Housing Conditions in First Nation Communities
Housing conditions in First Nation Communities has gained the attention of the public in the past several years. According to Frideres & Gadacz, the devastating reality of housing shortages, chronic overcrowding, mold, in door sewage shortages, contaminated water, acute respiratory disease have always been unhealthy, inhuman, and apparent for many years and that "these issues reflect poor housing conditions and other environmental conditions that Aboriginal children are born into" (2008, p.80).
After watching an interview on APTN National News report on housing crisis in the community of Attawapiskat, I felt so sad, angry, and a sense of hopelessness for the Indigenous peoples of this land. News reporter Nigel Newlove, asked the National Chief Shawn Atleo of the Assembly of First Nation, his thoughts on current issues of cut backs; Atleo stated “ the issues concerning Ontario reserves resulting in housing conditions that mirror those in the poorest of developing countries, and that these conditions are right across the country. We have many Attawapiskats” (Atleo 2012, 26). While the First nation in Attawapiskat exposed the Federal, Provincial, and Municipal governments on the toxic living conditions, there is little to a large degree of what outcomes this community was hoping. The Canadian government sent out transportable trailer's as a cure for this current issue, however, it is undetermined within the governments who is going to pay for the costs (Atleo 2012, 26). Also, "the horrific living conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada are difficult for many people to acknowledge. Yet it is impossible to ignore the impact that colonization has had in creating structural inequities experienced by Aboriginal peoples, individuals and communities" (Turner & Turner 2009, p.96).
Within the structure of the Canadian government there are a variety of ideological perspectives that shape the way social welfare programs and services are delivered. The Conservative party has majority of votes and it seems that in the House of Commons, from a residual perspective, they tend to take a limited and temporary approach to social problems. The conservative ideology perspective is " Individual freedom is more important than social equality and should not be sacrificed to the latter; state regulation of capitalism should be kept to a minimum and should not be used to promote any but economic goals; social diversity is a fact, but should not be actively promoted by government; individuals should be responsible for their own lives, and policies that encourage dependency on the state should be avoided" (2009, p.28).
In regards to the housing crisis all over Turtle Island, "Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which Canada signed, gave everyone the right "to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care, and necessary social services" (2009, p.176). When we see any ethnic group in our country living in inhuman conditions, we do not judge nor ignore the facts that this needs attention and relief.
Tammy
References
Gadacz, R. R., & Frideres, J. S. (2008). Aboriginal peoples of canada (8th ed.). Toronto: Pearson
Newlove, N. (2012, September 26). Aboriginal peoples television network. [Television broadcast]. Alberta: National News
Turner, J. C., & Turner, F. J. (2009). Canadian Social Welfare (6th ed.). Toronto: Pearson
WOW. $7million in cuts is unacceptable and WILL definitely put a damper on advocacy, as was mentioned. The National Chief is reassuring in his determination and obviously does not lack in focus. Great blog Tammy. You gave me lots to think about. There are definitely way way too many Attiwapiskats. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think your choice of topic is a very important one to highlight that needs to be discussed among all nations. I believe the issue you attempted to shed light on is deep, complex and affects Aboriginal people all across Canada. It is hard to believe that we have people living in Canada in what could be referred to as third world conditions. What is even more difficult to comprehend is how so many Canadians are unaware that these conditions exist.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I didn't realize how uneducated I was about first nation's issues until learning about some of them in this class as well as my sociology class. I never fully understood just how much the government is denying these people of basic human rights. As a country, we should be ashamed of how we treat First Nations people. Since settling here, indigenous people were nothing but welcoming and helpful to European people. They helped us learn how to live off of the land, survive the winter and how to find food, yet all we have don e to them is segregate them, give them inexcusable living conditions and strip them of their human rights. I think that we need to find a way to inform Canadians on the politics behind why reserves are in the shape they are in and to break down the stigmas we have regarding blaming first nations people for the way they live.
ReplyDelete-Morgan (Disabilities)
Many First Nation communities lack funding to improve their homes. This article too me is well written. By letting the non-native know how inadequate some homes are is an existing problem. I am from a First Nation myself and have been into many homes that need improvement.
ReplyDeleteforgot my name...oops
DeleteJennifer from nish group
This is always a difficult topic to discuss because many people don't realize that this is happening in our own back yard. My step mom is a perfect example of this. She has recently traveled to Africa to help as many areas as she can. She helped to create a safer school and security, as well as bringing several wheel chairs for children with disabilities. The work that the group did was fantastic and I am not belittling them at all but, we need to look at our own backyard and know that this is not a developing country and yet we still have all of these problems. These trailers that they put there are not enough there is a bigger problem that needs to be dealt with. The people living in these communities are people, how can we allow another person to live like this, when most people would not even dream of doing it ourselves. Its time to take action as nation and battle the poverty in our country!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis has given me a lot to think about. People seem to remain ignorant to the fact that such poor living conditions are happening within our own community. Individuals gasp in aw when they see or hear of living conditions in other countries, but fail to realize we have our own version of this going on that needs to be addressed. The lack of acknowledgement I believe is the first thing that should be addressed. Its time to shed more light on this issue and create a more "in your face" awareness so this can not be ignored.
ReplyDelete-Alexandra
In terms of the housing conditions, I can empathize that these conditions are sub-par and noone should be living in such conditions. However, I have read that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada has programs in place that allocate money for housing. 115 million dollars has been allocated to housing which made 1,750 new units,and renovations to about 3,100 existing units. When I read such statistics I have to ask where is this money going? How are there houses that look like the one in the picture provided when there is money being given to these reserves? Also how is it some houses on the reserves look well kept and some dont? A good friend of my family has also been into reserves and built brand new houses, and when he went back the following year he was nearly in tears because all of his hard work had been trashed. The siding ripped off to be used as fire wood, windows broken, toilets on the front lawn. Is it just that these individuals are not educated enough in home maintenance? Perhaps if these individuals built their own homes there would be a sense of ownership and pride, maybe there is resentment towards the government and these houses are destroyed because of this. I realize that I may be taking a risk in this comment and I am not trying to diminish this sad fact,however when I read of this housing concern I cant help about the story my friend has told me. I know money has been allocated for housing in these areas, where is the money going, is it being mismanaged?
ReplyDeleteAlissa B-Mental Illness Group
I think it is very sad that the Anishnaabe people are being pushed aside in every aspect (housing, treatment programs, rights and the list goes on)and on top of it all, all of the blmae falls on them. This makes no sense, to me they have been very resilient and dealing with what they've been told they can have. I have very strong feelings toward the Anishnaabe community and really feel that something drastic needs to be done soon.
ReplyDeleteKristin*
With respect to the numbers in Alissa’s comment: “115 million dollars has been allocated to housing which made 1,750 new units,and renovations to about 3,100 existing units. When I read such statistics I have to ask where is this money going?”
ReplyDeleteYou just have to do the math. Just figuring the 1750 new homes without considering the renovations, the average spent is about $65,000 per home. In Canada, the average spent on new home construction off the reserve is $350,000 per home. A huge difference in the dollars spent, so much so that not even a master carpenter could build a half decent home on that kind of budget. Imagine the quality of the materials that are going into a 65K house? No wonder why the housing is sub-standard.
QUOTE: “Is it just that these individuals are not educated enough in home maintenance?”
While it may be true that some recipients of government housing lack certain levels of education, that should not be used as a rule of general application. You have to remember that many of these people are still suffering the aftermath of the Residential School System, even in this third or fourth generation.
In treaties all across this land, Aboriginal people were promised that in exchange for their land, they would be provided with education, health care and… yah, you guessed it! Housing. Indian agents corralled Aboriginal people onto reserves promising to follow through with certain services. We are still waiting. If Canadians would just pressure their government to do the right thing, that is to honour the treaties they made on your behalf, we would have access to our own resources from which we would build our own economies and we would be able to better support our own people.
QUOTE: “…and when he went back the following year he was nearly in tears because all of his hard work had been trashed.”
(Some of these statistics are illustrated in our text book)
• Approximately 50% of children who went to residential school never made it home. (Dr. Peter Bryce, 1907)
• Over 600 Aboriginal women have gone missing. (NWAC, 2010)
• The life expectancy for Aboriginal peoples is 6 years less than the rest of the Canadian population.
• Suicide rates in Aboriginal youth are 5-8 times higher than the national average.
• 1 in 4 First Nations children live in poverty.
• HIV/AIDS is increasing among Aboriginal peoples, especially among Aboriginal women.
• Aboriginal people are 3 times more likely to be victims of spousal violence than non-Aboriginal people.
• Adult Aboriginal peoples are incarcerated over 6 times the national rate.
• Aboriginal people are being poisoned from being down river from the tar sands.
WE ARE STILL SHEDDING TEARS.
QUOTE: “Perhaps if these individuals built their own homes there would be a sense of ownership and pride, maybe there is resentment towards the government and these houses are destroyed because of this.”
I wonder if you realize what you are saying by making this statement. They are destroying their own homes (a basic necessity of life) because they resent the government? It’s like buying a car and it breaks down on you so in order to get back at the car manufacturer you slash the car’s tires. How does this serve us?
I applaud your willingness to take a risk by posting your opinions. With views like this, the conversation continues and by the look of some of the statements posted, it’s a conversation that obviously still needs to take place.
Lisa