Conditions Long Ignored

CBC came up with some statistics regarding the safety of water in native reserves across Canada. In 1995 the rate of bad water problems was 25%. By 2001 it spiked to 75%. So the CBC has decided it is now fashionable to highlight aboriginal discrimination.

This is disgusting.

But why is that? In 2003 Canada had their review with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Committee (C.E.D.A.W. - full text is on the link to the left of this post). Take into consideration that this committee focuses on discrimination against women, but these concerns are indicative of problems for low income men as well, especially in aboriginal communities.

Here's what they said:

27. The Committee is concerned that, within the framework of the 1995 Budget Implementation Act, [my emphasis] the transfer of federal funds to the provincial and territorial levels is no longer tied to certain condit ions which previously ensured nationwide consistent standards in the areas of health and social welfare. It is also concerned about the negative impact that the new policy has had on women’s situation in a number of jurisdictions.

25. The Committee acknowledges the State party’s complex federal, provincial and territorial political and legal structures. However, it underlines the federal Government’s principal responsibility in implementing the Convention. The Committee is concerned that the federal Government does not seem to have the power to ensure that governments establish legal and other measures in order to fully implement the Convention in a coherent and consistent manner.

37. While appreciating the federal Government’s efforts to combat discrimination against Aboriginal women, including the pending amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to achieve substantive equality for them, the Committee is seriously concerned about the pers istent systematic discrimination faced by Aboriginal women in all aspects of their lives. The Committee is concerned that Aboriginal women, among other highly vulnerable groups of women in Canada, are
over-concentrated in lower-skill and lower-paying occupations, they constitute a high percentage of those women who have not completed secondary education, they constitute a high percentage of women serving prison sentences and they suffer high rates of domestic violence. The Committee is further concerned that the First Nations Governance Act currently under discussion does not address remaining discriminatory legal provisions under other Acts, including matrimonial property
rights, status and band membership questions which are incompatible with the Convention.

38. The Committee urges the State party to accelerate its efforts to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination against Aboriginal women both in society at large and in their communities, particularly with respect to the remaining discriminatory legal provisions as well as to the equal enjoyment of their human rights to education, employment and physical and psychological well-being. It urges the State party to take effective and proactive measures, including awareness-raising programmes, to sensitize Aboriginal communities about women’s human rights and to combat patriarchal attitudes, practices and stereotyping of roles. It recommends to the State party to ensure that Aboriginal women receive sufficient funding in order to be able to participate in the necessary governance and legislative processes that address issues which impede their legal and substantive equality. It also requests the State party to provide comprehensive information on the situation of Aboriginal women in its next report.


Let's read that again [my emphasis added]:

"The Committee is concerned that, within the framework of the 1995 Budget Implementation Act, [my emphasis] the transfer of federal funds to the provincial and territorial levels is no longer tied to certain conditions which previously ensured nationwide consistent standards in the areas of health and social welfare."

"The Committee acknowledges the State party’s complex federal, provincial and territorial political and legal structures. However, it underlines the federal Government’s principal responsibility in implementing the Convention."

"The Committee urges the State party to accelerate its efforts to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination against Aboriginal women both in society at large and in their communities, particularly with respect to the remaining discriminatory legal provisions as well as to the equal enjoyment of their human rights to education, employment and physical and psychological well-being."

"While appreciating the federal Government’s efforts to combat discrimination against Aboriginal women, including the pending amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to achieve substantive equality for them, the Committee is seriously concerned about the pers istent systematic discrimination faced by Aboriginal women in all aspects of their lives."


These guys have been told - and they ignored, over and over and over again.

Even the media has ignored the report but they are taking credit now for "shining the light" on these conditions. Where were they in 2003 when this report came out? It's not news until someone is seriously harmed.

CBC devoted a whole 30 seconds to this report after it was released. I repeatedly sent them copies and complained to the CBC Ombudsman, Senior Producer Tony Burman, then the CRTC because they ignored the concerns in the report. They could of systematically reported on each item of concern, BUT THEY DIDN'T.

I sent the report 3 times to Paul Martin's office. ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE

The Canadian Human Rights Commission doesn't even have this report on their website or lists Canada's international obligations or rights under s. 26 of the Charter. I have recently sent them a letter requesting to know why? Will I hear from them? Probably not, but you can bet I'll post it here if I do or don't.

Politicians have ignored this report - except the Green Party, which acknowledgement of this treaty is part of their platform and Jack Layton although THE NDP NEVER BROUGHT IT UP IN PARLIAMENT. Conservatives did NOTHING.

I guess Ontario learned nothing from Walkerton or SARS. I've had my own experience with Ontario's public health system.