Read for yourself what prominent Conservatives have to say about Canada’s First Nations people:
Pierre Poilievre on First Nations reserves on the day of the Residential Schools Apology:
“There’s too much power concentrated in the hands of the leadership and it makes you wonder where all of this money is going. …Now along with this apology comes another four billion dollars in compensation… Some of us are starting to ask are we really getting value for all of this money and is more money really going to solve the problem.” (Pierre Poilievre, CFRA Radio, June 11, 2008)
Lawrence Cannon’s staff member, Darlene Lannigan, caught on tape responding to First Nations protesters during the 2008 election:
“If you behave and you’re sober and there’s no problems and if you don’t do a sit down and whatever, I don’t care… One of them showed up the other day and was drinking.” (Canadian Press, September 19, 2008)
Monte Solberg says Kelowna Agreement was “crafted…on the back of a napkin”:
“(The) Kelowna Agreement is something that they crafted at the last moment on the back of a napkin on the eve of an election. We’re not going to honour that.” Monte Solberg Interview with CJWW in Saskatchewan (Assembly of First Nations Release, January 11, 2006)
Stephen Harper opposes aboriginal self government because of the cost:
The cost of social programs and Native self-government concerns the Reform party, Mr. Harper said. “One anxiety with both of them will be the financial implications those provisions will have on future federal governments,” he said. (Hamilton Spectator, July 9, 1992)
Tom Flanagan, Stephen Harper’s campaign chair and former Chief of Staff, offers his thoughts:
“Aboriginal government produces wasteful, destructive, familistic factionalism.” p. 7.
“The Europeans were civilized, while the earlier inhabitants were not.” p. 25.
“None of the aboriginal societies in Canada were civilized.” p. 36.
(Tom Flanagan’s book, First Nations? Second Thoughts, published in 2000).
Chuck Strahl speaks out against aboriginal programs for substance abuse, anger management and family violence in prison:
“Strahl said he has little empathy for [this] position. Strahl said there is plenty of attempts to be sensitive to aboriginal culture in prison to the point at which other inmates, who are not aboriginal, are bitter about it. “If I got a letter like that, I wouldn’t put it on my high-speed to do list.” (Chilliwack Times, November 22, 2002)
Harper vows to end “racially divided fisheries programs” in British Columbia
“Let me also be clear — in the coming months, we will strike a judicial inquiry into the collapse of the Fraser River salmon fishery and oppose racially divided fisheries programs.” (Stephen Harper, Calgary Herald, July 7, 2006)
John Duncan speaks out against the precedent of the Nisga’a agreement
“This¸[Nisga'a] treaty will haunt Canadians for generations to come.… This treaty will haunt Canadians and will be a playground for lawyers for generations to come.” (John Duncan, Vancouver Island North, Press release, February 15, 1996)
John Duncan’s idea of inclusion for aboriginal women:
“There are many ways to include aboriginal women in things. In my instance, my wife is aboriginal, so that does lend a little spice at home and there isn’t thin soup on the home front.” (John Duncan, Vancouver Island North, Aboriginal Affairs Committee, June 4, 1996)
