This landed in my inbox today and I thought it best to share it out. Please note that in no way do I or have I ever supported the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Dear Supporter:
How do you feel about a politician from a Native reserve of 304 people receiving a $978,468 tax free salary? BTW … that’s equivalent to $1.8-million if they lived off-reserve and paid taxes.
Or what about a reserve politician from a community of 615 making $567,935 tax free?
If those true stories of tax dollars being spent wildly on reserves makes you sick to your stomach, then take note of the cure: Bill C-575.
It’s a private members bill in Ottawa right now that aims to give the federal government the legal authority to place reserve politicians’ salaries on the internet each year. That would bring reserve politicians in-line with all other politicians in the country who have to disclose their pay to taxpayers.
Bill C-575 was in response to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation helping band members blow the whistle on case after case of reserve politicians living high on the hog while their people suffered.
The CTF has learned that over 600 Native politicians in Canada are earning a taxable equivalent of over $100,000 to govern average reserve populations of 1,142 – yet the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs does not have the legal authority to release the names.
Bill C-575 – supported by the government – would change that. But in order for it to pass, it must be supported by Opposition MPs. Currently, NDP Leader Jack Layton and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff are opposed to these salaries being disclosed. Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe has yet to declare a position.
We need to send them a message: let Natives and non-Natives see how tax dollars are being spent on reserves. The status quo is unacceptable. Pass Bill C-575.
- Sign our petition and forward it to your contact list
- Contact Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton, and Gilles Duceppe directly
You may hear non-sense excuses about privacy matters and other gobbledygook, but at the end of the day, we’re talking about public funds – salaries should be made public, especially when those dollars are supposed to be helping on-reserve citizens.
Let’s make this happen!
— Colin, Courtenay, Troy and the rest of the CTF team
PS: The only reason that wasteful spending like this comes to light is because of your donation. If you like what the CTF is doing to blow the whistle on abuse of your tax dollars, please consider making a donation.
the regina mom 
Billy Nobels
/ November 23, 2010Yes fuck you and the rest of you racists.
B York
/ November 23, 2010These asswipes have no idea of what the relationship between the Crown and First Nations is all about. They try to frame this as taxpayer money wasted for their own bent racist reasoning. The treaties were signed between sovereign nations and we cannot renege on them based on current day taxpayers’ whining.
Bruce Dickson
/ November 23, 2010What are being described here as “salaries” are often funds that get distributed to the entire community via the official recipient who employs them to cover a multitude of costs faced by members and families of each respective tribe. It has been adopted as a technique to help ensure the funds are not frittered or lured away from the individuals themselves. As such, it is more in keeping with the chieftain’s traditional role in many of these societies.
Is it a perfect system that guarantees no abuse of trust? I can’t say. But it has been adopted as the most promising overall – until something better presents itself AND the receiving nations in question opt for it, which is up to them, after all.
Just because we whites believe that, in a white society such a system would be a recipe for distrust and disaster, doesn’t mean that these peoples are doomed to follow our ethically-challenged lead. Theirs IS a very different tradition, you know.
Troy
/ November 24, 2010Here’s Pam Palmater on Bill 575 (way back on October 6th):
“While conservatives can easily sell a bill with the unassailable message of accountability, the real message is much more insidious: it asks Canadians to conclude, without any proof, that First Nations are not accountable for funding they receive from the federal government and that the ONLY way to address this is for the conservative government to ride in on its “white” horse and save the Indians. ”
I’ve linked to your post, reginamom. Thanks for alerting Progressive Bloggers, as what CTF (and the compliant news media) is doing, as it is absolutely toxic.
croghan27
/ November 24, 2010I had this slapped on my desk by a co-worker (who thinks Glen Beck is the final word).
I could not answer him because I was too enraged to formulate a sentence … thanks for this, and especially for the comments ….
the regina mom
/ November 24, 2010What’s this, Croghan? You mean, the CTF propaganda? If so, poor you for having to work with that fella!