Why is Six Nations funding Canadian taxpayers? Well summer's almost over, school has started again, and the Brantford Expositor is still publishing Gary Horsnell's dumb questions that he could find answers to if he tried. Of course, finding answers is not what Horsnell's about as he's a truth twister ... as friend satori says ... "trying to intellectualize bigotry". Here are Horsnell's questions, and some answers ...

Brantford Expositor Why are taxpayers funding Six Nations? In a recent Expositor article, Bill Montour, the chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River elected band council, said the Six Nations spent about $70 million to run the reserve, which has about 17,000 people. That works out to about $4,117.64 per person. The article also said that Brant County's budget was $110 million for 35,000 people. That works out to $3,142.85 per person. The City of Brantford, on its website, shows the 2009 net municipal budget is $110.3 million for a population of about 90,000 people. That works out to about $1,226 per person. How come the Six Nations spends so much more per person per year to run the reserve than Brant council to run the county or Brantford council to run the city?

Apples and oranges: Municipal budgets and Six Nations' budgets are not directly comparable. Six Nations budget includes funding for all services, whether federally, provincially or locally funded. Municipal budgets, for example, do not include EDUCATION and HEALTH CARE, major services funded directly by the province, while Six Nations' provides those services and others out of its budget. In Ontario, $42.6b (43%) of the provincial budget goes to Health Care and $14.2 billion (14%) to Education. On that basis alone, one would expect that Six Nations budget, per capita, would be at least more than twice that of a municipality. The correct comparison would be municipal + provincial + federal funding per capita in Brant County and Brantford compared to Six Nations budget per capita. I'll leave Mr. Horsnell to do the math on that, and at the same time figure out why Brant County's funding per capita is so much higher than Six Nations and Brantford!

Much of the money the Six Nations spends to run the reserve flows from taxpayers outside of the reserve through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to the reserve. But why does the Crown use money from taxpayers to fund the Six Nations? The Crown bought the land along the Grand River from the Mississauga Indians on May 22, 1784. Later, on Oct. 25, 1784, Governor Haldimand issued a proclamation, which allowed Mohawk leader Joseph Brant and his Six Nations followers to settle on and use the Crown land along the Grand River. Then, in 1793, Governor Simcoe issued his letter patent to the Six Nations for land along the Grand River. But the Haldimand Proclamation and the Simcoe Patent do not mention anything about the Crown funding the Six Nations. The people of the Six Nations of the Grand River were expected to sustain and support themselves on the land they were allowed to occupy along the Grand River. Nevertheless, INAC and other government agencies have been sending money from taxpayers to the Six Nations of the Grand River for decades. INAC funds infrastructure and programs on the reserve and Canadian government agencies have provided money for water treatment, a dialysis clinic, other structures and programs and recently $1.99 million for the Kayanase ECO Centre. So, why do INAC and other Canadian government agencies send money from taxpayers to the Six Nations of the Grand River to fund infrastructure and programs on the reserve, when the Six Nations was expected to sustain itself and there is no treaty or agreement I can find which calls for the Crown to use money from taxpayers to fund the reserve? Garry Horsnell Brantford Article ID# 1736187

Mr. Horsnell, not surprisingly for a truth twister, makes no mention of the fact that the Crown somehow subsequently 'assumed' for itself about 95% of the Haldimand Tract excluding only the current Six Nations reserve lands. Proceeds from the settlement of that land, leases or sales, were to be deposited in Six Nations trust fund maintained by the federal government, for them to draw on for the needs of their community. Somehow, the federal government cannot, or refuses to, account for the Six Nations trust fund. That is why Six Nations is currently pursuing 29 legal claims against the federal government. It is known that Six Nations trust fund was embezzled by the Crown to build Osgoode Hall, the Welland Canal, and other infrastructure. It is also known that while Six Nations Band Council received $46m in federal and provincial funding this year, Six Nations people and businesses paid well over $140m to Canada/Ontario in taxes! It is thus more accurate to ask: WHY IS SIX NATIONS FUNDING CANADIAN TAXPAYERS?

Election: First Nations education

Federal Election: First Nations call for a debate on the under-funding of their education

    GATINEAU, QC, Sept. 12 /CNW Telbec/ - Near 300 parents, children and
Chiefs from the First Nations communities in Quebec are going to the office
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to denounce the dramatic situation
caused by the chronic under-funding of First Nations education. They want
funding for First Nations education to become a priority of the federal
elections.
First Nations education is funded according to an old federal formula
which dates back to 1988 and has not been indexed to the cost of living since
1996. Consequently, the schools in the First Nations are not able to offer
services and salary conditions comparable to those offered by other Canadian
schools. Furthermore, this formula has not been revised to take account of new
developments and costs in education, while it was done in provincial schools
networks. There are important costs to be met, in such areas as operating
school libraries, offering sports and recreation activities, and keeping up to
date with new technological development. The funding formula does not take
account of any of these costs.
Five years ago, under increasing pressure from the First Nations, INAC
made the commitment to revise this outdated funding formula. But it has still
not been revised. This is the background which explains why our parents and
children, accompanied by the Chiefs of their communities, are here today at
the INAC Headquarters to stress that the situation has gone on far too long.
It is even more severe when we note that there are studies indicating a lack
of funding not just for the schools but also for supporting young people who
want to go on to post-secondary studies.
Gilbert Whiteduck, Chief of the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi, is
categorical in his remarks: "We no longer have to demonstrate the
under-funding of First Nations education. The First Nations have participated
in a large number of studies and consultations, all of which have confirmed
this under-funding and the importance of investing in education. But the
federal government, which is responsible for First Nations education, has
steadfastly refused to increase funding on the basis of these studies and
consultations." Chief Whiteduck feels that now is the time for the federal
government to finally respect its commitments and responsibilities.
Lise Bastien, Director of the First Nations Education Council (FNEC),
points out another important aspect: "Twice, the Minister for Indian Affairs
has threatened to attack the funding of First Nations organizations which hold
demonstrations to denounce the situation. The Chiefs of the FNEC member
communities do not take such a threat lightly. They refuse to be silent and to
accept conditions that compromise our right to receive an education of
comparable quality to the education received by other citizens."
Just over a year ago, the FNEC launched a campaign
(www.avenir-future.com) to build public awareness about the chronic
under-funding of First Nations education. Since then, others have joined us in
denouncing this situation, including Ontario's Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
and the Premier of Quebec.

Ref.: McGuinty gets credit for making native people a priority - Nov 30,
2007 04:30 AM - Ian Urquhart (excerpt from an article about Michael Bryant,
Ontario's Minister of Aboriginal Affairs)

"The province could, for example, take over responsibility for on-reserve
schools from Ottawa, which does an abysmal job in this area. But reserve
schools now receive substantially less cash per student than schools in
the rest of the province, so the province would want Ottawa to top up the
funding before the transfer of responsibility took place."

Ref.: The provinces call on Ottawa to meet with the First Nations -
Canadian Press Edition of Thursday, July 17, 2008

Mr. Charest affirmed that funding of education in the First Nations would
be among the priority issues to be discussed at a future meeting. He
noted that in Canada, spending on the education of First Nations children
comes to less than half of the amount spent for the education of children
in the non-Aboriginal communities: "In itself, this number tells us a
great deal. There are several priorities, and we don't want to close the
door on this issue."
Free translation

Eva Ottawa, Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, terms the chronic
under-funding of First Nations education as appalling: "This unacceptable
situation is simply a disgrace and a scandal. It is all the more inexcusable
when we note that Prime Minister Harper recently offered an apology on behalf
of Canada for the tragedy caused by the residential schools. The Chiefs will
assuredly use the calling of a federal election as an opportunity to demand
that all the political parties clearly indicate whether they intend to
continue this policy of keeping First Nations education in a state of chronic
under-funding or whether they intend to put an immediate end to that policy."

The FNEC is an association representing 22 communities of Quebec for more
than 20 years. Its main mission is to advocate the interests of First Nations
communities to offer better educational services to all First Nations
learners.
For more information on the FNEC or on our educational awareness
campaign, please visit our website at www.cepn-fnec.com.

For further information: Thanissa Lainé, Communication Officer, FNEC,
Cell.: (418) 932-4351; Raymond Sioui, Assistant Director, FNEC, Cell.: (418)
932-4328

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