Craig Allen Dulles, BBQ, CGE. Grocery Whisperer

Premier Wab Kinew’s call to abolish the Indian Act of 1876 has usefully exposed the unresolved contradictions in what is termed “Reconciliation.” The related label “First Nations” is itself imprecise. Many of the groups in question are small, historically fluid communities rather than nations in any conventional sense. Ritual acknowledgments of unpronounceable and largely unknown groups before public events further illustrate the gap between symbolic practice and institutional reality. A central unanswered question remains: how many people of authentic Indigenous ancestry actually prefer to live under hereditary forms of governance, and how many would prefer meaningful cultural continuity combined with full participation in the broader Canadian economy and society. The incentives of existing leadership structures are clear. The preferences of the wider population have never been systematically tested. It's time to stop with the symbolic deference, and start serving the interests of Indigenous Canadians.