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“Why is he treating this desperately poor community like a hostage?” – Charlie Angus MP


AttawapiskatOTTAWA – James Bay Timmins MP Charlie Angus clashed with federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan during question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Angus was seeking answers from the Minister on the housing crisis in Attawapiskat.

Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect a just resolution to the Attawapiskat crisis, but the minister prefers to punish the community. It has been two months since he has cut off all the funding to the education system and to students. He has cut off the funding that is needed to actually prepare the site so the modular homes can be brought in. We have a technical team on the ground from De Beers that is waiting to bring this story to a conclusion, but the third party manager in Winnipeg is sitting on all the money.

Why is he treating this desperately poor community like a hostage?

Hon. John Duncan (Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, CPC): Mr. Speaker, all of the statements that were just made are all basically fabrications. They do not reflect the truth. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of the people of Attawapiskat. In terms of the third party manager, that is a matter before the courts and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is inappropriate that a man has decided to punish the most desperately poor community by cutting off funding to children who are in ramshackle portables. Meanwhile he has hired a third-party manager to sponge off their backs to the tune of $50,000, while the technical team from De Beers does not have a dime to prepare the homes. These are Canadian citizens. They should not be treated like a hostage population. He has to stand and explain his attack on this community.

Hon. John Duncan (Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, CPC): Mr. Speaker, this is a very simple question. We have a manager in place and he wants to work with the first nations leadership in the community. He has asked for and not received the information he needs in order to pay the bills for which the member for Timmins is asking.

  • Anonymous

    Federal Government Lawyers are in Toronto arguing that the Feds provided modulars, and look!! they don’t even have the sites prepared!!! I bet part of their arguments didn’t include the fact that the community didn’t have access to Band funds to do it!!

  • Kyle

    “Children in ramshackle portables… when one of the documentaries I
    watched failed to hide the brand new king cab pickups, expensive SUV,
    kids with cel phones and nice tv’s but not a proper home to sleep in…
    and somehow this is the governments fault?”

    As an Aboriginal, you of all people should know that status Indians are considered Wards of the State and that education must be provided by the federal government. What does the state of the school portables (which is a federal responsibility, so who exactly should we blame, if not the federal government?) have to do with the supposed luxuries the citizens of Attawapiskat have?

    “Now we as TAX PAYERS should have to buy them houses cause they were more concerned about spending the cash on what?”

    Are the people of Attawapiskat not taxpayers too?

    “Wait… nobody knows cause they also refuse to show where it vanished to!”

    Outright lie. They have provided their financial statements online.

    “It’s not racist to ask where the money is… and to ensure it hasn’t
    padded a select few persons pockets… the money is not yours… its tax
    money you ‘need’ to survive.”

    Silly me. I thought tax revenue was for spending on all Canadians. Or do you not consider yourself and your fellow Aboriginals Canadians?

    “When i was unemployed I had neither vehicle(never mind fancy ones) or
    tv’s… and i lived in a crappy little apartment where everything was in
    poor working order… thats what happens when your unemployed…”

    So because you lived in discomfort when you were at an unfortunate period of your life, so should everyone else be? Amazing logic.

    ” Theres no work there???? When I had difficulty finding work i went to
    where the work is… moved to a larger center for a job… thats what
    you do when theres no work.  I have no running water… i dont dump my
    feces in front of my house… I dig a hole and build an outhouse.”

    So as an Aboriginal, you believe that your fellow Aboriginals should forfeit their culture and homeland?

    “90 MILLION DOLLARS IN 2 YEARS AND HAVE NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHERE IT
    WENT!!! CRAZY!!!   THE MAJORITY OF MY COMMUNITY SUFFERS IN 3RD WORLD
    IMPOVERISHED CONDITION WHEN THE GOVERNMENT ASKS WHERES THE CASH HAS GONE
    AND THERES NO ANSWER… SOMONE NEEDS TO GO TO JAIL!”

    When you’re done your coronary, it’s $90 million over FIVE years, not two. And most of that went to healthcare, education, and social services. If you tally up the funding per capita, Attawapiskat gets less funding than pretty much any community that isn’t a reserve.

    “This country will bankrupt if all this corruption is not stopped!!! When
    the country goes bankrupt there won’t be a penny for anyone…
    including Attawapiskat… In 2 years this community has spent a third of
    the annual operating budget of the City of Thunder Bay… a city of
    100k + pop. with infrastructure to maintain… sewage systems, garbage
    collection, 100′s of police, fire and other personnel, lights, snow
    removal, bridges and roads to maintain!  Think about the numbers… It
    never needed 90 million these bands have payrolls for their council
    larger than that of cities twice their size… but poverty thats
    rampant.”

    You’re an utter fool. Attawapiskat has to pay for healthcare and education and social services which normally the province pays in an off-reserve community. Again, it’s over five years, not two. Add onto Thunder Bay’s budget the money it receives from the province and feds for healthcare, education, and social services and then we’ll have a conversation.

    As for the rest, it’s a racist rant where you assume that the people of Attawapiskat do not pay tax and you call Aboriginals liars, cheats, and embezzlers. I highly doubt you’re Aboriginal. If you are, you need your head checked.

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