CTV Reporter: "[John Duncan] one of the weakest Indian Affairs Minister in recent memory"

CTV's Robert Fife describes how incompetent Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan is

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• conservative party
• liberal party
• john duncan

[bluebear1985]

One of the weakest is right. The same could pretty much be said for Harper's entire cabinet.

[jmjb67]

The blind are leading the blind. This is what empty heads can achieve.

[somewhatlongdong]

Listen, all of us just have to stop arguing in this country. I agree, the Liberals were in power for years and did nothing, and they should have to answer for it. Bob Rae was a very poor Premier, but McGuinty is worse. I"m not blaming Harper. Every single Canadian, every one of us, we have to just rip up the past, and start fresh on this file. Tory, Lib, NDP, Green, what's happening now doesn't work. Input from all parties can fix this up.

[cdn6uldv8]

@somewhatlongdong, we don't share any common ground. The Chief is getting $90,000 a year and the kids suffer but it doesn't seem to bother her to look at it every day. In any other town where this is no opportunities for employment or advancement, people move away and start again. Harper has been PM since 2006. How many years were the Liberals in power and did nothing? How many years was Bob Rae premier of Ontario and did nothing. This is just a bitch session for the left.

[somewhatlongdong]

@cdn6uldv8 Listen, we do share common ground here. I haven't seen any financial statements, I simply don't know where money is going, and they are getting plenty of it. No question about it, I'm not going to argue that. My sense is that natives have long been ill-served by chiefs and other higher-ups. But if you're an infant there, or a child, I mean, they can't be held responsible "at this time." Let's solve the finances in the new year. For now, people first.

[cdn6uldv8]

@somewhatlongdong Over 32 million a year going to that reserve of around 2000 people and they are living in plastic tents and you are "not ruling out that there is a chance of financial mismanagement". I would say that if there is a case for the "Human Issue" that the Chief appears to be unaware of it or ignoring it. I see this kind of situation on the reserves I deliver to & when you ask the citizens it always goes back to Band politics. But it is not politically correct to discuss that issue.

[somewhatlongdong]

@cdn6uldv8 The audits are all online. Again, I'm not ruling out that there is a chance of financial mismanagement. That said, this is currently a human issue, not financial. That can be solved later. I do think it's outrageous that the current chief is in a relationship with a government official, but, i want to stress again, it's more important to provide humanitarian relief now.

[cdn6uldv8]

@somewhatlongdong " They don't have three chiefs at Attawapiskat." According to the documents supplied by the band, there are 3 Chiefs receiving salaries. The present day Chief, an assistant Chief & the past Chief. " It's years of inaction of many governments that have allowed situations like this to occur." They are not the ones that chose to replace the school with an arena equipped with a Zamboni. The Auditor could have shown the value of taxpayer money but was refused because of politics.

[somewhatlongdong]

@cdn6uldv8 They don't have three chiefs at Attawapiskat. Of course, Charlie Angus, the MP for the region has been on this for years, and acted when a state of emergency was declared. Jack Layton was there in late 2007. I'm not going to say it's all Stephen Harper's fault, because it isn't. It's years of inaction of many governments that have allowed situations like this to occur. Nevertheless, surely we do better. Give taxpayers value for money and humane living conditions.

[cdn6uldv8]

Yeah blame Harper & the conservatives for everything. The NDP MP for that riding has done NOTHING for the 7 years he has been there and now all of a sudden there is a problem. How come they have 3 Chiefs collecting almost $300,000 in wages? Why did they put up a new arena after they tore down the school? I am sure Harper made them do it, right?