The chief of the Assembly of First Nations has joined the chorus of critics against the federal government’s appointment of a third-party manager to oversee a northern Ontario native reserve with sub-standard housing conditions.
Shawn Atleo said on the CBC Radio program, The House, on Saturday that appointing an outsider to call the shots in the troubled community is another example of “remote-control decisions” and “unilaterally imposed decisions” that have helped create the kind of conditions seen in Attawapiskat, where some people are living in tents and shacks as winter approaches.
Like others against the move, Atleo referred to a 2003 report from former auditor general Sheila Fraser that called into question the effectiveness of bringing third-party managers into native communities, and also said the approach is contrary to treaties with First Nations and United Nations’ principles with regard to indigenous peoples.
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