A FEW MILLION HERE, A FEW MILLION THERE. WHEN DOES IT STOP. SOLUTION -----

LETS DOWNSIZE THE GOVERNMENT AND ALL SEND OUR PAYCHECKS TO THE NATIVE BANDS,THEN WE CAN GO TO THEM FOR HAND OUTS.

After reading the article about the scam artist, this one sort of reminds me of a scam on the part of the government and the people of this province once one has a look at the details surrounding the case.

Has there been any mention here of the payment being made to the First Nations for the 4 acres in Victoria? Perhaps I missed it.

Wow !! it's hard to keep track of all these transactions. That one kinda surprised me. I wonder how many of our kids (and their kids) are gonna have to pay for claims from the past ?? BTW, how come my kids (who were born here) don't qualify as "native" ? Seems to me that your place of birth should be proof enough of your "nativeness". Perhaps our greatest contribution to their future will be the LAND CLAIMS INDUSTRY that was created in our time.

The three of you probably have no knowledge of the hardships the Tsay Keh Dene have been through, including their dislocation, loss of livelihood and polluted townsite they were eventually moved to. I guess you can be excused for your ignorance. But even so, you surely understand that their land was stolen from them outright and never legally obtained in the beginning, contrary to standard Canadian practice of signing treaties. Surely you believe in justice and the rule of law. Or do different laws apply to First Nations? For your info, Rabit, if we never had racist forefathers who thought they could settle the land claim issue by ignoring it, we wouldn't have a land-claims industry today. Either we deal with it now or leave it to our future generations.

When does it stop?

When all the land stolen from aboriginal people has been paid for, that's when.

I really don't understand what all the complaining is about, anyway. All the money being paid as compensation for past theft has been earned from the proceeds of that same theft, hasn't it? Sell their trees and pay a bit to them. Pump their oil and pay a bit to them. Catch their fish and give some to them. All we are doing is paying aboriginal people with money from the sale of their goods. That's still a good deal, I would have thought. Non aboriginal people will still have billions and billions of dollars in value from those stolen goods yet to come.

So much fer First Nations immigration policy back then. None!

When does it stop? When the printing presses stop printing money. And then the government will get new ones. The money will never stop. Remember there will always be money fer poor people. Not you, pal.

"If we never had racist forefathers who thought they could settle the land claim issue by ignoring it," and thats the catcher. The longer our governments waite the more it will cost to settle the land claims.

We have taken billions from our natural resources and ignored our aboriginal people who should have had some of the benifit but it went to the share holders instead. Let those whine that think we should of done otherwise.

Cheers

Seems to me the Natives have always said "We don't own the land. We use it and move on"

Hundreds of years ago the natives "stole" territory from other natives. The strong survived the weak moved on or were slaughtered.

Natives claim they own the fish, the oil, the trees, the land. Give ME a break my pockets are empty being taxed to death. I was born here and so were my parents and them before them, I'm native too. Where is my payoff for making a bad deal on two houses I sold in the past.

People of today are being asked to pay for the sins of the generations that went before them.

Often that is a hard pill to swallow, i.e. to compensate for something that we personally took no part in and had no influence on.

Invariably it creates a lot of hard feelings and some kind of a backlash, which is only natural.

But, still the claims must be settled, equitably and in a fair and legal manner.

Canada dedicates about 2 and a half billion dollars to foreign aid annually, so I don't see why our native claims can not be settled (all of them) speedily! The necessary funds can be taken out of the federal foreign aid budget.

We should look after our own affairs FIRST, then, when we have money left over we can be as generous to help others as we want to be.

The countries that receive our foreign aid now will most certainly understand that we must do things in a certain order and priority- after all it is still our money until we hand it over.

We all talk about what we have taken from the natiives...Seems to me big company's such as lumber, oil, mining, etc stole their so called resources. If these company's made all the money off of them, the why are the tax payers on the hook. I do belive the company's that harvested their natual rescourses should pay the bill. I know I can't run up bills and send it to the tax payer.....

Cole Black .... what do you mean by "three of you"?

There were three posters before your comment. Unless the editors here removed one or more post before yours, the three you refer to would have included me. In that case, please re-read my post for content.

I said that the taking of the land without compensation by the government amounts to a scam on the part of the government and its people. It is a scam of the highest order!!

I knew very well what is involved and why the First Nations will be compensated in this case before you posted the details.

I have no desire to be associated with those who wish to perpetuate the scam and who refuse to understand or are incapable of understanding the reasons for the compensation.

Back to the 4 acres or so of land in Victoria. ..... it seems no one here has heard that one yet .... we seem ot be just intersted in local stuff ....

The companies are licensed to do business and extract materials by the government on behalf of the taxpayer, and collect royalties and various taxes on the production. That's why governments give the compensation.

Now, if you are proposing that taxes on these companies should be increased to recoup the compensation paid, by all means encourage the provincial government to impose it in the next budget. They do call for input, remember.

Owl, are you referring to the recent settlement for the Legislature grounds? The settlement was for $31.5 million. There is an article at
[url[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/10/18/2060515-cp.html[/url]

Sorry again, I can't get that right.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/10/18/2060515-cp.html

Sorry again, I can't get that right.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/10/18/2060515-cp.html

My comment on the start of the settlement with First Nations. The First Nation's know we aren't going anywhere - that being said my friend - a Tlingit said we had been welcomed on their land. I think that it is very benevolent that they are sharing it with us.

As to when we will stop paying them, I think that it will be a long time. Has their been waste? Of course, but remember it was we Europeans, or our "forefathers" who imposed our ways and "imperfect" and unjust settlements upon them. And we've always seemed to end up on top.

There is hope - look to Alaska to see what has been done to instill in North American First Nations a sense of renewed pride in their culture - in who they are. The Alaska Native Corporations are some of the most wealthy businesses in that state. The corporations had their set backs, however, they are now all doing very well. They've adapted to our manner of doing business and they've done very well after that adaptation.

Is it a perfect solution? of course not! but it is working and the first nations there are succeeding beyond anyone's wildest expectations.
In Alaska it took thirty-six years to get this far, but the first nation youth in Alaska now firmly understand who they are, where they come from and where they are going.

It will take BC some time as well to move beyond the old stereotypes, but it will happen and you'll be happy with the results.

There is big shift in attitude that will come from these changes, it won't be comfortable, but it will get better. Just look to your neighbours to the northwest of you - that should be a preview of a bright future for First Nations and for the rest of us!

As long as we are equal citizens when the payout is done I'm good for these treaties. I'd rather see rich natives here in BC, than shareholders in Europe.

That is the one ammonra. Thanks for that. I think it was Vaughn Palmer who included it in a well written article in the Vancouver SUn last week, but I had thrown it away and could not find it anywhere on the net. I thought it was four acres but can see that it is more like four hectares.

For those who do not click through to such articles, here is the lkey part from my point of view, becuase it is in some way similar to the Ontario case of something being given, and then taken away shortly afterwards without compensation. We used to have a term for that which could now be politically incorrect but quite appropriate in this case, more properly called "white-giver".

"The James Bay Reserve, which includes the legislature property, was originally part of a treaty settlement, but it was taken back by the government for the legislature site."

I thought it was fitting that the very seat of government in this province was built on land which was taken, then given back, then taken once more without compensation. I would ask for back payment in rent, the deed to the land, and annual rental payments. Seems to me that any good businessperson would do that if we were dealing with non-natives.

Vaughn also wrote about the bands in the Williston Lake region and how a Social Credit MLA discovered the squalor they were living in when they tried moving back to as close to their home as possible, given that it was under water. He started the ball rolling towards compensation many decades ago - I think in the early 1960's.

Sorry about my interpretation of your comments Owl. I didn't mean to include you in that reference.

No problem Cole. Just wanted to make sure my position on these matters was understood and nip any misinterpretation in the bud. :-)

I LIKE BEN'S COMMENT A FEW DAYS AGO.... PAY EVERY NATIVE ONE MILLION DOLLARS AND DO AWAY WITH THE INDUSTRY THAT IS FEEDING OFF OF SITUATION.MORE MONEY WOULD GO TO THE NATIVES AND WE COULD GET ON WITH LIFE TOGETHER IN HARMONY.IT IS THE BUREAUCRACY THAT IS THE PROBLEM,ON BOTH SIDES.ITS A CRIME SEEING ALL THE MONEY GOING TO THE SYSTEM AND VERY LITTLE TO THE NATIVE PEOPLE THEMSELVES.

31.5 milion for the legislature lands? That land was probably only worth $2,000.00 one hundred and eight years ago. Damn I have to get more money from the houses I sold for next to nothing years ago.