REGINA — The provincial NDP has backed away from the idea of sharing a portion of resource revenues with First Nations communities, saying it was an election promise that did not sit well with voters.
Finance critic Trent Wotherspoon told reporters Monday that the NDP Opposition won’t be pressing the proposal any further, at least not at the present time.
“We found that voters have spoken clearly on that front and we’re going to listen to voters,” Wotherspoon said.
Fucking. Typical.
Of course this would be unpopular with the Saskatchewan electorate, and in that they’re no different than the electorate virtually anywhere else in this country.
The Canadian public holds this deep-seated belief that First Nations communities cruise by on Federal largesse and little else, and it’s complete bullshit.
They look at the fictional millions being wasted and shake their heads at the intractable social ills of afflicting our communities, and their discussions inevitably turn to how they’d solve these problems. Obviously, no one ever thought to shut up and listen, but that’s pretty typical too. Any proposal to the knotty Native problem will involve some sort of elaborate social engineering (because outsider meddling has worked so well in the past) which doesn’t actually address anything pressing.
No, there’s usually some homily about responsibility, modernization or accountability which may or may not carry the unspoken threat of assimilation. This is sort of thing is preferred by the Canadian electorate because the electorate can continue to benefit from resource exploitation occuring on Federal Reserves without compensating the titular owners of that land, while comfortably avoiding the fact that an equal slice of the pie would go a long way towards solving some of those knotty old problems they like to go on about.
Not to mention the implicit belief that they’re not entitled to recompense for the destruction of their homes and the ensuing community health issues associated with intense resource extraction in the energy sector. Think about that for a second:
We kicked in your door, stole everything of value and then burned your house down. And then we gave you esophageal cancer. Fuck you.
Think about how deep someone’s loathing must be to believe that such a thing would be acceptable.
and you know what’s fucked?
Resource money from reservations is apparently for ‘everyone.’
Try telling a farmer with a battery station on his land, that the rents he collects from the energy company which owns it are for everyone.
This commentary is so accurate I could cry.
NDP calls for ethics investigation into Clement over G8 fund
New Democrats are calling on the parliamentary ethics committee to investigate Treasury Board Tony Clement’s involvement in a G8 fund that poured about $50 million into his Muskoka riding in Ontario, some of which was used for dubious infrastructure projects.
The official Opposition said it also has forwarded information obtained through access-to-information laws from the town of Huntsville, Ont., to the police in order to assist with any possible investigation.
Layton to be honoured with rare state funeral
Late Opposition leader’s service to be held Saturday in Toronto
Jack Layton, who died Monday morning at the age of 61, will be honoured in a state funeral to be held Saturday in Toronto.
Layton’s widow Olivia Chow accepted Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s offer of a state funeral, Harper’s communications director Dimitri Soudas said Monday.
Soudas said in a statement that Canadians “will have an opportunity to salute Jack Layton’s contribution to public life as well as offer their heartfelt condolences, their thoughts and prayers to Mr. Layton’s family.”
Soudas explained that state funerals are only automatic in cases of current and former governors general, current and former prime ministers, and sitting members of cabinet.
“It is possible for the prime minister on behalf of the Government of Canada to accord the honour of a state funeral to other eminent Canadians, should it be deemed appropriate,” he said. “Prime Minister Harper has exercised his discretion and has offered Ms. Chow a state funeral for Jack Layton. She has accepted.”
The government protocol office is working with the NDP and Layton’s family on details.
Canadians mourning Layton will have the chance to leave messages of condolence across the country in the days leading up to the funeral.
NDP MP constituency offices will all have books of condolences for the public to sign prior to the funeral and there will be books at Toronto City Hall and on Parliament Hill.
The NDP has set up a section on its website for those who want to leave messages for Layton’s family and friends. They’re asking for donations to the Broadbent Institute in memory of Layton in lieu of flowers.
The Broadbent Institute is an NDP-affiliated think tank that was announced at the party’s 50th anniversary convention in June. It’s named for former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, a close friend of Layton’s.
Layton had fought prostate cancer since 2010, but in July announced he faced a second, undisclosed cancer.
The last state funeral was on July 3, 2009, for former governor general Roméo LeBlanc. It was held in Memramcook, N.B.
Jack Layton and his wife, NDP member of parliament Olivia Chow, through the years. Political OTP forever. <3 RIP Jack.
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all…”
~Emily DickinsonJack Layton, leader of the NDP, Canada’s opposition party and perhaps our greatest asset against the Conservative majority, passed away today. Thank you, Mr. Layton, for the hope you inspired.
Sometimes poetry is the best way to communicate an idea.
August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
Mr. Layton, 61, had already been fighting prostate cancer. The news of this most recent turn of health is a devastating blow not only to him personally but to a party that is settling into the job of Official Opposition for the first time in its 50-year history – a stunning political achievement that most New Democrats lay at the feet of the man who has been their Leader for the past eight years.
Get better, Jack. I want you to be my Prime Minister. <3
