Sandi L Boucher (Red Thunderbolt, Loon clan, Seine River First Nation) posts a YouTube monologue (July 22, 2024) criticizing the Canadian federal government for secrecy and cuts to Indigenous programs. She highlights a July 17 notice that funding for searches for unmarked graves will be drastically cut, describing a new cap of $500,000 per year and an example where the Mohawk Institute reported an ~85% budget cut. The video urges Canadians to demand transparency and support for reconciliation and healing.
Chapters
Well, guys, I feel like I owe you an apology because we're starting this week out with a rant and normally that is not something I would do, but I am still reeling from the news. I heard yesterday one of those when you're so angry, you have trouble putting words together. It's just, and so often I'm talking about a move by the federal government, by the way, and for Indigenous people, for many Indigenous people, it is always a double edged sword where we can't flip and believe what they've done and we're not really surprised what they've done and that sets back. Like, I mean, I work with so many industries and organizations that are trying to do good things and, and then the federal government does something and it just sets us back and it's a horrible example. And no, I have long said the federal government will not be leading the reconciliation charge, that they'll actually be last. And this weekend they proved it again. So what am I talking about? Well, before I get into the details, I have a question for you. Think about the federal government over the years, whatever party was in power. This is definitely not a party thing. This is a federal government thing. So the question is, I'm going to give you, I'm going to ask you a question and I'm going to give you three responses and you can decide which one you think is the right answer. So the question is yes, handy dandy index card because I'm so mad I had to write this down. Anyways, if you had to name the one thing that the federal government has always been exceptional at, exceptional, phenomenal at, what would that be? What's the one thing the federal government has always been amazing at? So here's your, your choices. One, truthful and honest negotiations with Indigenous people. And yes, of course, I'm coming at this from the Indigenous lens. Two, scarce communication with Canadians about Indigenous issues or actions they're taking involving Indigenous people, or three, substantive financial support of Indigenous peoples and healing. So which one of the three do you think the federal government has always been exceptional at? Let's talk about it. Hi everybody. My name is Andy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon clan, a proud member of Seine River First Nation and Treaty 3 territory in northern Ontario. And I have dedicated my life and career to Indigenous Canadian reconciliation. But Holy Moly's, the federal government makes that challenging. So before, in the opening, before the intro music, I asked you what's the one thing the federal government has always been exceptional at? And the options were truthful and honest negotiations with Indigenous people, scarce communication with Canadians about Indigenous actions or Indigenous issues and actions the federal government takes, or substantive financial support of Indigenous peoples in healing. If you're on this channel, if you thought it was one or three, you're probably on the wrong channel. Or if you're here, welcome, you should sit down and listen for a while. Please refrain from commenting until you catch up on some learning. If you're here on my channel, you are probably not surprised, or maybe you are, to hear that the federal government has always been free flipping phenomenal at keeping Canadians in the dark at what they do to Indigenous people. How many people did not know about the residential schools? They were a fact. I drove past the entrance. I didn't. I was on the school bus, but the school bus drove past the entrance to the residential school on my way to high school every day when I was growing up. So they existed. They just either put them way out of the way so you didn't know where they are, or they sure as heck didn't talk about them until the official apology. Why am I so peeved off on July 20, which would have been Saturday by the way? If you don't subscribe to. If you have cable, you need to get APTN cable TV. If you don't have cable TV, which I don't have cable TV, I totally understand you not having cable TV, then you need to subscribe to APTN on on YouTube because you need to get the information that you're being denied. I didn't even know this. What peeves me off because in Indian country moccasin telegraph is a thing and we tend to learn this stuff faster than others, which is why I'm doing this video because you may not know this yet. So on APTN on July 21st they released a video. I'll put the link in the show notes so you can watch it for yourself. On July 17, the federal government informed nations and entities that are involved with the search for unmarked graves that their funding was going to be drastically cut. It's not bad enough you took the kids. It's not bad enough that 50,000 of them didn't come home. Now you're not going. Now you cut the funding to us trying to find our kids. This is the abuser controlling your ability to heal. And that. Now this is the other thing that I used to work in non profit management so we used to watch the federal budget coming down because we knew it directly impacted our operating budgets. And if there's one thing I picked up on really quickly. The federal government is really good at releasing how many dollars they're putting towards indigenous initiatives, but they never mentioned what the last budget was. So they make it sound like they're putting huge dollars towards indigenous initiatives. And unless you knew and remembered or operated under the previous budget, you wouldn't realize it's a cut. And they did it again. Now, to be clear, you got to watch the link. It's so worth it. But I and the people in this video believe that this funding, the search to bring those kids home is an essential part of reconciliation, an essential part of the debt owed to Indigenous people forever. Taking our kids in the first place. Hard stop on that, period. Full stop. They announce. Now, this is where. Be careful your lens here. They announce that the funding going forward will be capped at $500,000 a year. Now, if you're an everyday person, $500,000 sounds like a lot of money. And then they went on to interview a woman who works with the Mohawk Institute, which was the original residential school, the Mo. The Mushole. 85% cut to their budget. 85% cut to their budget. Did the feds announce that? No, they didn't even announce, excuse me, that they were cutting this funding. Did you hear that in mainstream news? Did you know about that? Did you see that in your newspaper, if you still do print media? Did you see that anywhere? I didn't. And that's what the federal government is great at. So it misleads Canadians and they think things are going hunky dory, and they're not, because the feds continue to do things like this. Now, again, do not make this a liberal thing, because in fact, the Liberals are the ones, if you look at the numbers, who have always funded indigenous issues initiatives and to work on Indigenous issues to a greater extent than the Conservatives ever have. So do not go there. This is a federal government institutional problem, not a party problem. And it makes me sick. I cannot even comprehend how you can. What is that? Talking out of both sides of your mouth. On one hand, we apologize for having taken your kids. 2. But you cannot find them. You cannot bring them home. They must just remain gone. I don't know if the feds are peeved at WAB Canoe for the amazing stuff he's doing out in Manitoba and searching the. The dump site. The dump. The actual city dump, because they believe the remains of several Indigenous women are there. And he okayed that search. I don't know if that made the feds upset. Way to go, Bob. I wish we had Premiers like you in every freaking province. Reconciliation benefits us all. As long as people are hurting and that hurting isn't supported, the healing isn't supported, then we all pay the price. This is effing ridiculous. I'm sorry, it is. And guess what? If you don't think it is, then just substitute indigenous missing children for non indigenous white children. Would you want the funding to be there? Would you want to be able to bring your kids home? Of course you would. Anyone would. Do not make this an indigenous issue. This is a Canadian issue. Because in this case, yet again, Canada is the problem. So mad I could scream for the sake of my blood pressure. I want to figure out what to do. And the first step was to make sure you knew about this. Because this lack of communication, this. This secretive actions, has always been how the feds treat indigenous people behind the scenes. So Canada doesn't know. I believe. I may not be happy with Canada, the country, the federal government, but I believe in Canadians. Guys, speak up. Demand more. This is ridiculous. Until tomorrow. I love you. Take care. Bye bye.
