Header image for Interrobang article Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence on Parliament HIll in Ottawa.

In social programming, they call it a "wicked problem": a social or cultural problem that seems impossible to change because of the complexity of the issue. It's an apt term to describe Aboriginal Affairs in Canada.

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence began a hunger strike to draw attention to the living conditions on the Attawapiskat reserve and to pressure Prime Minister Stephen Harper into a meeting. Over three weeks into the hunger strike, Harper agreed to meet with Spence and other First Nations leaders on January 11. Since then, the discussion has taken an abrupt left-turn. Sun News started taking numbers from the financial statements on the Attawapiskat website and drawing some questionable conclusions. Kent Driscoll gave some insight into the number discrepancies in his article on APTN.ca, but the net result has been that the focus has shifted from the needy to the finances.

There is a lot of evidence supporting the claim that the federal dollars allocated to Attawapiskat have been seriously mishandled, but this isn't exactly a revelation to decision makers. The rhetoric surrounding reserve funding is well established and it appears to be on the verge of consuming yet another opportunity for actual change. Chief Spence does herself and those she stands for a disservice by undermining concerns about her handling of the Attawapiskat finances. While she likely believes that she is staying on message and avoiding distractions, the federal audit will reportedly disprove her claims that the reserve's money is well handled and her credibility will dissolve.

This time last year, Attawapiskat was in a state of national emergency, citing poor housing, living conditions and sanitation. Fast-forward to today and very little has changed. While the financial statements show relatively large transfers to the town, it's an isolated reserve that would obviously require marginally higher transfers to achieve living conditions comparable to reserves near densely populated areas. To add fuel to the fire, an audit of how money from the federal government is used in Attawapiskat has been pending and is now set to be released. It's no secret that the report is highly critical of how about $90 million was used in the community, and this is just one issue that the January 11 meeting between the Chiefs and Stephen Harper had to deal with.

What gets lost in the rhetoric is that there are real people in Attawapiskat who are starving, sick or don't have adequate shelter. While the audit condemns the way funds have been spent to date, and rightfully so, it serves as proof that funding isn't the problem. The amount of money going into the reserve is enough to provide adequate living conditions for its inhabitants, yet this hasn't been the case. The strategy until now has been a patchwork quilt of funding, offers of assistance, and an appointed city manager.

What's needed is a comprehensive strategy that works with the people who need the help. The most difficult part of getting aid to those who need it is the constant rhetoric that takes the place of actual discussion. Until there is a sense that both sides are interested in coming together in good faith, all we'll get is smoke signals.

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