CONDESCENDING FEDERAL RACIAL PATERNALISM AND ITS DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON FIRST NATIONS.

What Then Must We Do?

I sit
on a
man's back
choking him
and making
him carry me
and yet assure myself
and others that I am sorry for him
and wish to lighten his load by
all possible means-except by
getting off his back. (Leo Tolstoy, 1886)

When Tolstoy wrote this poem he probably had people other than Canada's First Nation Peoples in mind. Yet the ode fits our story to a tee. It describes how governments and society can oppress a people while pretending to be compassionate. Canada has proven to be most adept at this. Today, with piety, it holds us responsible for the dire straights we're in because of the racial sins it committed.

I wrote several newspaper columns about government paternalism and its devastating effects, they can be found at the following URLs:

December 29, 1995 - Halifax Herald: O Canada, our home and intolerant land: http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1995/Canada-IntolerantLand.html

May 17, 1996 - Halifax Herald: Paternalistic "solutions" underlie natives' plight http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1996/PaternalisticSolutions.html

December 13, 1996 - Halifax Herald: First Nations Report: expensive exercise in futility http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1996/FirstNationsReport-ExpensiveExercise.html

May 1, 1998 - Halifax Herald: Self reliance: the key to success http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1998/SelfReliance-KeyToSuccess.html

July 9, 1999 - Halifax Herald: Government to blame for band council problems http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1999/GovernmentToBlameForBandCouncilProblems.html

October 24, 1999 - Not Published: First Nations Peoples Canadian Citizenship: second class at best! http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/1999/FirstNationPeoplesCanadianCitizenshipSecondClassAtBest.html

January 19, 2001 - Halifax Herald: National parental responsibility program needed http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/2001/NationalParentalResponsibilityProgramNeeded.html

May 14, 2004 - Halifax Herald: Unilateral schemes won't work for natives http://www.danielnpaul.com/Col/2004/UnilateralSchemesWon'tWorkForNatives.html