[Winnipegger@Heart]

On one hand, reserves need to be abolished, but on the other, many First Nations people like life on the reserve; the caveat is that there needs to be jobs. The idea of abolishing reserves, and having residents relocate to urban centres is one that can be deemed as a way to force assimilation. I think Aboriginals CAN leave the reserve AND retain their culture because we see this in Immigration. The Filipino population in Winnipeg is very high, and they are thriving, and have not had to give up their culture. There needs to be the leadership in the Aboriginal community to build the cultural centres, etc so Aboriginals can hold on to their culture. This needs to be born from them; not government. Where there is a will, there is a way...

It is just so sad that we are still trying to fix the reserve system. Perhaps Aboriginal leaders, and the federal government, and X number of Aboriginals from across the country can hold a forum to finally find a solution. All we seem to hear is that conditions on reserves are bad; they need more money. To me, that is not a solution.