Canada: Slop pails sent to reserves (that have no running water)

[trouble]

Post discusses racism directed towards First Nations people.

Slop pails sent to reserves

Chief David McDougall, of the St. Theresa Point First Nation, says what they got was a shipment of water containers and slop pails.

He says each of the four community also got a sewage truck, but they don't have the resources or fuel to run it.

McDougall says Ottawa is expecting 15 people in one house to share a slop pail rather than ensure the communities have running water.

I'm trying to imagine a white Canadian community getting treated the same way in the case of a water-related crisis, and failing.

Maybe they should have offered to dress "ethnic" for the photo op.

Comments

O_O

[ysabetwordsmith]

Wow. I haven't heard of that happening in America, which is another place that seriously mistreats people living on reservations. Epic fail.

Re: O_O

[trouble]

During a dangerous flu outbreak that was killing people, reservations and native communities that asked for help were sent body bags.

Re: O_O

[ysabetwordsmith]

Well, at least the evil bastards were honest about their intentions. That helpfully makes people angry and more inclined to fight. When they're subtle, they're more dangerous. Say, sending blankets.

Re: O_O

[delphi]

Not to mention denied necessary hand sanitizer (doubly needed on reserves without reliable or clean water) because of "concerns" over the alcohol in them.

Re: O_O

[slippy]

They thought people were going to suck hand sanitiser to get drunk? Or reverse-engineer drinkable alcohol out of it?

Although I don't know why I'd believe "thought" was involved, rather than malice and neglect and disinterest.

Re: O_O

[delphi]

Some alcoholics are unfortunately desperate enough to drink things like hand sanitizer when they live in a dry community, and in the past, some chiefs and band councils have requested products without alcohol in non-emergency situations because of this. But it was nothing but bigotry and paternalism on Health Canada's part to deny the sanitizer when the communities needed and were asking for it.

Re: O_O

[slippy]

Thanks for setting me straight, I had no idea. But certainly, if the councils have good reason to avoid asking for the sanitisers, it underscores that there's a great need for the materials now that they are asking for them.

[silveradept]

What's the bet that later, this will be used to justify some other offense because "They're not living like civilized people, anyway, so we can continue to treat them poorly."