"One Man's Opinion" By Tehaliwaskénhas The Reform Party Just Doesn't Get It! Armed with the excuse of 'don't shoot the messenger', much gets said these days by folks who believe they can speak on behalf of others. That's okay I guess, unless of course it's for blatant political gain. A couple of Reform Members of Parliament would have us believe they are the watchdogs of government and funnily enough---Indian people too. I'm sure the stories they heard during the summer of '98 from several hundred people in Alberta about poverty, lack of accountability and other First Nation woes, are believable. My comments here are not intended to detract from the importance and relevance of the issues facing the people. The reality of life in 'Indian Country' can never be diminished by anything I could say. However, watch out when right wing extremists hitch their wagons to your star. It's not so much what they're saying regarding living conditions on reserves. But it's how they're delivering the message --- putting down Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart, to make themselves appear righteous on our behalf. That's okay if you don't mind earning the name 'dances with fools'. But let's not be fooled, by the masquerade of these people whose real agenda is to rid the country of First Nation communities, and therefore I infer, all Indian people. That's correct! The Reform Party of Canada has clearly stated their desire for assimilation. Get rid of your race-based, apartheid-like, reserve communities and come join the rest of us, they say. A cordial invitation, I'm sure. The hairs on their backs bristle if you dare associate them with the other 'r' word. In fact, their party threatened to sue the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations for allegedly accusing reformers of being racist. The Reform Party of Canada is the architect of its own undoing and for the simple reason it comes from a place of narrowness. There is no room for facts, depth, history, or true desire for understanding. There is only room for a one-dimensional perspective. Reform and those who embrace their dogma look at Indians, and can only see race. That's the very creation of the same trap that snares their every word. If they believe Indian people are only about race, then they've totally missed the point, and should not be surprised when the 'r' word follows them around the country. Indian, Aboriginal, Native, First Nation, whatever the label that's pinned upon us, we are not just about race. If we were, that would make us nothing more than someone else's concept of what we might have been, and what they think we should be. We are, all about traditional and contemporary culture! I define culture as being everything that you are being. Nowadays, First Nation individuals and communities are being much more than race. Their diversity is broad. Too broad I'm sure, to fit into the narrow world of reform.

Each community is culturally distinct in so many ways, illustrated by language and day-to-day living, expressed through both the traditional and contemporary. That's our reality today. The Reform politicians would have learned that, if they really had pure intentions when they set out to do their survey amongst Indian people this past summer. Reform's refrain to Indians is, come join us and participate in the economic prosperity of Canada. Thanks for the offer guys, but we already are, and if you consider the billions of dollars that for years passed through our communities and immediately into the hands of non-aboriginal businesses, then you might say we always have been participating. Let the facts speak for themselves, as laid out in a speech by Phil Fontaine, the National Chief at a business luncheon in Vancouver. In 1995, the Aboriginal tourism business alone generated over two hundred and fifty million dollars, and Tourism Canada expects that figure to grow to one-point six billion in annual revenues within ten years. In 1996-'97, exports by aboriginal firms accounted for eighty million dollars in Canada's offshore sales, and are expected to continue to grow by fifteen to twenty per cent annually. That's more than double the projected growth rate of seven per cent expected for overall Canadian exports. Of that eighty million in export trade generated by aboriginal business, only about twenty five per cent came from what may be referred to as traditional cultural commodities such as art, crafts, music and fashions. In 1991 there were already eighteen thousand aboriginal businesses in Canada, a figure that now has almost doubled. Of these, approximately sixty per cent are in the service sector, about fifteen per cent are in construction and related industries, and another ten per cent are in businesses as diversified as food processing, clothing, publishing and manufacturing. The Government of Canada's own projections suggest that if First Nation peoples are given the opportunities to participate on an equal footing in this country's economy, the country's gross national product will increase by two-point three per cent. The messages to reformers are clear. Aboriginal people are here to stay. We are not going anywhere. We have resisted all attempts of assimilation. In fact, we are gaining strength in numbers and knowledge. Our working population is expected to grow three times faster than the rest of the country in the next decade. We are preparing ourselves for the future. There are now forty thousand aboriginal post secondary students, compared to barely eight hundred three decades ago. It's true there are many challenges in our communities. We know that, of course. But rest assured we do not need the Reform Party pretending to champion any cause on our behalf. Despite what you may hear from them and others who would discredit our efforts, we are the people who believe the glass is half full, not empty. [Tehaliwaskénhas - Bob Kennedy is a member of the Oneida Nation. He is the publisher of Turtle Island Native Network at http://www.turtleisland.org]

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