He can't produce them because they probably don't exist. If you keep accurate records that means people could be held accountable for the fraud and theft.
when is a hunger strike not a hunger strike when you consume broth all day
- Thread starter alex52
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Chief Spence wanted to throw the spotlight on third world conditions that some natives have to live under so that she can get more money to squander. What she did was to throw the spotlight on herself and the lack of accountability of the money that she has received. Her actions will bring better living conditions to the average native, only because now all the money given will have to be accounted for.
Now if she can share the secret to her secret life sustaining fish broth , we can feed a lot of hungry natives as well the starving around the world.
Now if she can share the secret to her secret life sustaining fish broth , we can feed a lot of hungry natives as well the starving around the world.
You can survive on a fluid diet for weeks if not months. You won't be doing any jigs or manual labour but you will be alive.
I found it quite telling that she had an open door for reporters until the audit story broke then she kicked them off the reserve.
It is a puzzler and I've heard few people with near the right answer. The best explanation I've heard was that it 'was' an over reaction, rightly or wrongly, based on a long history of pushing back hard when attacked by outsiders.
Part of the problem is poor leadership and poor management, but what the hell does anybody expect?
Attiwapiskat First Nation is in the middle of nowhere, a poor community with an inferior education system and a whopping 1900 people living there. Out of these 1900 people they've picked this Spence to be their leader, but she pretty much by definition a small time backwater leader. She does not have the skills or ability--never mind the training or the education--to do the job that she's been given. Graft and corruption flow not just from some lack of morals, but from the fact that you are pushing massive amounts of money into the hands of people who are completely unprepared to deal with it.
Surprise surprise, they didn't keep proper records. Well has anyone ever shown them how to do that? What's the level of training of their best accountant? Do they even have an accountant? How many of them in that community actually graduated highschool?
I am sure Spence would make a great class President and would do a wonderful job of planning a graduation ceremony. Beyond that, she is over her head, and it is not her fault that she is over her head. Anybody who expected Attawapiskat or any other similarly small First Nation to run a professional accounting operation is just ludicrously dreaming. Anyone expected a backwater of 1900 people to produce a leader who could act competently and effectively with a clear message on a national stage--is dreaming. There was never even the slightest chance that they would be able to manage their accounts in a way that a financial auditor from a big 3 accounting firm would find acceptable.
Now she is under massive nation wide media spotlight with reams of columnists analyzing her every word. Is she prepared for that? Hell no. She's cracking under the pressure, flip flopping, completely unsure of what to do next and just not coping at all with the job she needs to do--she is acting like a deer caught in the headlights, and if any of you were honest--probably so would most of you, if you were now in her shoes. What did anyone expect? Does anyone think this is going to end well?
The whole approach to these issues needs to be reformed. We should throw the entire system out, and start over from first principles. These people DO deserve better than they're getting, but it isn't going to be an incremental reform of the system we have today that delivers it. Handing Spence a few more million dollars will accomplish nothing, ditto all the other similarly screwed communities. Blaming her and saying it's all their fault is also stupid--it's an unrealistic expectation.
Attiwapiskat First Nation is in the middle of nowhere, a poor community with an inferior education system and a whopping 1900 people living there. Out of these 1900 people they've picked this Spence to be their leader, but she pretty much by definition a small time backwater leader. She does not have the skills or ability--never mind the training or the education--to do the job that she's been given. Graft and corruption flow not just from some lack of morals, but from the fact that you are pushing massive amounts of money into the hands of people who are completely unprepared to deal with it.
Surprise surprise, they didn't keep proper records. Well has anyone ever shown them how to do that? What's the level of training of their best accountant? Do they even have an accountant? How many of them in that community actually graduated highschool?
I am sure Spence would make a great class President and would do a wonderful job of planning a graduation ceremony. Beyond that, she is over her head, and it is not her fault that she is over her head. Anybody who expected Attawapiskat or any other similarly small First Nation to run a professional accounting operation is just ludicrously dreaming. Anyone expected a backwater of 1900 people to produce a leader who could act competently and effectively with a clear message on a national stage--is dreaming. There was never even the slightest chance that they would be able to manage their accounts in a way that a financial auditor from a big 3 accounting firm would find acceptable.
Now she is under massive nation wide media spotlight with reams of columnists analyzing her every word. Is she prepared for that? Hell no. She's cracking under the pressure, flip flopping, completely unsure of what to do next and just not coping at all with the job she needs to do--she is acting like a deer caught in the headlights, and if any of you were honest--probably so would most of you, if you were now in her shoes. What did anyone expect? Does anyone think this is going to end well?
The whole approach to these issues needs to be reformed. We should throw the entire system out, and start over from first principles. These people DO deserve better than they're getting, but it isn't going to be an incremental reform of the system we have today that delivers it. Handing Spence a few more million dollars will accomplish nothing, ditto all the other similarly screwed communities. Blaming her and saying it's all their fault is also stupid--it's an unrealistic expectation.
yup... can't expect much leadership, efficient management or accountability from these people. I mean.. they don't want to take up a 9-5 job, but want a free ride, skip taxes, enjoy time in the wild, smoke, drink, get high on gasoline xD Most couldn't even pass highschool math, let alone keep track of where funds go.
I had to laugh earlier while watching new and they started mentioning Chief Spence willing to sacrifice her life and die for her cause.. Sacrifice and die from fasting? hahahah that is probably the last and farthest thing on her mind. A maniuplative, spoilt kid who thinks she can get what she wants by fooling people she would die for her cause and acting like a little kid is what she is.
I think your post is just bigotry. Again, I think when you have a community in the middle of nowhere, with 1900 people, most of whom lack an education--when you think you can hand them millions of dollars and expect them to manage that properly, YOU are the problem. Only an idiot would do that.
What we need is some larger scale governance for native communities, bringing together enough people that there's a credible base to draw leadership and experience from. We should not expect competent governance from communities of less than, say, 30000 people. A 30000 person community can get together the resources to do proper accounting and budgeting, combine services to some reasonable level of efficiency, and draw on a voter base large enough to come up with some semi-credible leaders.
It's just not realistic to expect a backwater community of 1900 people to manage what we are expecting them to manage. That's our fault.
Interesting comments in this thread. I just wanted to say, in terms of the Audit and the zamboni/arena that was built:
The audit was *released* by the media (coincidentally before the meeting with Harper) and it was supposed to be released to the general public by the end of the month. In terms of Harper and his experience in handling the issues at Attawapiskat, Harper's decision to send third party management was declared unreasonable by the federal court. Since Spence has become chief, the situation on the reserve has gotten a *bit* better (but you can't fix the institutional violence over night that colonialism has been perpetuating for decades). The audit demonstrated this and what was reported in the media was only *parts* of the audit. Spence has been chief since 2010 and this was an audit that was for 2005-2011. Since then, Spence is working to bring attention to the issues in her community since the initial spot light on Attawapiskat as of last year. The zamboni/arena was actually built from money that was fundraise to help create a sense of community especially for young Aboriginal people (who face high suicide completion rates and high suicide attempt rates).
I won't comment on anything else that was raised because some of those comments just don't deserve any attention.
Here is a post that talks about the $90 million that the media has excessively reported on yet does not provide a breakdown until now:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/12/04/brett-hodnett-the-real-math-behind-attawapiskats-90-million/
Here is a video that addresses some of the stereotypes raised in this post:
I know that I cannot change what some individuals think about Aboriginals in Canada or the States, but I can help share information and hopefully enlighten others in the proces
Have a lovely start to your week all!
Xo
The audit was *released* by the media (coincidentally before the meeting with Harper) and it was supposed to be released to the general public by the end of the month. In terms of Harper and his experience in handling the issues at Attawapiskat, Harper's decision to send third party management was declared unreasonable by the federal court. Since Spence has become chief, the situation on the reserve has gotten a *bit* better (but you can't fix the institutional violence over night that colonialism has been perpetuating for decades). The audit demonstrated this and what was reported in the media was only *parts* of the audit. Spence has been chief since 2010 and this was an audit that was for 2005-2011. Since then, Spence is working to bring attention to the issues in her community since the initial spot light on Attawapiskat as of last year. The zamboni/arena was actually built from money that was fundraise to help create a sense of community especially for young Aboriginal people (who face high suicide completion rates and high suicide attempt rates).
I won't comment on anything else that was raised because some of those comments just don't deserve any attention.
Here is a post that talks about the $90 million that the media has excessively reported on yet does not provide a breakdown until now:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/12/04/brett-hodnett-the-real-math-behind-attawapiskats-90-million/
Here is a video that addresses some of the stereotypes raised in this post:
I know that I cannot change what some individuals think about Aboriginals in Canada or the States, but I can help share information and hopefully enlighten others in the proces
Have a lovely start to your week all!
Xo
the whole thing is a joke. And yeah who is really monitoring her food intake? the whole reserve system needs to be abolished its just a system of perpetual poverty and corruption.
lol no canadian politician wants to open up that can of worms, youre so full of shit. Imagine what the left would do if reserves were shut down or some type of welfare to work program was initiated? the aboriginals know they can get away with murder bc no politician wants to fuck with them. Aboriginals have the power to disrupt the economy by blocking rail lines or doing things like refusing to allow a mine to be built. If harper had balls he;d have her arrested but he;s just like all the other politicians, chief spence included. He wants to stay in power and enjoy all the perks
Aboriginals Chiefs aren't children nor are they stupid. There may be a massive cultural gap but this is corruption not stupidity at work. They may not be Wall street masters but many reserves are properly run and managed. Spence is calculating and manipulative. She started all this knowing damn well it was going to hit the fan.
Patronizing aboriginals is just plain offensive and solves nothing. The system is broken and the feds and the chiefs are to blame. The feds for their weakness and incompetence and the chiefs for their greed. Everybody involved needs to wear this so that the victims, the kids growing up on the reserves, have a future instead of more generations of the same crap because somewhere along the line they got the impression they are expected to amount to nothing by greedy chiefs and silly white people suffering from excess guilt. Hand-up not hand-out.
shes probably painted herself in a corner, she probably thought after a week or two the govt would give into her demands and that the public woldnt notice her farce. She cannot quit, bc then she will look weak to her people, but the longer this drags on the more she is being exposed.
