Has democracy paid a visit to your band office lately?
By James Wastasecoot
Increasingly we are seeing violent episodes in band offices across the country. This may or may not surprise residents of First Nation communities, but Canadians in general are stupified at this and wonder why Indians can't get their act together and govern themselves like everybody else. After all Canadians don't expect to see violence occuring within their municipal, provincial or federal government offices.
Canadians are endowed with rules and protection of citizens' rights that assures them of an orderly process when it comes to governance.
What is happening to First Nations that makes us different? Shouldn't all all citizens have redress and accountability in respect of their governance institutions?
What it all boils down to is that when a Canadian citizen has a concern or an issue, he or she is presented with a multitude of institutional avenues for redress and due process. A Canadian who wants information about the latest budget on a matter of concern merely has to file an "access to information" request to obtain the information.
Canadians can call their MP or MLA and get answers to their questions. Institutions such as the "official opposition" and the Auditor General exist whose primary function is to scrutinize government decisions and spending on behalf of citizens. Finally, Canadians have a free and independent media to ferret out problems which may lie hidden in the mass of reports produced by governments whether it be gun registration, government media contracts or corporate improprieties.
Citizens forums abound funded by private citizens or business groups where civil society and policy issues are discussed and debated. Canadians are the beneficiaries of a thousand year old tradition of stable democracy, that they've fashioned to suit their needs and that assures them of peace, order and good government. The key is that there are checks and balances in the power structure and almost everyone knows what the rules are.
"Indians" on the other hand, enjoy none of these safeguards and rules in respect of their governance on reserve. The Indian Act is pretty much irrelevant insofar as governance is concerned. Presently, efforts are focused on replacing it with legislation that is now before parliament. Federally funded negotiations are also ongoing in eighty or so locations across the country that hold promise of clarifying "self-government."
In the current state of limbo there are no effective rules of governance. The rules are based on the whim of whoever is in charge in the band office. Depending on the leadership, folks can experience fair democratic governance or, they may experience repression under a dictatorial regime. In the latter case, of which there are many out there, any citizen who files an information request is likely to be tagged a trouble maker and then targeted for special treatment by the chief and his or her supporters. The individual and his family may be denied services or experience intimidation at the hand of their leaders.
There is not a lot an individual can do. A lot of these matters are referred to the courts where a judge ends up ruling on symptoms rather than addressing the heart of the problem. Grand Chiefs, who used to count for something in terms of leadership in our community, are powerless to intervene and assist their so called constituents for fear they may offend a chief. It is after all the chiefs who elect them. Grand Chiefs in recent times have dismissed the violence as alcohol and drug-related. That's not good enough.
So the grassroots are left to deal with the problem of governance and reforming it, on their own. They are fed up trying to deal with a flawed system that they see is deficient from all angles and are proceeding to solve it in what they see is the only means they have at their disposal. What to do?
Grand Chiefs and Elders, who are not short in their numbers and words when it comes to ceremonials, should be owning up to this problem and not merely dismissing it as a drug and alcohol issue. Surely they have a role to play in what they're supposed to be good at: leadership in governance. Our governance institutes, of which there are now a few in universities across this country, should be stepping in and addressing the critical issues in governance. And there are now literally, thousands of highly educated folks out there who could also helping to reshape goverannce in our community. When are we going to hear from them?