Relating to a previous video about the Attiwapiskat in class, I decided this would be an interesting topic that we can all discuss. In that video, the diamond company was paying the Attiwapiskat tribe millions of dollars and our class asked the question, “Is the money getting to them?” Similarly, in this video, the government is also paying the Attiwapiskat millions of dollars.
Recently, Canadians have asked where is the money being spent? When further research was done, they found that there were very few paper transactions recorded therefore it is hard to determine whether the money was spent with its intended purpose of schools and housing. Although out of 400 paper transactions only 19% were spent on schools and housing, it is unknown what the excess money is being spent on.
I perceive the Attiwapiskat as an independent tribe who do not necessarily make the best decisions but I believe that if the government is going to help, they should not give them money without any accountability. As shown, the Attiwapiskat have continuously passed on a tradition of making poor decisions. The government should provide them with humanitarian items in order to survive. For those individuals in the tribe who strive for improvement, they are now not able to because of the restrictions their poverty presents.
For others watching this video, they may perceive it differently. Some may believe that we are helping the Attiwapiskat by giving them money. To the tribe, they feel that the Canadian government is controlling how they spend and account for the money and how it should influence their future.
It is interesting to see how different sides see one situation. I believe the government has not controlled the Attiwapiskat in the past as they have not monitored their spending for the past 6 years. However, to the tribe, they feel controlled if they are told they must account for their spending.
Katie, you have found an excellent video. It appears as though the entire handling of the issues in Attawapiskat has been sub-par. I do think that monetary support is necessary based on the government's exploitation of Natives, and I think both the band and the government need to keep track of how the money is spent. I wonder if it is possible for this to be a joint venture.
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