Scrap Indian Act, taxpayers federation urges Ottawa

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal government to end the Indian Act and give First Nations full control over their land.

The national lobby group unveiled a five-point plan on Tuesday to address issues it has identified on reserves, such as poverty and corruption.

“The results are horrific. Aboriginal people on reserves tend to have lower incomes, lower education levels, higher incarceration rates, higher obesity rates, higher smoking rates. The list goes on and on and on,” Colin Craig, the federation’s director in the Prairies, told reporters in Winnipeg.

“If you think about those bleak communities that literally are in the middle of nowhere, and there aren’t any opportunities right now — and there likely won’t be, no matter how many social program dollars you put into it — this is what we’re talking about.”

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