Over & above all else, no one has once mentioned WHY this all happened in the first place. While I don't AGREE with what happened, no one wants to talk about WHY the Gov did this. The child/infancy mortality rates were through the roof for native children. Mostly from neglect or abuse. This would just be another 'fault' of the taxpayers & the CND Gov, I'm sure.....so while these 'survivors' and leaders of the self-proclaimed 'Proud' Natives continue to seek restitution or their 'payment', because of this action, they are still here..alive..which the greater majority of them wouldn't be, had the Gov not intervened...personally I have more empathy for the East Asians & the segregation & outright theft of their property & posessions during the WW than I do for the Canadian Natives. We've never stopped paying for anything that has ever occurred to the Natives, self induced or otherwise, so personally I'm sick & tired of the bunch of them....The funds thrown away on this group every year should go to much more deserving causes for the Canadian people where some real benefit & appreciation can reaped by the loyal, law-abiding citizens. There are truly needy & relevant causes that the Canadian taxpayers funds should be delegated to. Paying down the deficit would be a much more 'worthy' cause then seeing another dime go the Natives for drugs, guns, booze & equipment & supplies for their armed standoffs....The actions & crimes against the law abiding citizens far outweighs any positive or constructive efforts made by Native groups, if any...I hear no internal voices of the Natives speak out against their 'brothers, kin, poeples, whateverthehellthey callthemselves' because they are painfully aware of the consequences their fellow natives will extract upon them. GOD FORBID they start burning, stealing, vandalizing their OWN people's property or posessions. But they will, should any of their own speak out against them.......
Observer, 2008-08-25 09:32:23

According to the Indians, the Caledonia dispute WAS settled many years ago. They claim ownership of the haldimand tract, while the government says the land was sold back to the crown years ago and they have no claim to it now.

Here's what I don't get. If you believe you are the rightful owner of a piece of land, would you not quickly intervene the moment soneone intruded and started to take over that land, like settling and building houses and the like? I mean, if someone came along and started to dig a foundation on my front lawn, I would immediately take the necessary steps (legal) to stop that activity. If I sit back for a hundred years and watch people build a community around me and then. after billions in investment, I stand up and try to claim all that land and the associated assets, I can hardly imagine me being successful in that endeavour. In a nutshell, knowingly failing to assert ownership of the land while others develop it is clearly an aknowledgement of NON-ownership. Any court would tell me that if I felt the land belonged to me i should have intervened before construction began, not after 100 years of development.

If the Indians believed the haldimand tract was rightfully theirs and yet still allowed developemnt to proceed for a century and then think they can just move in and take over, well, sorry about your luck!

You snoozed...you loozed. You cnanot get it back now.
Doug, 2008-07-07 15:58:47

Well, if the land claims were settled by the courts in the beginning there would be a whole lot less frustrated people whether you be Native Canadian or not. As for Natives not contributing to economy, please don't comment on things that you can never understand. It doesn't matter when this happened in history. Do people say that what Hitler did in the past doesn't matter? I think not.
Melissa, 2008-07-07 11:33:06

Seems to me that about 15 years ago there was a collapse of the atlantic fishing industry. Outport newfoundlanders had been dependant on that fishery for a living for almost 500 years now and the outport communitites were left with no means of support after the collapse, mainly due to government mismanagement. Do you think that Canadians would be willing to provide perpetual walfare to those communities because the way they traditionally earned a living did not exist any more? Hell no. An intermediate finance packege was arranged and these people were told to move on, find new places to live and work. Do you think outport newfoundlanders raise their children to believe they are entitled to fish for a living right here in this desolate isolated community and to accept no substitute other than a welfare cheque? I guess the difference there is that newfoundlanders are a PROUD people unwilling to sit on their lazy asses and complain and who would be ashamed to present themselves to the rest of Canada as a lifetime welfare case with nothing valuable to contribute to society
Doug, 2008-07-02 09:51:25

I am sooo tired of hearing about the POOR MAL TREATED Indians. Its time they picked up their socks and go on with living life not complaining about what they should have. Seems to me they have more than the average person living in Canada!! Stop the whining, use what we have given you to do something worthwhile.
Norma McCann, 2008-07-01 10:22:17

I fully agree with what OBSERVER so eloquently stated...

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! Stop the poor me syndrome and stand on your own two feet and be accountable for what you are doing now.

Other people have been abused and don't blame the whole of society for the lot in life..They get on with life TRY IT!!!

How much more money do the Canadian taxpayers have to fork over. I work hard for my money and am sick of all the BS

J, 2008-06-23 09:07:31

Why is EVERYTHING EVER done for this group referred to as 'A Good first step'...what about the financial history already paid out?(7 billion $'s last year?) What about all the special rights & considerations already granted? How many 'good first steps' that have already been taken? This should be the beginning of the end of the welfare state of the Natives..you've got your apology, from someone who isn't responsible for what happened, on behalf of a country full of people who weren't responsible or accountable for what happened..now its time for you to stand up, brush yourselves off & get your lives going...as for your illegal land claims & road blocks & other illegal BS that just makes the law abiding citizens further annoyed at you..its time you are treated as EQUALLY as everyone else in this country and get arrested or thrown in jail when you commit illegal acts..especially when armed...its your turn now..show us you can be good citizens of the country that you live in....the same country & taxpayers that has been picking up your cheque and cleaning up after you because your ancestors had it so bad...
Observer, 2008-06-22 08:12:02

First off, I think what the government did to the first nations people was wrong and an apology was needed, but....I think this has done nothing but give the natives more ammo for thier road blocks and lawsuits.
Fred, 2008-06-21 10:57:06

Yes, trenching roads and creating barricades of burning tires shows awesome respect for the land! And clearly, Natives are not interested in making money. How insightful! Thanks.
Doug, 2008-06-21 10:18:06

Mr. Harper is doing what is right, apologizing for a wrong committed. The current trend is to blame the "other guy" and not take responsibility. The native Canadians have gone through a lot in the past 120 years. Most of the descions made for them did not even give them a chance to voice their opinion, no were their best interests taken into consideration so they have a right to be angry.Imagine if the government tried to do that to the flood of immigrants we are getting now, all hell would break loose!! If it helps to settle the land claims that is certainly a benefit but not the reason the apology was given. Native Canadians are a proud people and have an interesting and exciting heritage that should take precedent over the current immigrants who feel they deserve to be given special treatment. Natives respect the land and customs and see the land as one to bless and appreciate. Newcomers see it as a way to make money and do not respect any Canadian heritage or customs.

Redneck Larry
Larry H, 2008-06-21 07:20:13