I wrote an earlier comment to this issue, (It follows this Globe & Mail Posting) just when the globe & mail posted the article about Harper's letter to the Calgary Herald. As a First nations Metis (Descenta of the first people), I disagree with any form of funding based on race, particularly with aboriginal filmmakers which the original comments were using as an analogy to Harper's letter. However, after some thought and meditation on my life and point of view, I would have to agree with AFN's Chief Phil Fontaine, and all the other native people who will stand up against Harper's provocative letter. Equality is important to all of us, but in a systemic society such as Canada, it is a misnomer, when it comes to hidden intentions, clandestine meetings and political maneuvering to accommodate the economic interests of industries, and ultra right wing conservatives. The old school wants society as it was before, where 'the good old boys' run the country, [most] women are put back into the kitchen, and minority groups, and NDNS put into their place and just settle with life. Well, good old boys from Calgary and any other conservation bastion, your political and business life will not last long, and we have many great leaders who lead by honesty, humility, and respect. Let's not forget that before Cartier, Cabot, Columbus or Captain Vancouver found themselves here after wandering the 'flat earth' The First people live a life which involved a fair amount of commercial relationships. While “paper money' was not used, other forms of commercial transactions were utilized to provide for the community and families. Just because today capitalism changed the commercial role of native people, that does not mean we can not continue creating commercial relationships with others. It is the narrow mindedness of people who still see their world in terms of black and white, instead of seeing the shades of gray which make up much of the demographics of a country. Get with the 21st century folks!
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Original first comment on Harper issue, not published by Globe & Mail:
As I have always stated in my private and public discussion avec Native and Non-Native relations, I do not entirely agree with funding based on racial defined polices. Unfortunately, I relatively agree avec S. Harpers comments about opposing racial divided programs. I have a short conversation avec Bill Hurst formerly of Telefilm Canada and disagreed avec Telefilm's decision to place my film proposal into just the aboriginal funding envelop as opposed to the English and French envelops. My feature film "7 Fires 4 U...Kitchi Manitou screenplay at the time was a narrative which contained Aboriginal, English and French language to represent Canada's main identities as a microcosm of the Canadian landscape.I told Mr. Hurst that I disagreed with the notion of funding aboriginal and Non-aboriginal filmmakers on the basis of race. Funding based on race is just another continuation of the segregation and apartheid positioning of native people in Canada. While with the fisheries department the criteria of its infrastructure are quite different, its allocation of fishing districts and seasonal placement is based on the value of race. In closing, Even though affirmative programs in the United States and equity employment programs in Canada even out the opportunity boards of employment and economic potential, racial divisions will only increase the anxiety and temperament of Non-Native North Americans everywhere.
