In but another stroke of unparalleled genius, the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has, in their infinite wisdom, decided to bar census workers from Statistics Canada from entering the Reserve to collect information for the 2016 Census. This information appears in Two Row Times, April 20th 2016, p.5 in an article entitled, "Six Nations Elected Council: Census workers not allowed to enter."
It is via the census information that the Government in able to assess the needs of a community. For example for funding fire and police services. Also, to plan for schooling in the short and long run, the Government needs to know how many children of a certain age live in which location (e.g., Smoothtown) so they can allot funds perhaps to build a new school where it is needed. If the Government, who dispenses the tax dollars earned by Canadian citizens including Six Nations who work off Reserve, is unaware of the ages of the people living in the Community (Six Nations) how might they be expected to provide funds for senior citizens? The SNEC decision would effectively place a set of blinders on Statistics Canada and thus risk serious under funding as this agency tries to guesstimate for example how many people who are over 65 or will be reaching that age within the next 5 years?
So in a gesture of defiance, or some sort of warped attempt to assert sovereignty, SNEC puts the Community at risk - and may be clumsily shooting itself in the foot. If SNEC expects transfer payments from Canadians (which is really questionable in the first place to a majority of taxpayers) should they not at the very least cooperate to the fullest extent to facilitate the obtaining of the data needed to make the requisite calculations? In a costs benefits analysis, is it worth being obstinate?
Edit: Since the census forms have been mailed out to all residents of Canada for as far back as I can recall, isn't it all a moot point? No one on the Rez or in Caledonia can expect to see actual human beings arrive at their doorstep to make inquiries, as would have been the case in the years before 1970 or so. The important matter here is that the Elected Council cooperate with Statistics Canada to ensure that the Six Nations will receive a fair share when monies are distributed.
DY.
The author of this should be aware that census takers have never been allowed on the reserve. It has nothing with being obstinate and if you were actually Native, you would know that.
ReplyDeleteGrace L. Thanks for your comment. You need to do some fact checking. You can go to Ancestry.com or familysearch.org and search the Canadian Census for the years 1850 to 1920, and Tuscarora Township and related parts of I.R. 40 are all there. So you are wrong, and the question becomes, "What years were Statistics Canada census takers barred from doing their job on the Rez?"
ReplyDeleteI should also add that at some point (I forget when but before 1980) the census forms were all mailed out, so no census takers physically appeared on your doorstep as in the old days. The 1920 census of Canada is the most current available due to privacy laws. Not sure when the 1930 census will appear in digital form for searching.
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