Programs Not Delivering Results That Benefit Indigenous People, Despite Massive Government Spending

An indigenous women takes down laundry in the northern Ontario First Nations reserve in Attawapiskat, Ont., on April 19, 2016. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

Commentary

Politicians have a trick of responding to questions on how they are addressing a public policy challenge by listing off the dollar amounts they have “invested.” Looked at closely, this is not answering the question that was asked, but engaging in obfuscation. Politicians can start by ending their addiction to spending large announcements as if they were, in fact, solving the problem.