Stephen Harper - Indian Giver?

"The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language," Harper said.

It was a proud moment for Canada when Stephen Harper stood in the House and apologized for the way First Nations youth were treated - paternalistically, abusively, with no respect for their culture or custom.  I've been up and down the Americas and have seen Aboriginal peoples mistreated and lost because systems of European origin have been imposed upon them.  I don't think you can really grasp how significant an impact such impositions have if you've never been on the receiving end, if you've never lived in a country where your customs aren't the norm.

I'm sure Team Harper has the best intentions with their own attempts to impose Western concepts of property on First Nations.  They're all about capitalism; take away social rules, make profit the singular end goal and everyone will do just fine.  If they need a bit of coaxing to take that system, well, it's just a matter of survival of the fittest.

The road to hell is littered with best intentions; the Residential Schools were created with best intentions in mind, too.  While change is desirable and necessary, it has to be agreed upon by the communities in question; the consequences need to be carefully explored and communicated, too.  Harper and co. think one or two elections - about seven years - ahead; here, they really must think of the impact for seven generations.

We're not in separate canoes on separate rivers; we need to find mutually agreeable ways to move forward together.