[IPSM] Prentice Moving Toward Private Ownership of Reserve Lands

[Macdonald Stainsby]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=d29b75cb-c579-4cdf-b7af-97ed4568503c


Ownership remains the issue for First Nations housing

Jason Warick, Saskatchewan News Network
Published: Saturday, September 23, 2006

Reporters Barb Pacholik and Jason Warick travelled the province this 
summer investigating the housing conditions of some First Nations people.

They examined the faults -- families suffering in overcrowded, 
on-reserve houses plagued by mould and despair; a woman dying of 
tuberculosis because her home made her sick; fire traps in the inner 
city; and conditions in some areas that draw comparisons to the Third World.

We asked the federal, provincial and First Nations governments for their 
responses.

The reporters also looked at the work being done to fix the flaws.

Some First Nations, like Fishing Lake, Lac la Ronge, Cowessess and 
Pasqua, as well as one inner-city neighbourhood in Regina are crafting 
their own solutions. They're constructing innovative homes, trying 
private ownership on communal land, or attacking substandard and unsafe 
housing head-on -- building from the ground up to provide a solid 
foundation that could be a blueprint for the future.

See Tuesday's Leader-Post for Faults & Foundations, a special 10-page 
examination of First Nations housing issues.


Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice says individuals should be 
able to buy and sell reserve land, a statement that is drawing cold 
responses from First Nations leaders.

"To have a circumstance where 617 First Nations across the country are 
living as collectivities without private property ownership, I don't 
think is constructive," Prentice said in an interview with the 
Saskatchewan News Network.

Several First Nations have allowed individual band members to own their 
own homes in recent years, but the land continues to be a shared 
resource. Prentice said that needs to change.

"It's important for any citizen in Canada to have the ability in their 
own community to buy and invest in property, mortgage it, service the 
mortgage and move forward," he said.

"It's the whole basis of wealth creation in our society."

According to Prentice, the long-standing tradition of communal land 
ownership denies First Nations people their right to participate in the 
economy.

"Many First Nations are sitting on extremely valuable property that is 
not achieving its highest and best use," he said.

"Part of that is that there's no opportunity for private citizens to own 
their own property, and I think that's wrong."

Private land ownership is one key to helping reserve residents, who are 
among the poorest in society, improve their standard of living, he said.

Various lobby groups have called for the privatization of reserve land, 
but the Conservative Party of Canada never mentions it in its platform.

Its policy declaration supports transferring reserve land title from the 
Crown to any willing First Nation, but says nothing about individual 
property ownership. Prentice's comments came as a surprise to Native 
leaders.

"We've never talked about private land ownership," Assembly of First 
Nations Chief Phil Fontaine said.

Fontaine said privatizing reserve land has been resisted in the past by 
First Nations. The buying and selling of reserve land by individuals 
could "result in the alienation of our lands."

He said it's "absolutely untrue" that a lack of private land ownership 
causes poverty on reserves. The real causes are the lack of federal 
funds for basic human needs such as clean water and schools.

When told of Prentice's comments, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian 
Nations Vice-Chief Guy Lonechild said he "had not heard that before. 
(The Conservatives) have not discussed that with us.

"It causes me concern. We would never say that's the way to go. It would 
not provide the solutions we need."

Lonechild said parcelling out land to individuals would severely 
undermine the strength and traditions of First Nations.

"The land is there for us to use together," he said.

Various academics say the Conservatives would have a major fight on 
their hands if they tried to push this idea through.

"It would cause them nothing but grief," said University of Saskatchewan 
history Prof. Michael Cottrell.

"This is their land. They have a right to decide how it is used. For 
hundreds of years, they have insisted on collective land ownership."

As Cottrell and fellow U of S history Prof. Keith Carlson note, federal 
governments dating back to John A. Macdonald in the late 1800s have 
tried and failed to break reserve land into individually owned plots.

Carlson said the Conservatives' underlying principle is, "Native people 
have to be more like us. They're going to do the best they can to ensure 
that."

U of S economics Prof. Eric Howe said private ownership of reserve land 
won't improve most people's standard of living, even if it became a reality.

"Economic development for aboriginal people will require even more 
movement to where the jobs are, which is the cities," Howe said.

"But the first question asked in any of this should be, 'Is this 
something aboriginal people want?' "

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006

-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.