First Nations Eye 2010 Olympics As Protest Target

[Techno Dragon]

First Paragraph says it All:

OTTAWA–Canada's top native chief says the Vancouver Olympics are a potential target for First Nations protest much like Beijing has been a flashpoint for Tibet supporters

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/415590

[Kenadian]

Protest what? That Olympic organizers have been giving First Nations in Canada a lot of attention and focus? I think that in today's climate, First Nations have it pretty good. They have problems, but much of that is being resolved or is up to their own bands and communities to fix.

[rav3n]

Aw jesus christ, here we go again

Seriously, stop using the olympics as a window for protests. No matter how much reason they have, that's not a good pretext to ruin a cool event. Cut it out already.

[Guardian]

Aw jesus christ, here we go again

Seriously, stop using the olympics as a window for protests. No matter how much reason they have, that's not a good pretext to ruin a cool event. Cut it out already.

Well, one particular First Nations band did destroy part of the Calgary Olympic Arts Festival because they used the Games to protest against their living standards then. However, since then, that group's living standards has gone down even further over time.

[mr.x]

here we go again...

[jim jones]

well considering some of the land claim deals made there should not be much of a Problem . Gosh in Nova Scotia the Micmacs were in support of the Commonwealth games bid which seems strange to be in support of the Spreading of British Colonialism. The Native people of Australia certainly made their displeasure know about the melbourne 2006 CWGs

No matter what you will have someone with an agenda to forward around high profile events. The Native community is not unified Either.

Jim jones

[SJD88]

Give them casinos like we did thats what we did and its been working so well.................... well maybe not

[NYCD 2012]

Looks like Canada's Tibet if you ask me

[rav3n]

Give them casinos like we did thats what we did and its been working so well.................... well maybe not

Hahaha not a bad idea if you ask me

[Faster]

Looks like Canada's Tibet if you ask me

Tibetans are treated as second-class in China, Natives are treated better, its their own fault they are in poverty because they send all their money on alcohol and cigarettes and trying to support 13 kids. They refuse to be apart of Canadian society.

[SJD88]

Tibetans are treated as second-class in China, Natives are treated better, its their own fault they are in poverty because they send all their money on alcohol and cigarettes and trying to support 13 kids. They refuse to be apart of Canadian society.

Wow it sounds like every stereotype that I’ve ever heard for every minority in America I didn't know we exported bigoted stereotypes to Canada.

[pedablogue]

Tibetans are treated as second-class in China, Natives are treated better, its their own fault they are in poverty because they send all their money on alcohol and cigarettes and trying to support 13 kids. They refuse to be apart of Canadian society.

On behalf of VANOC can I tell you <b>you're incredibly ignorant?</b>

1. Both First Nations in Canada and Tibetans in China have been colonized. Same thing, different eras

2. Aboriginals in Canada didn't have full citizenship rights until 1960

3. Da "alcohol and cigarettes" thing started when we ripped their families apart via Residential Schools

4. Some Aboriginal people here never were asked if they wanted to be Canadian. Others were told they weren't and could never be--including those who served in World Wars 1 and 2. Many others consider themselves proud Canucks

5. Almost half of all rural reserves in Canada have undrinkable water systems--because we put them as far away from our cities as possible.

If my community's kids were killing themselves, if my homes had no heat or drinkable water, if my culture had been systematically snuffed out <I>I wouldn't tend to be very polite in protest either</I>

Fontaine's not dumb though. Ultimately he won't disrupt anything. But give us your address: we'll send him there

[Faster]

Most bands choose their land via claiming it, very few have actually been relocated (the Ojibwa being the most notable, but they were displaced by the Six Nations). They choose their remote locations. They want autonomy, they want to be independent but refuse to accept all the responsibilities that being autonomous entails, including providing basic infrastructure for their people. The government gives every native complete tax immunity and millions of dollars a year in support through both band council channels and welfare. There is something systemic in their attitude that is the cause of their own poverty. Must natives don't finish high school, yet there are numerous native only and native focused schools for natives, must are unemployed even with employer tax breaks and free university and college level education (including preferential selection to get into universities and colleges). Must refuse to leave their reserves to obtain employment or education and the bands expect the government to give them even more money for infrastructure development without any plans on how the money is going to be used or where it is going to be used. Native problems are not because of the Canadian government or Canadians its because of themselves and they have to fix their problems. You can't use the discrimination card in a country where you are given preferential treatment and where other minorities get along fine and are fully productive and respectable members of Canadian society.

Residential schools, just an excuse for their underachieving, if natives worked as hard to better themselves as they do finding excuses and ways to blame the government they would be a lot better off.

There needs to be personal responsibility, its not the governments fault that native populations have high suicide rates, its their own. Personal responsibility is completely lost of too many people these days, the native populations need to use the considerable resources they have to better themselves and not expect the government to constantly fix their problems or continue to fund the corruption and ineffective band councils. A native born in Canada has far more handed to them and more doors open to them, than any other group born in Canada, its their responsibility it use their advantages to better themselves instead of playing the history, race, minority card to blackmail the government into giving them more undeserved money.

[taichi]

What! Why are the Aboriginal's want to protest for? I thought they supported the Vancouver games. NO I don't want them to protest. That's not fair! I really object this. This is not right.

[IceNarcissus]

I'm part native and I think the existence of multi-racial people like myself nullifies any potential race-based protest. Where would I fit in in a situation of greater separation? Nowhere.

Ironically, the protests would only be protesting native favouritism. Which I think is weird. I don't agree with many policies, especially the tax policy, at all. Federal resources should be the responsibility of everybody who uses them regardless of past differences. They learned it in Europe (mostly), so why not here?

Further irony is that I also have US native status, and even though there is a lot of negative media attention put on the states in respects to native issues I would say it does leaps and bounds better than Canada. In my opinion Canada is no different than a 14 year old driver learning not to overcorrect on corners. Good intentions but ends up waaay off track

We also have to remember that these protests are limited to a few disenchanted individuals and that all FN governing bodies in the area support 2010.

[Faster]

I'm part native and I think the existence of multi-racial people like myself nullifies any potential race-based protest. Where would I fit in in a situation of greater separation? Nowhere.

Ironically, the protests would only be protesting native favouritism. Which I think is weird. I don't agree with many policies, especially the tax policy, at all. Federal resources should be the responsibility of everybody who uses them regardless of past differences. They learned it in Europe (mostly), so why not here?

Further irony is that I also have US native status, and even though there is a lot of negative media attention put on the states in respects to native issues I would say it does leaps and bounds better than Canada. In my opinion Canada is no different than a 14 year old driver learning not to overcorrect on corners. Good intentions but ends up waaay off track

We also have to remember that these protests are limited to a few disenchanted individuals and that all FN governing bodies in the area support 2010.

I agree, the US allows their native people great freedoms within their lands. Native issues are a state responsibility, some do it well, some don't but American Natives don't get the favouritism and reverse-racism that happens in Canada that creates a lot of the hard feelings and creates the isolation.

I live less than half and hour from the Six Nations reserve (they are responsible for the Caledonia incidents). There is well documented legal status of the Haldiman Tract that negates almost all of their claims and what is even more frustrating is the the nations of the Six Nations had no native lands in Ontario until after 1776, before almost all of my ancestors had come to Canada or the United States.

There isn't the widespread cultural repression/status repression of the past but they still act as if there is.

Vancouver is trying to represent all of Canada? But when did 700,000 people become all of Canada?

[Guardian]

Well, remember the Lubicon? Seriously, I don't think they would recognize Canada and its laws anyway. According to them, the "white man" never got their permission to cross, use, trespass, annex other words to their land to "occupiers" since eternity.

Edited April 28, 2008 by Guardian