Canada in $4.3bn deal to fight native poverty

[Judi Lynn]

Canada in $4.3bn deal to fight native poverty

Saturday, November 26, 2005; Posted: 7:01 a.m. EST (12:01 GMT)

KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) -- Canada on Friday pledged $4.3 billion in a landmark deal with Indian and northern Inuit communities to help lift them from the poverty and disease that has plagued their neglected reserves for more than a century.

The agreement commits federal funding over the next decade for widespread improvements in housing, health care, education and economic development for the nearly 1 million aboriginal peoples of the North American nation, namely Indian tribes known as First Nations and Inuits, the aboriginal Canadians of the northeastern and Arctic territories.

Prime Minister Paul Martin and the premiers of Canada's 13 provinces and territories announced the agreement after a two-day summit with five native organizations.

"Aboriginal Canadians have no desire for more rhetoric; they have needs and those needs demand attention. It's as simple as that. We all know that there are serious problems in too many aboriginal communities and it's heartbreaking to hear the stories of lost promise," Martin said after the conclusion of the two-day summit in Kelowna, a western frontier town whose name means grizzly bear in the local Indian tongue.
(snip/...)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/11/26/canada.natives.ap/index.html

[Erika]

1. W & the GOP would have just said to get their lazy butts to

work or let them starve. Next item, tax cuts for the wealthy...of course, these people earned them.

[Lasher]

2. What a waste!

They could instead be flushing that money down the toilet in Iraq like we are.

[applegrove]

3. Yup - we will see that money again in healthier lives.

[Kagemusha]

4. I'm not so sure but, at least they're trying something.

This government may not survive to carry the deal through though.

[applegrove]

5. Well - the latest polls show the Libs ten points ahead of the Cons.

So it will be a victory for them - even if they end up with another minority.