standard of living of aboriginal Canadians so that it would be equal that of all other Canadians.

The plan included:

$1.8 billion for education, to create school systems, train more aboriginal teachers and identify children with special needs.
$1.6 billion for housing, including $400 million to address the need for clean water in many remote communities.
$1.3 billion for health services.
$200 million for economic development.

...

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein also expressed his disappointment. He said the Kelowna deal went a long way toward addressing the needs of First Nations and M�tis peoples.
...
all the premiers endorsed the agreement.