A Basic Standard of Living?
Ottawa's Centre for the Study of Living recently released a study that records some very sad numbers, indeed. According to the study's findings, almost 1 in 2 aboriginal youths fail to complete high school. 70% of non-aboriginal Canadians complete secondary school, while only 52% of aboriginal Canadians do so. The problem hits hardest on Manitoba's reserves, where 70% of the youth fail to earn their high school diplomas, earning them the dubious distinction of having the country's highest reserve drop-out rate.
When you know the high school figures, the post-secondary stats come as no surprise. Although almost 22% of non-aboriginal Canadians held a university degree in 2001, only 8.9% of the aboriginal population could lay claim to the same educational status.
National Chief Phil Fontaine, with the Assembly of First Nations, says, "It doesn't make sense ... to keep people poor, poorly educated, poorly trained and unable to access jobs." Stating that the First Nations are not looking for special treatment, Fontaine adds, "We're asking for what others enjoy ... a basic standard of living with decent schools, decent housing, safe drinking water, and quality health care."
It seems almost ludicrous that Fontaine should feel obliged to make the disclaimer on seeking special treatment. Anyone who knows about the treatment they do receive here in Canada, would get a chuckle out of that, if the situation weren't so damned disgraceful.
In 2001, 3/4 of the drinking water systems on reserves posed health risks. By 2006, an investigation conducted by the CBC found that the safety of the water on 2/3 of the reserves was still in question. At that time, it was found that 62% of the water operators lacked proper certification. In 2005, Johanne Gelinas, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, found that there was a serious lack of accounting, standards and monitoring of how "Ottawa" has spent nearly $2 billion to supposedly fix the problem. You can bet a good portion of that amount has gone to finance someone's vacations and God knows what else, but you can't safely bet that most of it was actually put to its planned use.
The government's latest figures still show a gap between the life expectancies of the aborigianl and the non-aborigianl populations. Men of the First Nations can expect to be shortchanged by 7.4 years, compared to other Canadian males. The women fare a little better, comparatively speaking, but they still will make their final exit an average of 5.2 years sooner than non-aboriginal women will.
Such figures make it clear why Canada has recently dropped from first to eighth in ranking of best countries in the world in which to live. The drop is primarily due to the housing and health conditions among the First Nations. More than 5,000 of the 88,485 houses on reserves are without sewage. Mold contaminates almost half of all reserves households. Applying a Human Development Index created to their living condition, in fact, results in a ranking of Third World conditions, here in one of the most privileged countries in the whole world.
These stats are disturbing. They are morally inexcusable, and yet their sad litany goes ona and on. Why can't the First Nations be allowed to create their own school boards? That might perhaps be a first stop toward ameliorating the deplorable situation, but it will not be enough. There is more, so much more that needs to be done.
When will Canada move to clean up its dirty little secret? When will our aborigianl peopls be given equality? They called this land home before any of the rest of us and yet they have little share in the comforts of home available to most of the rest of us. Where are their "decent schools, decent housing, safe drinking water, and quality health care"?
When you know the high school figures, the post-secondary stats come as no surprise. Although almost 22% of non-aboriginal Canadians held a university degree in 2001, only 8.9% of the aboriginal population could lay claim to the same educational status.
National Chief Phil Fontaine, with the Assembly of First Nations, says, "It doesn't make sense ... to keep people poor, poorly educated, poorly trained and unable to access jobs." Stating that the First Nations are not looking for special treatment, Fontaine adds, "We're asking for what others enjoy ... a basic standard of living with decent schools, decent housing, safe drinking water, and quality health care."
It seems almost ludicrous that Fontaine should feel obliged to make the disclaimer on seeking special treatment. Anyone who knows about the treatment they do receive here in Canada, would get a chuckle out of that, if the situation weren't so damned disgraceful.
In 2001, 3/4 of the drinking water systems on reserves posed health risks. By 2006, an investigation conducted by the CBC found that the safety of the water on 2/3 of the reserves was still in question. At that time, it was found that 62% of the water operators lacked proper certification. In 2005, Johanne Gelinas, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, found that there was a serious lack of accounting, standards and monitoring of how "Ottawa" has spent nearly $2 billion to supposedly fix the problem. You can bet a good portion of that amount has gone to finance someone's vacations and God knows what else, but you can't safely bet that most of it was actually put to its planned use.
The government's latest figures still show a gap between the life expectancies of the aborigianl and the non-aborigianl populations. Men of the First Nations can expect to be shortchanged by 7.4 years, compared to other Canadian males. The women fare a little better, comparatively speaking, but they still will make their final exit an average of 5.2 years sooner than non-aboriginal women will.
Such figures make it clear why Canada has recently dropped from first to eighth in ranking of best countries in the world in which to live. The drop is primarily due to the housing and health conditions among the First Nations. More than 5,000 of the 88,485 houses on reserves are without sewage. Mold contaminates almost half of all reserves households. Applying a Human Development Index created to their living condition, in fact, results in a ranking of Third World conditions, here in one of the most privileged countries in the whole world.
These stats are disturbing. They are morally inexcusable, and yet their sad litany goes ona and on. Why can't the First Nations be allowed to create their own school boards? That might perhaps be a first stop toward ameliorating the deplorable situation, but it will not be enough. There is more, so much more that needs to be done.
When will Canada move to clean up its dirty little secret? When will our aborigianl peopls be given equality? They called this land home before any of the rest of us and yet they have little share in the comforts of home available to most of the rest of us. Where are their "decent schools, decent housing, safe drinking water, and quality health care"?
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