Shawn Atleo was elected as the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations on Thursday after a marathon overnight voting session.
Atleo, the assembly vice-chief from B.C., was in a tough neck-and-neck battle with Perry Bellegarde, former leader of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
After eight ballots and almost 24 hours, neither had the 60 per cent of votes needed to win, but Bellegarde conceded.
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I have said this before, elsewhere on the blogosphere, but I will repeat it here again today -
First Nations seemingly function as separate independent entities (on about 8 billion federal tax dollars per year).
Why do not some of the progressive bands concentrate their efforts towards building and operating for profit Health Clinics for MRI’s Cat scans etc to bypass the Canadian health care monster?
Thus eliminating rationed wait times for ailing Canadians.
Rather than deal in illegal cigarette manufacturing, operating much needed health care services would be a welcome service for Canadians bringing not only wealth to First Nations but enhancing their own place in the Country of Canada, getting off the dole.
What say you new Chief Shawn Atleo?
Do you know why those tax dollars are paid out Joe Molnar?
Why? Um, because more of their ancestors died here than my ancestors?
Hey! The TV News showed Chief Atleo saying that he wants Canada to treat Aboriginals under the U.N. rules. It made a good new-bite; and probably included at the suggestion of a losing candidate. Do you think that today somebody will explain to him what the aboriginals would lose under these “rules”?
@Lindsay: You’re trying to be sarcastic but your answer is closer than you think, their ancestors, their land.
A significant portion of the funds transfered to First Nations treaty groups are contract payments under treaties (another word for “contract”) signed between those people and the federal government.
You see, the Aboriginal people in Canada were not conquered and their lands taken as “spoils of war” as it were – the crown (first) and then the Canadian government negotiated long term land use, occupancy, and resource rights with the indigenous people and those payments people (who haven’t bothered informing themselves about are the governments) complain about are part of the various agreements.
So when the uninformed start muttering about welfare payments instead of contract payment for valuable consideration received they are only showing their ignorance.