Building on the Anti-Woke Momentum

An update on the work being done, and some extras that didn't make the final cut

Photo by Youssef Abdelwahab on Unsplash

It’s been two weeks since my last posting to The Turn. Much has happened since then, so today I’ll do my best to update readers and focus on the bulk of the most important items. First though, I wish to welcome and thank all of the new subscribers. It means the world to me that so many people value my work enough that they are willing to receive it in their email. My last post was the first time I asked readers to consider upgrading to paid subscriptions. More readers came through with that request than I had imagined. New paid subscriptions from new readers have also continued to steadily roll in. This is all positive. If this trajectory keeps up, it will only mean more research, writing and organizing anti-woke pushback with other Canadians.

In case any new readers are unaware, Woke Watch Canada - the other substack I write and edit for - is where much of the anti-woke pushback occurs. We have over a dozen writers (some of whom are anonymous Canadian teachers writing from the trenches of the highly woke Canadian school system). Please subscribe and stay up-to-date on our coverage of wokeism in its many forms.

Ok let’s get into the good stuff.

On Nov. 29, the Frontier Center for Public Policy, published my essay - Indigenous Suffering is the Point: The Expanding Processes of the Aboriginal Industry. This essay discusses a few examples of what I refer to as the rent-seeking processes of the Aboriginal Industry - which are  “long drawn-out expensive processes designed not only to extract taxpayer dollars but also to block oversight and control narratives.” This essay required some sizable edits to bring the word count down before being published by Frontier. It was the section on Specific Claims that I had to cut down the most, so below I will include some of my analysis on this very expensive and forever expanding Aboriginal Industry process. But before I do that, I wanted to quickly mention some of the great work that has been published to Woke Watch Canada since I last wrote to The Turn readers.

Woke Watch Canada Update

Igor Stravinsky is an anonymous Canadian high school teacher. He offers insightful analysis of the encroachment of Critical Social Justice (Critical Race Theory, Radical Gender Theory, Postcolonial Theory, etc.) in the Canadian school system. Igor has been writing for Woke Watch Canada for close to a year, but since Nov 28th he’s been on a roll as he has submitted two excellent pieces. On Nov. 28th Igor wrote Waking Up To School Violence: Critical Theory Based Policies are the Main Cause of School Violence - this piece covers the alarming escalation of violence in Ontario High Schools, and shows how critical theory is making the problem worse. On December 12th, Igor wrote about the historical confusion (and nonsense) behind the land acknowledgements that students in the Peel board must repeat every day at the start of class. Professor Hymie Rubenstein, of the Real Indigenous Newsletter, consulted with Igor on the research.

Also, on December 4th, and then on December 6th, we had two great pieces written by two great Not Woke Warriors (who both ran for Ontario school Trustee positions last October on anti-woke platforms). Chanel Pfahl walked us through some highly disturbing and thoroughly woke lesson plans that the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) developed for kindergarteners. Then, Shannon Boschy wrote a scathing rebuke of both Canadian School Boards and Canadian Legacy Media for their impotence in dealing with even the most obvious and overt examples of woke crazy - like the infamous Oakville shop teacher who wears enormous prosthetic breasts, and lives out his autogynephilic fantasies in front of his students (of course, without his students consenting to their involvement in his sexual fetish). Disgusting!

On Dec. 7th I published an essay on the financial dependence of indigenous reserves written by former Indian Residential School teacher, Pim Wiebel (this is a moniker, as Pim understandably prefers to remain anonymous). Pim covers in-depth the Osooyos Indian Band, who are commonly thought to run one of the profitable and non-dependent reserves. Think again.

Finally on Dec. 11, I published a comprehensive, meticulously researched myth-busting original essay by retired judge, Brian Giesbrecht - Common Misconceptions of the Indian Residential School System: A Response to Terry Glavin - you have to read this to believe it. I encourage everyone to follow up on the citations and learn the truth about the history of residential schools. Spoiler Alert: The Truth & Reconciliation Commission has greatly distorted facts, cherry-picked, and manipulated the narrative.

The Great Illiberal Subversion - A Woke Watch Canada Essay Series

Today I published to Woke Watch Canada the next installment in the Great Illiberal Subversion. The piece today is the first in a mini-arc within the greater series. This mini arc primarily deals with the definitions of political terms and their foundational principles. Liberalism and conservatism are two such terms that since their inception have gone through many changes which have distorted and detached them from their original notions. Mr. M and I felt it was important to offer clarity in this area. 

Read today’s Great Illiberal Subversion essay - Subversion of Meaning: Rediscovering Canadian Principles.

For new readers, the Ontology of the Great Illiberal Subversion is a special post I put together on The Turn which I update as each new piece of the Great Illiberal Subversion puzzle is published. The ontology is basically an up-to-date chronological index with summaries of all the Great Illiberal Subversion essays. Keep in mind new readers - there is no need to read this series in order, each Great Illiberal Subversion essay stands on its own.

Indigenous Issues - Specific Claims

Below is the full section on specific claims (most of it was cut out) which appeared in the unedited draft of my essay  Indigenous Suffering is the Point: The Expanding Processes of the Aboriginal Industry :

Since 1974 Canada has been accepting “Specific Claims” from indigenous groups. Specific claims are a legal instrument by which a First Nation can bring forward land claim or trust fund administration grievances related to either a previously signed treaty the band feels has not been properly adhered to, or other grievances related to any breaches of the Indian Act. The Canadian system for dealing with these types of issues was fashioned after a similar system the Americans devised in 1946. The key difference is that the American system had a time limit of 5 years to file claims, while the Canadian system has expanded and increased the amount of claims and payouts over the last six decades.

In fact, the Canadian system has restructured several times, with each iteration making it easier for indigenous bands to make new claims. In many cases, the government subsidizes the filing process, making the Canadian system one that incentivizes filing claims against itself. All of this works to increase the likelihood of success for all indigenous claimants. Why wouldn’t every First Nation try for it? The government will pay for everything, they have greatly expanded, streamlined, and sped up the process, and made the chances for success well worth the time and trouble of filing the claims. What is there to lose?

By November 15, 2017, there had been 450 specific claims totaling $5.7 billion in payments from the federal government. At that date, approximately 400 claims were still being investigated or negotiated, and about 130 others were in some stage of litigation. All of these numbers have been steadily ballooning ever since.

Each stage of the government's reorganization of the specific claims filing procedure was intended to speed up the process in order to deal with a backlog of claims. The backlog was indeed cleared up, but in its place appeared an even bigger backlog as more indigenous bands decided to try their hand at the opportunity for free money from the government. Who wouldn’t?

Tom Flanagan explores the relationship between the well-being of First Nations and Specific Claims, in a paper published by the Fraser Institute:

“There is little statistical evidence that obtaining settlement of a specific claim makes a First Nation better off. The average Community Well-Being (CWB) index of First Nations that have received settlements is exactly the same as those who have not.”

“Because of the increasingly favourable legal environment, the growing value of awards, and the possibility of receiving a subsidy for costs, First Nations are finding it ever more profitable to pursue specific claims. Specific claims are money-makers in the aggregate, even if some are unsuccessful, which helps to explain the seeming paradox that as old claims are settled, even more new claims appear.” - Tom Flanagan

I’ll leave it there for today. Thanks again for all your support. Until next time, gentle reader.

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