Success = Dodge, Duck And Stall.
Jim Prentice has been promoted from the thankless position of Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs to a “real” job in industry, a Department the Harper government actually gives a shit about.
Media and pundits attribute this promotion to Prentice’s “success” at INAC.
Okay, folks. Could someone please chronicle for me Prentice’s “successes” in his most recent portfolio? Beyond toeing the party line, stonewalling on any actual move forward in Aboriginal policy, killing Kelowna, and alienating the national and regional Aboriginal leadership? What exactly were his “achievements”?
That his brief tenancy was viewed as a “success” confirms what we predicted here immediately following the Conservative win. This government’s strategy on Aboriginal affairs is simple. As long as it remains a minority, the government will simply refuse to deal with any substantive Aboriginal issue or table an Aboriginal policy or strategy. Any crisis will be ignored: any recommendation or policy decision will be referred into limbo for further study, even if it’s tabled by a body mandated to develop such recommendations.
Prentice succeeded in failing to achieve anything whatsoever in his Aboriginal portfolio in a year and a half. That was his job, and now he’s reaping his reward.
Choke on it.
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There were actual hopes among people that Prentice was an “old” style Conservative, with good links and comprehension of aboriginal situations. He was touted as one of the actual ‘useful’ appointments Harper did. Whatever his gravitas, the proof of the pudding bakes by the fire.
And he’s my federal rep, to whom I have sent many stern letters. Yay. Woot.
Odd. Given everything coming out of FSIN, your analysis is mistaken.
FN’s here were quite satisfied w/ Prentice’s tenure.
Cheers,
lance
You mean he was supposed to do more than look pretty in a dress?
“your analysis is mistaken.”
Sorry to hear it. Then it should be really easy for you to answer the question in the second paragraph of my post. What would you say were Mr. Prentice’s major accomplishments?
While we wait, here’s a partial listing of the the groups who were NOT “quite satisfied” with Prentice’s tenure:
- the Inuit of Nunavut, who have launched an unprecedented lawsuit against the Crown on the basis of INAC’s refusal to implement their Claim;
- the Land Claims Aboriginal Coalition, consisting of the Grand Council of the Cree (all Cree nations in Quebec), the Nunatsiavut Inuit, the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (Inuvialuit), Makivik Corporation and the Kativik Regional Government (Northernn Quebec) , Nisga’a Nation, the Sahtu Secretariat Inc., and Tlicho Government. This group represents the First Nations and Inuit comprising the largest claims regions in Canada. Prentice has refused since his appointment to even meet with them to discuss INAC’s failure to implement and refusal to accept arbitration.
I’m glad some FNs in Sask were happy. Very much looking forward to that list of achievements.
“There were actual hopes among people that Prentice was an “old†style Conservative, with good links and comprehension of aboriginal situations.”
I know a bunch of people who worked with him at the Claims Commission, and they all described him as a decent guy, straightforward, fair, and with an excellent legal understanding of the issues.
It illustrates a key point about this government. Cabinet shuffles really don’t matter. There’s only one minister.
Arwen…you have pictures?
“I know a bunch of people who worked with him at the Claims Commission, and they all described him as a decent guy, straightforward, fair, and with an excellent legal understanding of the issues.”
What that saying about how power corrupts…?
Do you guys know much about Chuck Strahl? I only know that he’s a Jesuit choir boy and former logger from the old Reform Party. I found this fact to be kind of odd considering where this country is right now in relation to settling the legacy of the residential schools…
To me, appointing a man with such credentials and background to this portfolio doesn’t really make it look like Harper is at all interested in reconciling Canada’s history of mistreating natives.
Do you think that we will ever see a native as Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs? Seems doubtfull these days…
Interesting question, J. I will defer to our Aboriginal readership, but my first thought is…why the hell would any Aboriginal politician want the gig? Everyone will shrug and say the appointment was a function of their skin colour, not their capacity.
No, no pics. I figured, in the presence of no other presenting rationale when dealing with human behaviour or endeavor, “eye candy” is usually the correct explanation.
It’s Arwen’s Razor.
Hence, should someone be incapable and still appointed, it’s because they look pretty in a dress.
(Unfortunately, a faulty syllogism is often used the other way – that looking pretty in a dress makes one incapable. That’d be Arwen’s Razor-burn, right there.)
Jesse of the North: “Do you guys know much about Chuck Strahl? I only know that he’s a Jesuit choir boy and former logger from the old Reform Party. I found this fact to be kind of odd considering where this country is right now in relation to settling the legacy of the residential schools…”
For some reason, that statement really offends me. For starters, I don’t know that an adult can be a “choir boy” although he may have been one as a child. I guess holding that against him is okay (because Christians, Catholics and I’m guessing Jesuits all participated willingly in the brutality that was the residential school system, so only what, Jews and Muslims and Hindus or maybe atheists should be Minister of this file?), although holding say, Barack Obama’s attendance at a Muslim school at the same age is racist?
And is it fair to call someone who was a partner in a road construction/logging firm a logger? When I think of “logger” I think of a guy chopping down trees, not the guy signing the paycheque for the guy chopping down trees, but maybe that’s just me.
If you want to hold it against him for being a Reform member back when PC supporters were so disgusted with the federal PCs that they created a new party rather than vote for a corrupt one, that’s fine. Trash him for his policies – he’s a politician and that’s fair game.
According to Wiki, Jim Prentice is Presbyterian. If you google the religion and “residential schools” you’ll see that church was also involved.
I just have to ask WTF a Minister’s religious upbringing has to do with … anything.
Balb: I’m with Saskboy – Aboriginals here are/were happy with Prentice. Maybe he was working his way west to east?
Candace…I don’t know much about the Aboriginal communities in Alberta, except that they seem to do pretty well on oil revenues, and that the leadership tends to be more Conservative than most other regions. (Gee! Do you suppose those are connected?). Still, I’m a Windspeaker subscriber, and I haven’t seen any indication that Alberta FNs are any happier with Prentice than they were with Scott or his other predecessors.
Interestingly (one more time), no-one is leaping to the fore with a list Prentice’s “achievements”.
Re Strahl: I have to agree. His religion is irrelevant. (And unless he’s an ordained priest, he’s not a “Jesuit” anything.)
Sorry to have offended your sensibilities Candice, but that is just my opinion, do with it what you will.
I used the term ‘choir boy’ because ‘choir man’ just didn’t sound right (and he does still sing in a church choir BTW) and if you look at my post, I didn’t really say anything bad about the Jesuit faith, I just find the appointment kind of strange considering how image conscious the CPC usually is, especially since prostelization is a big part of the Jesuit faith, and the fact that the Federal government is apparently trying to make amends for attempting to annihilate native identity and language through cultural and religious assimilation.
So given that context and the importance of image in politics today, I think this appointment gives the impression that they’re not really interested in reaching out to the natives of the country in any meaningful way.
“Trash him for his policies – he’s a politician and that’s fair game”
Okie Dokie, don’t mind if I do. From what I’ve read about him so far, it doesn’t look like he’s really that qualified for this portfolio. And judging by his past quotes and apparent attitudes towards natives, it looks like he’s been put there to put the kybosh on land claim negotiations.
I guess a better question would be whether DIAND ought to exist at all, and my answer to that is an emphatic no.
Just to be clear…Jesuit isn’t a religion. It’s an order of Catholic priests. I don’t think Strahl is a priest, is he? He has four children and a wife.
Balb: Re: Jesuits – I agree, to my knowledge it’s a sect or version or whatever of Catholicism.
Jesse: “I just find the appointment kind of strange considering how image conscious the CPC usually is, especially since prostelization is a big part of the Jesuit faith, and the fact that the Federal government is apparently trying to make amends for attempting to annihilate native identity and language through cultural and religious assimilation. ”
“So given that context and the importance of image in politics today, I think this appointment gives the impression that they’re not really interested in reaching out to the natives of the country in any meaningful way.”
I still call BS based on your trying to equate a Minister’s religion with his ability to do the job. PMPM was Catholic – didn’t stop him from bringing forward SSM, did it? Why a different bar for CPC (especially since you don’t appear to be a fan – if you were a rabid Christian fundamentalist, we’d probably still be having this argument only from a different angle).
Alternatively, did you use the same yardstick when viewing the Liberal Minister(s) suitability? If so, then my apologies. If not, then why not?
Enough of the politically correct BS – Why is it so hard for you and others to believe that a soft- or hard-core CPC supporter might actually believe that (a) a wrong was done (b) redress is appropriate and (c) it should f*ing happen already?
And what in Hell (capitalized for the hell of it) does someone’s religion have to do with it? In fact, I would argue that Christians are more likely to be (a) appalled at what was done in their Savior’s name (b) not only apologetic but willing and frankly trained to be penalized for same (in this case financially) and (c) more than happy to subject themselves to said punishment for wrongs.
Come to think of it, Strahl’s reported Jesuit upbringing makes him pretty damn perfect for the role, no? (Not being Catholic myself, I could be wrong about that but wtf).
“I agree, to my knowledge it’s a sect or version or whatever of Catholicism.”
Not even. It’s just an order of priests. Same old Catholicism. And anyway, according to Wiki, Strahl is a member of the “Chilliwack Alliance Church”. Whatever the heck that is, it ain’t Catholic.
Really? Interesting. I was under the impression that Jesuits took it just *that* much more seriously or something. Learned something new, thanks.
According to their website, the Chilliwack Alliance Church is part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, whatever the heck that is. I’m wondering, however, if they might not want to update their “Our Beliefs” page:
“11. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. As the believer’s blessed hope, this vital truth is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.”
Jeez, I’m probably gonna get struck by lightning for that.
Oh, great. Our new Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs things the second coming happened seven years ago.
“Land Claims? Listen, don’t worry about it. Gonna be LOTS of room available very, very shortly.”
Alternatively, since they haven’t updated that particular belief, maybe they mean the NEXT millenium? Or use a different calendar or something?
Sigh. I guess so. It’s alway a millenium of some kind. Tabernac.