Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Canadian Indian Chiefs elect more of the same old same old

Shawn Atleo has been re-elected at the Assembly of First Nations conflab being held in Toronto.

The election is an exercise in democracy of sorts. Over 600 elected chiefs from across the country get to vote for a grand chief, i.e. Atleo.

I've often ranted about the "hang-around-the-fort" mentality that seems to consume so much of the native leadership in Canada. I'm not the only one who thinks Atleo has been much too cosy with the Harper gang.

This year there were a number of challengers who aren't from the fort crowd; Palmeter, Nelson, Gabriel, to name three.

But look who's voting! It's not Canada's native population; it's just the chiefs.

All that stuff you read about third-world living conditions on reservations? You can bet these chiefs aren't living in sub-standard housing.

In fact, the people voting today have done quite well for themselves hanging around the fort. So another term for Atleo shouldn't come as a shock.

Ya, at some level it's none of my business because I'm not native, but to hell with that.

You don't have to be Norwegian to criticize Quisling, and you don't have to be French to call Petain a collaborator.

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