What is more curious is that Canada (distinct from whatever Natives consider themselves) is expected to treat them like separate nations, but is also expected to negotiate in their interest as if they were any other Canadian. Given such a quandary, it is essentially impossible for the Canadian government to achieve anything other than throwing more money at people to stay in their little dysfunctional communities on their unsustainable pieces of land.
Any negotiation should include the cessation for such support, if not immediately, then in the near future, otherwise the current situation will continue indefinitely. Unfortunately, our constitution probably won’t allow Natives to become ‘regular’ Canadians, or allow us to make deals with people to remove these special rights.
I wish it was covered too. I had to stop going because it was costing too much.
That is exactly what the status quo looks like to me, too. I don’t think the politicians can fix anything at this point - any political move that looks even remotely like cutting funding to Natives will be shouted down by every bleeding heart in Canada (and outside of Canada), even if cutting funding (or changing what is funded) is exactly what is needed to fix things in the long term.
Woah woah woah! I am writing long, cogent sentences. Sometimes with words with more than three syllables! 
Sorry, I got confused when you mentioned Ezra Levant.
It’s the strangest thing about that man. I read his twitter feed, and of course he is an incendiary troll the likes of which not even the SDMB have seen, lol. And YET, every now and then he will proffer something which, although it likely doesn’t change my mind, at least causes me to question my initial assumptions. But I digress.
Our property law prof in 1L made us read the work of one of Harper’s buddies, Tom something or other. He’s a big proponent of aboriginal land reform, and IIRC, that’s one of the issues here.
I clearly don’t know all the facts–or indeed, very much about aboriginal law–but am intrigued about the prospect of giving aboriginals lock stock and barrel title over their lands which they can sell, rather than keeping it in its current usufructory state. It sounds like a reasonable proposition, does it not?
Individual land ownership would be meaningless without the unrestricted ability to sell or encumber that land.
Presently, homes (but not land) on reserves can be sold, so if land on reserves were permitted to be sold to only other Indians, there would be little difference from the existing situation other than to make it possible for individuals to amass land holdings (which might in turn be at the expense of their on-reserve tenants, depending on housing availability levels).
If reserve land were permitted to be encumbered, if non-status persons were permitted to execute judgments against assets on reserves (including against land), and if non-status persons were permitted to own on-reserve land, then individual land ownership on reserve would lead to opportunities for people and businesses on reserves to raise capital by way of mortgages, and non-status people and corporations would be much more willing to extend capital or conduct business with on-reserve entities, knowing that there was some security. In short, individual land ownership combined with judgment execution would bring people status Indians on reserves into the modern commercial world.
The great concern raised by first nations is that if individually owned land is transferred to non-status people or corporations, eventually reserves will end up no different than non-reserves when it comes to land ownership – essentially federal municipalities rather than sovereign nations, which in turn would lead to assimilation into mainstream Canadian culture.
I say go for it. Let the chips fall where they may. 
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any counter arguments form us whiteys on this.
Glad that Harper agreed to mee tnem. To bad they then shut down Via Rail and a couple of border crossings.
Did they really find a rat in Calgary?
I know a lot of people don’t like Klein but as an ex-premier he really is due a little respect.
Businesses pay hundreds of millions of dollars each year for marketing campaigns, but what makes the national news? A single rat that chewed through a garbage bag.
Makes me proud to be a Canadian. (Oh, wait a minute, am I allowed to say that in public?)
They found a handful of rats in Medicine Hat last summer, so I guess a rat in Calgary wouldn’t be extraordinary. I think they thought they got them all in Medicine Hat - maybe not. It’s hard to tell with rats.
And Gorsnak -
Rats: Did I miss a post? A link? A news story?
Ta.
In other news, what do we collectively think about the return of the NHL?
We won’t miss a step in Canada, I’m sure of it. Some of the lesser attended southern teams are probably going to take a hit, I think. This might not be bad. Relocation of Columbus to say, Quebec, or Phoenix to say, Hamilton might not be a bad idea.
Never going to happen as long as Bettman is around. Just like how Montreal will never get another baseball team until Bud Selig is gone. The American South is the hill he’s chosen to die on!
No problem.
Couldn’t care less if I tried really hard. I do, however, plan to not see any NHL games this season, and probably never again.
Not much. Should have just called the season over, and negotiated for next year. As it is, I’m picturing the Stanley Cup playoffs in August, when I’m more interested in other sports.