Jed said:
Another stupid question: Why hasn't the Mainstream media brought the interesting and relavent, conflict of interest, information to light?
They have. Including the deal made with the DeBeers mine. However mainstream media seems to also be influenced heavily by public opinion. So far the only non-partisan national paper I've seen has been the G&M. The Star, is obviously so far left that they are indeed the ones holding Chief Spence up like the next Ghandi, and have indicated that the bands financial issues are the Federal Govts fault. The National Post has gone so far as to print articles that are authored by a non-practicing lawyer named Chelsea Vowel, who is not only a native rights blogger, but has her own interpretation of the Indain Act.
The band website has published everything with transparency, but they have been reprimanded by their auditor for questionable entries, incomplete entries, on their financials. The Govt is at a loss to explain where the taxpayer dollars went because the statements reconcile everything under broad based account lines like "Community Development, Administration, etc"
Over the past 6 years, the band has received $131 million from the Feds, and $40 million from DeBeers. $171M adds up to just over $110,000 per person on the reserve. But obvioulsy it isn't making its way down.
The current "protest" is just a smoke and mirrors job to divert public attention from the quagmire that is Attiwapiskat.
The sad irony is that Chief Spence is living in the Ottawa region in a Teepee, so she may be able to empathize with her people left on the reserve whenever she makes her way back. Perhaps it's convenient that Chief Spence went on her "Hunger Strike" diet, just as the cold weather hit, and her band mates were faced with yet another winter with inadequate housing.
