Canadians should not be surprised to learn that South Africa modeled their system of apartheid after the Canadian Indian reserve system. The Canadian government however, should be ashamed. Until the federal government abolishes the reserve system and transfers ownership of reserve land to Indian bands, the segregation and poverty of Indians will continue.

Since the first Indian reserve was established, Indians have been segregated from Canadian society. The segregation isolates Indians from other Canadian citizens and limits their ability to fully participate in both society and the economy.

As a result of the federal government's decision to restrict the bulk of the Department of Indian Affair's programs to on-reserve Indians, many Indians live in virtual isolation on reserve communities which have no real economic base and, in a number of instances, a disintegrating social fabric. No matter how uneconomic the community, the federal government has seen as its duty to sustain them.

Currently, the federal government spends approximately $7.5 billion annually for Indian Affairs. The following is only a partial list of the federal services provided to reserve communities: education, social services, law enforcement, Indian government support, social maintenance, construction and maintenance of houses, schools, roads bridges, sewers and other community facilities.

The process of providing a plethora of programs and services to reserve communities at the expense of other Canadians (read: taxpayers), has produced a perverse incentive for Indians to remain on reserves - even with social assistance rates as high as 90 per cent on some reserves.

Furthermore, all the land and resources which comprise the Indian reserve are held in trust by the Crown, and is merely managed by the Chief and council. Therefore, when an Indian decides to leave the reserve they often leave - almost literally - with the clothes on their backs.

Nonetheless, Indians are beginning to vote with their feet and, in doing so, declare the reserve system a failure. According to the Department of Indian Affairs, the proportion of on-reserve registered Indians decreased from 71 per cent in 1980 to 57 per cent in 2002.

Why are Indians choosing to leave the reserve One answer may be that Indian reserve land is treated differently than other private property. This treatment of Indian people under the Indian Act is unfair and is the reason why many people in Indian communities live in poverty.

Even communist China realizes the value of individual private property for economic prosperity. This is because easily identifiable individual property can be leveraged for loans and wealth creation. Yet, the Canadian government continues to deny Indian bands the right to own reserve land.

It is both patronizing and demeaning to Indians for the federal government to continue to hold the title of Indian reserves. It is the bands that should have ownership and control of the reserve lands thus allowing the bands to decide whether their long-term interests are to be achieved through the collectivist ownership of land, or the private ownership of land.

Indian communities will only have the opportunity to become economically self-sustaining and prosperous if the reserve land is transferred to the Indian bands and the reserve system abolished. It is time the federal government provided Indians with a real opportunity to prosper.