Chief Spence on day 23 of her "hunger strike".
Theresa Spence is the Chief of a G-d forsaken community called Allawapiskat in Northern Ontario. The "First Nations" band living in Allawapiskat total between 1500 and 1800 people. In the last six years the Canadian government (i.e. me, and my fellow tax payers) has given the community $104 million dollars, most of which has not been used to provide aid or assistance to the residents. In addition to the Federal money, the DeBeers Diamond Mining company has provided over 100 jobs and $325 million in contracts to local band business. More than 80% of all of these funds are unaccounted for (more about that later).
In 2011 the band pleaded for help stating that residents were living in abject poverty with inadequate housing, heating, clothing, schools and food. The band was, at the time, "co-managed" (more about that later). The Canadian government, in an effort to improve the lot of the band members, appointed a third party manager to oversee the financial management of the band. And this is where things start to get really interesting. Chief Spence objected to the appointment of the third party administrator and she took the Harper government to court over their imposition of third party management in her community – and won. The courts called the government’s implementing of third party management “unreasonable.”
Fast forward to December 11, 2012 when Chief Spence decided to move her well nourished body together with an entourage of "supporters" and "spokespersons" to an "island" in the Ottawa river (Ottawa being the seat of the Canadian Federal government) to begin a "hunger strike" (more about that later). Said strike to be in force until the Canadian PM Stephen Harper and Governor General David Johnson agree to sit down and meet to discuss her demands for no less than one week.
Returning to the unaccounted for funds, here are the details of the damming report.
Returning
to the "co-manager" of the band, Clayton Kennedy, who also happens to be Chief Spence's common law husband. He (and she) apparently see no conflict of
interest in his co-management of the band and his relationship with the Chief.
He is quite content to invoice the band $850 a day plus expenses for his
"services". They own two vacation homes in Florida, she drives an
$80,000 Cadillac Escalade, and the band stock portfolio is estimated to be worth
almost $9 million.
Returning
to the “hunger strike” which some newspaper columnists have referred to
variously as a diet/New Years cleansing. Her liquid only “diet” and by liquid
we ain’t just talking water. In true ancestral style, Chief Spence is also
partaking daily of fish broth and moose broth. Both of which would keep an
Olympic athlete fit for months. As one astute columnist noted, Chief Spence’s
“hunger strike” has far outlasted the 21 days that Ghandi never exceeded and
the 26 days it took for the IRA strikers to look like walking skeletons.. And in true
sacrificial mode, Chief Spence has a chauffeured car pick her up from the tepee
every day to drive her to a hotel so she can shower and rest.
In a moment of what can only be explained as Christmas madness, Stephen Harper has agreed to meet with Spence on December 11, 2012.
Chief Spence announced today that she will not attend the meeting.
I blame the courts for upholding this leech's position. When people decide to be "separate" rather than Canadian - or American - that's just fine. But be "separate" on your own, quit taking the hard earned tax dollars from the rest of us and get a life.
ReplyDeleteFor shame.
This is absurd, and exactly what happens when the "wealth" is redistributed to ungrateful slugs.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same ugly problem here in the states. Government monies are pocketed by tribal elders and their white enablers. Then the "soft racism of lowered expectations" comes into play and the elders are not held accountable for the funds.
Spence is a pathetic joke. Canadian taxpayers should send her packing (with empty pockets) back to her God-forsaken patch of empty tundra.
lr, I get to the same place from a slightly different path...
DeleteActually I'm pretty sympathetic to the plight of indigenous peoples generally, and in the Americas in particular.
When a civilization comes in contact with another civilization with more advanced technology, the situation is always worse for the less advanced civ.
Even if the individual people end up materially better off in a few generations, their culture is destroyed (either intentionally or through corruption and neglect) and they are left with a kind of soul-sickness.
Forget all the PC rubbish surrounding the issue. Bottom line is simply that I wouldn't trade places with them for one minute.
Further, if I had to chose between being a Navaho or Eskimo in, say, 1978 vs 1678... hmm... antibiotics, TV, plenty of food vs being part of a living culture (even if life was harder and shorter)... tough one. Let me get back to you on that.
Being part of a ghost culture sucks. We're getting a view over the edge of that abyss right now.
So while I'm inclined to stick to my guns regarding entitlements and spending, I do my best to honor the totality of the hardships that the native peoples have gone through.
And that said - what this woman is doing can't possibly be authentic or genuine. She's a scammer.
The balls these con artists have are amazing. It really speaks to the dysfunction of the tribe that these people haven't been dealt with appropriately. (e.g. partisans 1, Mussolini 0).
That's an interesting take, lewy. I'm not saying they must do away with their culture. No one is asking them to give up any part of their culture that is important to them. Many tribes have scammers like this one in the article. They are only out for themselves, they don't give a shyte about the tribe.
DeleteMy Irish culture is important to me. However, I am not going to demand reparations for the Potato Famine. When is enough payment enough? Are the glut of casinos scarring our landscape enough?
What group hasn't suffered?
There are all kinds of problems and it's only getting worse. Here is what is going on with one of our local tribes.
In my hometown, the local tribe there has bought up land with grants and now wants the road to be accessed only by the tribe. They want other residents, like my 85 yr-old mother who has owned her property there for 65 years, to take another route miles and miles out of her way.
They can go onto her property and dig clams anytime they feel so inclined even though she has paid the property taxes since day one, including for tide rights. I guess there's not enough clams on the miles and miles of beach that they own, tax-free. Don't even get me started about the bogus "whale hunt". Even a tribal elder admitted it was all about profit and zero about "culture".
flo, the Irish are in fact extracting their potato famine reparations. It's in their corporate tax code. ;)
DeleteDavid Cameron is in a complete snit about it right now, as is that idiot Hollande in France.
The EU isn't so keen any more on national sovereignty; I hope Ireland can keep hers.
I'm talking about me, personally, lewy. I'm an American now, I'm not interested in reparations for what happened in the past.
DeleteI'm sympathetic to the plight of indigenous people too lewy; "ghost culture" is an excellent description. However, I have zero sympathy or tolerance for the criminals who prey on them.
DeleteLast year, I had an opportunity to see a list of the "food" our gov't provides to the reservations. It's pure junk. Is it any wonder many of these people are obese, lethargic, and sick? The cash the gov't sends is gobbled up by a select few, while the bulk of the tribe live in abject poverty. It's beyond heartbreaking.
Amen, lady red, amen.
ReplyDeleteLewie, for Fay's birthday last year we stayed at a resort owned by a First Nation Tribe. The contract out the operation, but the resort is owned by the tribe and was a business venture that the Tribe decided upon doing. They also have a very nice winery. No, there is no casino at this resort.
ReplyDeleteThis Tribe makes wise business decisions and the benefits of those decisions go to the entire tribe.
The Allawapiskat is ruled by corruption. How is it that the government and DeBeers can pump a couple of hundred million dollars into the Allawapiskat, but the people still live in poverty while the leaders can have a stock portfolio worth $9 million? The husband of the chief bills an exorbitant amount to the tribe, but he is not required to provide any supporting documentation.
Why is it wrong to wrong to call such behavior criminal? A white business leader would be in prison for much of the rest of his life if he even dreamed of behaving in such a manner. Don't the native peoples deserve better than that? The resources have been provided to end their suffering. The Allawapiskat are no longer suffering because of the white man -- they are suffering because of Allawapiskat leadership. However, it is racist to say that while the Allawapiskat starve.
For sure Matt, completely criminal.
DeleteI'm sad for the tribe that they can't find their way to dish out whatever authentic and culturally appropriate punishment is due these scammers.
They ought to be begging to be arrested so they can enjoy the safety of Canadian jail.
So, apparently there's lots more where she came from.
ReplyDeleteThe sincere will get sold out, and the scammers will profit.
Saw enough of this in Alaska, with the Native Claims Settlement Act.
ReplyDeleteEach tribe member was given a certain amount of money, but too many of those who were educated in the totally crappy BIA village schools were utterly unprepared to manage that money.
There were certainly enough people, both native and others, more than happy to take advantage, so the money soon found its way into a few hands, and the others were back to where they had been before the settlement.