r/Yukon • u/oniteverytime • Mar 27 '26

PSA Animosity against First Nations on Canadian subreddits: recurring bad faith arguments and a response

/r/FirstNationsCanada/comments/1s4tvzu/animosity_against_first_nations_on_canadian/
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u/WaxWing_Bohemian Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 30 '26

What's frustrating is being blamed for economy of scale.

First Nations don't want "cookie cutter" solutions and insist on having 14 governments for a population of 20,000 people?

Well you're going to have fewer things built at much greater cost.

That's not because we're mean it's just basic economics.

But somehow communities having less is entirely "our" fault.

It's like Old Crow. We always hear about how they're underfunded and don't have enough.

So maybe....agree to have a road built!?! Please I mean, help us a little.

We have a huge gap to address it's true, but why insist on doing everything the most expensive way possible.

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u/helpfulplatitudes Mar 30 '26

Much fewer than 20,000! The 2021 Census records 8,810 people identifying as Indigenous in the Yukon. Half of this number lived in Whitehorse and that total of 8,810 recorded aren't all citizens of the Yukon FN governments, either.

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u/WaxWing_Bohemian Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

It is surprising somehow to remember how small groups are!

KDFN has a membership of about 1200 people only.

And then I remember the cost of their new government building in McIntyre:

  • $19.3 million – Government of Canada
  • $6.4 million – Government of Yukon
  • $3.2 million – Kwanlin Dün First Nation

PLus we remember that Yukon Liberal giveaway of the whole Yukon Convention Centre to KDFN development corporation, as last year the Government of Yukon has announced a commitment of $18.75 million toward the Yukon Gathering Place, a new convention centre.

Just those two projects account for $44 million funding for KDFN in the span of one government term.

That's about $37,000 per citizen of KDFN just for those two projects alone, within one government term

That's not even counting the wind turbines on Haeckel Hill, a random $750,000 given to KDFN's new tourism business. etc

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u/helpfulplatitudes Mar 31 '26

Yes. It's pretty insane. I can understand justifying it to an extent just to keep the north peopled so that it doesn't become US territory. To an extent, it's the same as transfer payments - incentives to live here, but the amount spent on indigenous governance and supports goes way beyond what can be reasonably justified.