AIAI GRAND CHIEF STATEMENT REGARDING CANADA’S RESPONSE TO ATTAWAPISKAT
London, ON - The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI) is outraged by the Federal Government’s handling of the Attawapiskat Crisis. By suggesting that the current situation is exclusively the fault of the First Nation’s government, Canadian Leadership perpetuates the misconception that millions of dollars are “thrown at” First Nations who are incapable of managing their own budgets. First Nations’ funding arrangements are not handouts; rather, they are based on Treaty obligations.
Grand Chief Denise Stonefish stated the following in response to the Attawapiskat Crisis:
“The Federal Government’s reference to Attawapiskat mismanaging their funds is being utilized to support their recently proposed Bill C-27 First Nations Financial Transparency Act. The Federal Government fails to inform the general public that they micro-manage First Nations through their Contribution Agreements and reporting requirements processes. Utilizing Attawapiskat as a scapegoat to cover up the government’s lack of responsibility and accountability is unacceptable and unbecoming of any political leader. There has to be better solutions to address the situation at Attawapiskat than ‘third-party management’.”
Although Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) has stated that they do not have a formal policy related to on-reserve housing, the amount of funding allocated to First Nations Minor Capital is shared with other infrastructure projects that include housing, roads, water, and sewer. On annual reporting dates, the First Nation is required to submit Certificates of Completion outlining expenses incurred to complete the different projects. If Canada wants to assign blame, between the Certificates of Completion and the many reporting requirements, they should have been aware of the infrastructure situations well before reaching a level of crisis.
The Federal Government is not addressing the real issues. What else is it going to take for the government of this day to acknowledge that the current system is intrinsically flawed? How many more First Nations people need to live in third-world conditions and die tragically before the lights come on? First Nations are ready, willing and able to work with the government together to come up with long-term solutions for our most underprivileged populations.
AIAI is mandated as a political territorial organization to defend and enhance the Aboriginal and Treaty rights of its eight member First Nations. Visit them online at www.aiai.on.ca, www.facebook.com/aiai.pto, http://twitter.com/#!/AIAI_Comms, www.youtube.com/user/AIAIAdmin. | 
