Dear Editor:

After reading a letter to the editor two weeks ago penned by Don Brady I was furious.

I was, of course, upset at Mr. Brady for his remarks about First Nations as he painted them all in broad strokes lazy, greedy and entitled.

I found very little of his rant to be on point in regards to Chief Louis or the renaming of Haynes Point Provincial Park to Swiws.

I, along with many others, were shocked that the Osoyoos Times would print such a letter – the last sentence of the letter referring to First Nations as “you people.”

It is my opinion, and one shared by others, that a letter such as this is unethical and, therefore, should not have been printed.

The Osoyoos Times did print the letter.

That is fine and all part of the society that we live in.

If this is indeed the case, then it is well within my rights to voice my opinion on such matters.

Mr. Brady, your letter was uninformed as well as unrelated to the topic you set out to discuss.

There is very little space left on this planet for bigoted views such as these and I’m sure that there will be even less space for these views in whatever afterlife awaits you in your waning years of life.

My wife is Cree and she works more than any one I know and guess what? She pays taxes.

Wow, did you know there was such was a thing?

And for your information, many First Nations people in Canada pay taxes.

As far as land claims go. It is all there in the Treaties that were signed during the creation of Canada.

These treaties have never been honoured by senior levels of government in this country. Therefore, your views are misplaced.

Look at it this way. You purchase a used car from a dealer you assume is reputable.

After a few months, the police come to your door and inform you that the car you have purchased was stolen prior to it being sold to you and that it must be returned.

Would you be upset?

Of course you would.

But where would you aim your anger?

Would you aim it at the person who originally owned the car or would you be angry at the supposedly reputable dealer that sold you a car knowing full well that the car had not been attained legally?

The same goes for land claims. Why do people get angry at the First Nations of this gigantic land? The anger needs to be placed on the federal and provincial governments that have been double dipping on this land for almost two centuries.

The amount of Canadian tax dollars spent by the federal government on litigation with First Nations for court cases that will time and time again be lost is astounding.

Numerous precedents have been set by the Supreme Court of Canada on these key issues.

The government is throwing tax dollars away on fights they will not win and we the people never asked them to fight for in the first place.

Also, the amount of revenue created for the Canadian government by industry on First Nations land far outweighs the amount of money given back to First Nations communities.

Here are some more facts. Across Canada, First Nations generate more in revenue for Canada then is returned to them.

Surprise. First Nations are actually subsidizing Canada. If you would like to read about this in depth please read more here. http://www.mediacoop.ca/blog/dru/15493

The fact that First Nations receive huge handouts is just one of a myriad of myths that have worked their way into the Canadian zeitgeist through years of misinformation.

I have all the time in the world for ignorant opinions as I am also an ignorant person.

There are all sorts of things that I know little to nothing about yet still form opinions on.

The great thing about being ignorant is that it allows plenty of room for growth and education.

If I learn that something I believe may not in fact be the truth I can read about it, study and listen to other points of view.

People with bigoted opinions on the other hand, I have no time for.

Those with bigoted opinions know full well that what they are saying is not fact.

Instead they voice opinions in a hurtful manner and aim to cause damage with their words.

I know that there are many people in this town who do not agree with Mr. Brady and his views. Let us not allow for a few like him to ruin the image of our small community.

Let us grow this conversation beyond the editorial section of our local newspaper.

They say that “silence is the best response to a fool”, but in this case I feel as though silence is consent.

We as individuals, and as a community, need to let those who broadcast views of intolerance know that they will not be tolerated.

It is a sad day when a man, woman or child reads in a local paper the same words that have been spat at them by people with bigoted opinions their whole lives.

I realize that some may hate me for what I have just written. Many will think I’m sucking up or looking to get something.

At the end of the day, I will rest easy knowing that I said something true and something factual about something I am not ignorant about.

I had to read about these subjects on my own.

They don’t teach the true history of Canada’s relationship with aboriginals in schools.

It’s getting better, but we obviously still have a long way to go before letters such as the one written by Mr. Brady are a thing of the past.

Thank you for allowing me to write about this important issue in our community.

Sean Peltier

Osoyoos, B.C.