Harper government is in attack mode with Attawapiskat woes

To the Expositor:

There is a story that I vaguely remember from Sunday school. Paraphrased it goes as follows: “Jesus was confronted by a crowd who were about to stone a woman found guilty of adultery. His reaction was to exclaim, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” The crowd quickly dispersed. Perhaps Stephen Harper and his cronies and those who wish to heap criticism on Chief Theresa Spence and her community should bear that story in mind.

Before we, as a society, and the Harper Government dump all over the poor people from Attawapiskat First Nation along with Chief Theresa Spence we should look more critically at how well the various forms of Canadian governments run things.

The Harper Government is maliciously trying to accuse the Attawapiskat people of mismanaging their funds and not keeping proper records. Too many Canadians are buying into this.

However, let us look around us closer to home first. The City of Greater Sudbury cannot properly account for some thousands of dollars of bus ticket sales. The council all but refused to deal with the provincial ombudsman who was acting on behalf of the citizens of Sudbury and the City Auditor General is only on a one-year contract and will be disposed of if he digs up too much dirt. And there are the potholes that connect pieces of our roads. Two of our local school boards have abandoned perfectly good schools and have squandered millions of dollars to either expand schools or build new ones, with a diminishing enrollment too. This is when our First Nations live in squalor and too many of their schools are sub-standard.

And then there’s the Ontario Government. How many millions of dollars were squandered on the bosses of the old Ontario Hydro? Then there was the Ornge Air Ambulance fiasco—more millions. Also, the billions squandered on the Mississauga Power Station that is no more. Closer to home again. The Algo Centre collapse in the summer of 2012 was certainly a tragedy. However, how about the Professional Engineers of Ontario not wanting to make public disclosure of their involvement and reports? What have they to hide? Could there be other similar situations waiting to happen? And look how much cash has been blown on the Town of Elliot Lake caused by the collapse.

We cannot leave the Feds out of it. There was the minister of defense using a government helicopter for his fishing trip. Billions to be spent on fighter jets when the Avro Arrow would still fit the bill. And then there’s the recent budget and omnibus bill that has gutted environmental protection on many of our lakes and water ways. Then think of the tar sands. The treatment of our military veterans…

Our First Nations have suffered the degradation heaped upon generations of Native children being compelled to attend residential schools.

Our First Nations have had to contend with broken promises, treaty violations and general contempt by various federal governments over the years. They have been deceived in every manner.

Before the Europeans arrived (the British and French) in this part of North America the water was unpolluted and drinkable, the fish and game were plentiful, the air was clean and the forests provided fuel and shelter. Four thousands of years the First Nations were good caretakers of the land and look what we have done in less than 250 years.

Oh! Canada, our home on Native Land!