OPINION - "Fontaine's Community" by B. Kismet

Most people would interpret the attempted suicide of 21 children in a small northern community as a tragedy, but First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine is not most people. Apparently, he sees it as a lobbying opportunity.

“We were aware of this crisis for some years now, and I thought we had a commitment from government to deal with this crisis,” Fontaine has said. “We have to press this case as urgently as we can. I’m just not sure what will motivate the government to do the right thing here.”

If one was seriously interested in preventing this situation from escalating, one would first consider all possible causes. A solution would depend on a solid understanding of the problem, and no understanding of the problem could be independent of an acknowledgment of its root causes.

If Mr. Fontaine has considered any solution beyond additional government funding, or considered any root causes beyond the lack of adequate government funding, it certainly is not evident from his public statements.

I think it is fair to assume that a lot of things have to go wrong in a community for 21 children to attempt suicide in a month. It might also be fair to assume that poverty is one of the main causes. However, a community functions on much more than just money alone.

A community is made up of people that look out for each other. People in a functional community should work together for the benefit of the community. It is in the interest of every member of the community to ensure that children grow into functional members of the community.

If a child attempts suicide, you can’t lay the blame at the feet of the government without at least considering the quality of parenting the child has received. In Kashechewan, could the parents of these children done a little better?

Have the members of the community of Kashechewan worked as a group to make sure that the children of their community at least want to be alive?

What about the political leadership on the reserve, is there room for improvement there?

Speaking of political leadership; every Canadian citizen interacts with several levels of government. In addition to municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government, First Nations citizens of Canada interact with the Assembly of First Nations. Has the Assembly of First Nations done an adequate job of utilizing funds that have been placed at its disposal?

These questions, as politically incorrect as they may be, have to be asked before they can be answered. Depending on the answers, one may or may not decide that the Canadian government can solve the problem by providing more funding.

Phil Fontaine seems too willing to abdicate all responsibility for First Nation problems to the federal government. Perhaps that abdication of responsibility is, not only a sign of poor leadership, but also directly contributing to the perpetuation of the problems it disavows.

If Phil Fontaine’s role is nothing beyond lobbying for money, then it is unfair of me to encourage him to look beyond the government when assessing responsibility for the tragedy in Kashechewan. However, if a solution to the problem is the goal, the discussion has to be about more than finger pointing and funding.

B. Kismet