It seems that once or twice a year a letter appears bemoaning the goodies that non-Native governments shower upon First Nations ("Native inequality doesn't seem fair", Prince George Citizen, Nov. 6). Always the refrain is that all Canadians must be treated equally and runs on then about unfair "free" education and health benefits and, worst of all, exemptions from taxes.
A perhaps overly-simplified but nonetheless valid response can be summed up in one word: "rent". In much of Canada, those benefits and exemptions for Natives were part of the tit-for-tat, enshrined in treaties, which Canada nonetheless has often dishonoured. In most of this province, however, non-indigenous peoples are enjoying the space, beauty and resources of Native lands that were never surrendered by any legal means recognized under British law. We, non-natives are trespassers. But we can feel a little better about ourselves, perhaps, by thinking of the "unequal" benefits Natives get, as rent paid to the owners. Do the math on what tax exemption, education and health benefits total for this province's Natives and then calculate what that is in rent for the majority of lands and resources in B.C. not under treaty. Leaving aside all the billions of dollars of resources pilfered from native land over the last century, this probably works out to, what,? - a nickel an acre per year? When you get or, rather, impose a deal like that on somebody, best to shut up about the small pittance you're paying them!
Norman Dale
Prince George
