Canadians think Natives are well-funded

Canadians need to learn about aboriginal issues, native leaders say

By Teresa SmithProvincial education ministers will meet with a prominent First Nations representative Friday to discuss better ways of educating Canadians about aboriginal issues, amid what some call a continued widespread ignorance of the challenges facing First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

A Postmedia News poll released earlier this week suggested most Canadians think aboriginals are both well-treated and well-funded by the federal government, a view not held by many aboriginal leaders who routinely grapple with poverty and social problems among their people.

“After a while you just have to shake your head and not go into despair,” said Beverly Anne Sabourin, the vice-provost for aboriginal initiatives at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. “We have so much more work to do with our Canadian population.”Comment:  This sounds like an indirect confirmation of the myths we hear repeatedly: that Indians get government checks and free education and don't pay any taxes.

For more on the subject, see Women and Indians as Welfare Queens and Columnist Shows How Racists View Indians.