First Nations in Sask. Canada demand 3 Billion in damages: Government failed to promote/develop thei

[Rangergxi]

[url]http://globalnews.ca/news/2507606/sask-first-nations-open-3-billion-lawsuit-against-feds/[/url]

[QUOTE]SASKATOON – A class action lawsuit brought on by two Saskatchewan First Nations targets the Government of Canada, stating it mismanaged on-reserve natural resources. The leaders of Onion Lake Cree Nation and Poundmaker Cree Nation filed a statement of claim Monday in Saskatoon.

Combined damages for Canada’s 72 oil-producing First Nations would total $3 billion, according to members of Sutts, Strosberg LLP, the firm behind the suit.

“They didn’t lift a finger to help any people of the reserves getting drained and that’s the shame here,” said Blaine Favel, legal advisor to Sutts, Strosberg LLP.

Lawyers for the First Nations argue Indian Oil and Gas Canada – the federal body responsible for regulating first nations oil and gas – failed to promote and develop the land’s resources.

Bands are not allowed to sell reserve land to oil companies, leaving them obligated to seek licensing from Indian Oil and Gas.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]“Based on our natural resource wealth, First Nations should be among the wealthiest in Canada. But federal mismanagement and neglect of its fiduciary duties has resulted in lost revenue for First Nations, perpetuating a cycle of poverty,” [/QUOTE]

I think they're really simplifying the issue. There's more to their poverty than that.

[Keyblockor1]

The idea of not selling reserve land to oil companies is to actually protect them from greedy multinationals.

It's true they don't have the money to develop it, but to turn around and ask for the Government to give them such a big handout for little or none return (and make a small percentage of the population have insane wealth and influential power) is fucking idiotic.

I hope this fails, but I do hope they are actually given the ability to live a good standard.

[Sableye]

thats actually pretty strange, in the US native americans are allowed to sell mining rights and oil claims on their land, and its a fairly lucrative stream of income for some tribes, though the division of that wealth and the overall benefits the majority see are another debate

[Deunan]

[QUOTE=Sableye;49715639]thats actually pretty strange, in the US native americans are allowed to sell mining rights and oil claims on their land, and its a fairly lucrative stream of income for some tribes, though the division of that wealth and the overall benefits the majority see are another debate[/QUOTE]

I think that the land belongs to the various tribes in the US in various schemes, or they have a very strong voting block in the controlling bodies.

In contrast I'd wager the situation in Canada is closer to that of national parks.

[Rangergxi]

[QUOTE=Keyblockor1;49715393]
I hope this fails, but I do hope they are actually given the ability to live a good standard.[/QUOTE]

They are, the government gives them everything they could ever need. Corruption, a lack of education and a lack of individual pride kinda brings them down though.

[Daniel Smith]

[QUOTE]“Based on our natural resource wealth, First Nations should be among the wealthiest in Canada. But federal mismanagement and neglect of its fiduciary duties has resulted in lost revenue for First Nations, perpetuating a cycle of poverty,”[/QUOTE]

The guys responsible for that are in the opposition now though...

[elix]

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;49719999]They are, the government gives them everything they could ever need. Corruption, a lack of education and a lack of individual pride kinda brings them down though.[/QUOTE]

While this seems to be at least somewhat true in the case of the Onion Lake Cree Nation (searching through recent mentions of them in the news brings up developed-bureaucracy problems more than anything, I didn't look up the Poundmaker Cree Nation), but there are [I]definitely[/I] first nations communities up north that are in severely degraded living standards.