So Joe McLaughlin thinks Prime Minister Stephen Harper should quit being so pigheaded and agree to meet with Attawapiskat chief Teresa Spence — Red Deer Advocate column of Jan. 5, 2013.
One of the first things that every kindergarten teacher learns is that when faced with a child who threatens to hold their breath until they turn blue if they don’t get what they want, you should ignore them until the temper tantrum is over and then work out a realistic solution to the problem.
This should be very much the case in this instance.
In simple terms, Ms. Spence is a publicity seeking fake and she is a fraud. Her fiscal and administrative abilities have been shown to be a joke; her reserve’s finances are run like a multimillion-dollar boondoggle that has severely compromised her band and reserve and her so called hunger strike is based on a diet that is actually not harmful to her physical condition and can quite likely keep her going indefinitely. She certainly hasn’t shown any detrimental effects or significant weight loss from her so called hunger strike.
There are a significant number of native bands in Canada that have actually taken responsibility for their own growth and development and are in fact quite successful and those bands don’t need to resort to histrionics, claims of racism and demands for retroactive guilt when faced with problems.
Ms. Spence’s self-indulgent actions and Mr. McLaughlin’s left lib knee-jerk reaction and fawning praise of Ms. Spence do nothing to help find a solution to a complex and longstanding problem.
Brian McLoughlin
Red Deer