Editor:
There was a book published a few years ago called Freakonomics, and whenever I hear a story about government spending, that book comes to mind.
The Idle No More movement has been in the headlines most of this year, and while I don't understand all the issues, I can appreciate many of the First Nations people's frustration with what has been going on forever.
I was curious as to what the federal government is actually spending. Between the budget for Indian Affairs and Northern Development and all the other programs directed towards First Nations, the government is spending $10 billion annually. There are 1.2 million Status Indian, Métis and First Nations not on reserve, in Canada (from the last census). The annual per capita federal government spending is $83,000.
There has been some question of accountability. Well, the federal government is the party that has some explaining to do.
Maybe the solution is to get rid of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and just give every adult First Nations person $40,000 a year. Parents of children would get $20,000 per child as long as they are in school after age 5/6. A family of four would have $120,000 a year and they could surely resolve their own issues over time. The government could reduce its spending on those programs by more than $5 billion annually and the only people who would lose are some unelected bureaucrats.
Edward Erickson, Gibsons
