The First Nations appear to be on the ‘warpath’, letting the white man know that they are not satisfied with the status quo, but the white man has some issues also. For instance, how come the Aboriginals have the right to control the nation’s natural resources?
Next, they complain about their living conditions on the reserves, but they do not explain why they are not personally responsible for these conditions and why they are not fixing the situation themselves instead of asking for more government handouts. In our world, if we are not satisfied with the living conditions or the lack of employment in our area, we simply move to a more suitable place, but the Aboriginals are shackled by the reserve system and still they want to maintain this system rather than integrating with the rest of us Canadians.
Yes they have rights, but those rights should not be at the expense of the majority, and at present it appears that they have more rights than the rest of us in Canada. If we were to blockade any reserve they would call foul and we would face criminal charges. We are all Canadians, some by birth and others by choice, so we should all benefit from our democratic way of life equally and not by ancient and completely worn-out treaties that are 200 years old.
My wife is of Native heritage and is rightly proud of her heritage and I am proud to support her, but this show of ingratitude and the apparent lack of self determination by the Natives only diminishes the respect that these great people deserve.
The Aboriginals would do well to follow the Osoyoos band and learn how they have prospered by developing their land and have become a great asset to the whole Okanagan community and to their reserve as well. My hat is off to these hard-working Natives and I wish them well in the future.
Donald E. Thorsteinson
Oliver
