Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Media Banished From Attawapiskat

It's interesting that a Native Chief engaged in a cheap publicity stunt to extort more money from the federal government has now ordered that the media be banished from their community. Generally when people are involved in a publicity stunt, they want more media attention, not less. However in this case, the media has started asking some very inconvenient questions about how the leadership in this community has spent $100 million dollars of tax payers money. So instead of embracing the spotlight (as most engaged in publicity stunts aggressively seek), the media has been shut down and ordered to leave town.

It's a weird world that we live in, where an individual who should be investigated for corruption, for misappropriating millions of dollars that was supposed to be spent on the people she represents has now become a cult hero among that community. Seriously? Unfortunately it's very difficult to determine how that money was spent because their bookkeeping is severely lacking in details. Getting answers requires people on the ground investigating and asking questions (which is what the media was doing before getting kicked out). The people of Attawapiskat should be gathering on their Chief's lawn with pitch forks demanding answers. In order to get answers, you need people asking questions.

If this fiasco happened in my community, with millions of government dollars being misappropriated by the leadership, redirected to themselves, and not spent on the critical issue it was intended for; we would be demanding the resignation of person in charge. We would want auditors to investigate and even call in the police if necessary. If those same leaders were vehemently blocking any investigation, it would only further convince me of their guilt. Instead there is this sham of a hunger strike that has turned a leader who should be investigated for corruption into a hero of her people?

As the song goes; "I've been trying to make some sense of it all, but I can see it makes no sense at all."

10 comments:

  1. So the Big Chief Dog and Pony Show is winding down for the season eh!
    So, what did it in? The ratings dive or perhaps it was a case of there being no Chief Standing after shooting herself in the foot once to often?

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  2. old white guy says..... jail time for fraud would be the proper outcome here.

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  3. Have been following this story for some time now and anyone with common sense would concur that this is a whitewash and scam in the highest magnitude. Did the Chief not envisage this offing? The books cannot be cooked because there are entries but nothing further. Little wonder even Deloitte couldn't make any sense of money going into a black hole and no further evidence is seen to where it has vanished.
    The powers that be need to engage the RCMP to conduct a thorough investigation, leaving no stone unturned, and lay charges to the fullest extent of the law. A precedence needs to be established in this case.
    Canadians have had enough of these imbecile schemes and games of which the sympathy card has been played "one time too many."
    The fuse has been lit and raging dangerously close to the incendiary gizmo, so brace for the imminent explosion that is impending - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 -

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  4. This needs to be played like the sponsorship scandal.Haul all those bands and chiefs into a public inquiry and dig to the bottom of all the thievery and missing money.
    The RCMP are probably afraid of going into Attawapiskat in case they get SHOT by orders of the chief and band protecting their assets.

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  5. I appears the people on Attawapiskat are prisoners on their own reserve.
    What is Chief Spence hiding ? Are the cold and poor people on that reserve safe?

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  6. WHERE IN THE PRICKING HELL IS CHARLIE ANGUS?
    I thought that he was so concern for the 'little guy' natives who live in shack to stand up to Chief Spence for 'NOT' supplying the needs needed by HER PEOPLE. I guess that NDP Charlie Angus is more interested in the chief like the union CEOs where the big bucks go to0 rather than standing with the little guy who lives in shacks and, those whose union dues are being used for riots etc....

    The media got themselves embroiled in this mess rather than re acknowledging what this CPC has done for the Aboriginals. In other words, the media got what they deserve.

    Take a look at Crux of the Matter blog:

    Some Harper Gov’t achievements for First Nations since 2006

    http://cruxofthematterblog.wordpress.com/

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  7. If we have to write checks to the natives then so be it but......The Governemnt should be writing the checks to individual natives not the Bands. Then let the Bands tax their people. Might be interesting to see how much interest individual natives then pay attention to what their politicians are doing or in most cases not doing.

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  8. this site gives the FACTS
    http://www.conservative.ca/?page_id=1394
    fh

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  9. One group looking extraordinarily foolish on the Spence sideshow is opposition Liberals, Bennett, Trudeau, etc. As for Paul Martin, his statements provide good evidence why Canadians were correct not to elect him to a majority government. Both he and Joe Clark would be better to be quiet on the sidelines rather than be made to look like fools. Spence's 15 minutes of fame is just about up.

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  10. "...people of Attawapiskat should be gathering on their Chief's lawn with pitch forks demanding answers."

    Forks are tools used by farmers to pitch hay. The people of Attawapiskat are NOT farmers,and they don't want "answers".

    They just want the cheques to keep rollin' in.

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