Grim report warns Canada vulnerable to an aboriginal insurrection

[Joe Shlabotnik]

4. No, its not a very thoughtful article.

Its split between promoting 'market friendly solutions', and fear mongering.

The 2 reports that its based on are written by a conservative, neo-liberal think tank*, and they make a few assumptions: That resource extraction is in everyone's best interests, permanent environmental degradation is not a factor, gobs of cash today negate traditional obligations to future generations, court challenges are not productive, and that somehow 600 different bands of first nations are going to suddenly unite.

*

The Institute professes to be strictly non-partisan and points to its name as a prime indicator of this intent. However, as a think tank directed by high-profile businesspeople with an emphasis on lowering business taxes, reducing government spending [2], privatizing the healthcare system [3] and "working toward a common security perimeter with the United States"[4] the institute's sympathies are on the right wing of the political spectrum. There are direct links between the founding of the institute and Jim Flaherty, the Conservative finance minister [5]. The founder of the institute (Brian Lee Crowley) has been a close advisor of Flaherty as well.[6] In addition, some of the institute's report writers have strong conservative views.[7] Moreover, links between Brian Lee Crowley and the right-wing Galen Institute [8] and intellectual debts to free market economists such as Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises [9] mark clearly its neoliberal position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macdonald-Laurier_Institute#Controversy

The 2 reports: http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/10303/

Though I'm no expert, I think the first and most likely course of action to the First Nations is through the supreme court, and for good reason; they tend to win. Though, that could change with Harper appointees.

Harpers preferred solution is to introduce legislation that would de-leverage government responsibility for the First Nations, by allowing for the first time private ownership of reserve land. By doing so he can divide and conquer the tribes by pitting those predisposed to flipping the properties to big business against those who view themselves as caretakers of past and future generations.

Of course altercations can happen such as Oka, Ipperwash, Gustafsen Lake Standoff etc, as well as highway and rail blockades, but if they escalate to violence, it'll be the Harper's brinkmanship or the RCMP's ham fisted ineptitude that escalates the tension.