 Protest shuts down streets in downtown Toronto. Photo credit: Global Toronto. On Thursday December 3rd, 300 Aboriginal protestors gathered at the Ontario Legislature at Queens Park in Toronto. They were protesting the new harmonized sales tax (HST) that is scheduled to be initiated on July 1, 2010. From Queen’s Park, they marched through the busy streets of Toronto in rush hour, trying to have their voices heard and their concerns addressed. They came out to decry against McGuinty’s new law, which would make them no longer exempt from paying the PST (Provincial sales tax), as it will be blended with the GST (goods and services tax). The result of the HST for Ontarians and Aboriginals will be an increase in the price of some goods and services. We will all feel “the pinch”, but natives more so, as many in their communities live in abject poverty. To address the possible deterioration in their living conditions, Premier McGuinty and Provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan have said they are appealing to Ottawa for an exemption for Aboriginals from the HST. Given the important history of Aboriginals in this country, it’s very surprising that the Premier had apparently not consulted with the communities about the potential effects of the tax on them. Or, maybe not. Aboriginal issues are in the news a lot when there is a crisis, like the Aboriginal protests in Caledonia in 2006. But as soon as the crisis is calmed, the issue of their living conditions is completely ignored. And that’s just the problem with the way Canada deals with Aboriginal concerns: the crises are calmed but are never really solved. This protest did not turn violent, but it strongly symbolized the marginalization of Aboriginals in Canada. They are not a huge voting bloc, and don’t seem to hold much sway in Canadian politics – though not for lack of trying. And they are plagued with social ills that people blame on stupidity, or laziness: unemployment, AIDs, drug abuse, and illiteracy. They came, they marched, and they went home. The HST will most likely be implemented as planned, on July 1. Parliament approved the legislation the same day as the protest. The media reports on the protest were far more concerned with traffic blockages than with investigating the root cause of native complaints. This country might want to begin to try to address these issues, grant Aboriginals their rights, and aid their communities before the next crisis.  CommentsLeave a Reply | CategoriesAll ArchivesAugust 2010 About Us
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