The federal government spends billions of tax dollars each year in support of aboriginals on reserves and now, together with the BC government, has spent an additional billion dollars on a seemingly futile treaty process. If governments were truly interested in improving the lives of individual aboriginals, they would invest some time and energy into changes that would bring hope to individuals on reserves rather than signing treaties that simply entrench the status quo.

The BC treaty process has been an expensive exercise without results. Since 1993, the federal government has spent $426 million and the BC government $260 million on negotiations. BC First Nations have borrowed close to $300 million. But even with one billion dollars in expenditures, there are - wait for it - no signed treaties under the BC treaty process.

The purpose of the treaty process is to reconcile who owns the land, but currently, land managed by aboriginals is held collectively by the band. The treaty process does nothing to change that. Band leadership will remain entrenched, accountability non-existent, and the quality of life for individual natives unchanged. The culprit The Indian Act.

The Indian Act, passed in 1876, gives aboriginals living on reserves - tax free - a myriad of services including education, social support, and housing with all the infrastructure that goes with it. This has created a huge incentive to stay on the reserve whether the reserve has an economic base, jobs, or not.

In fact, the federal government spends $8 billion per year on programs for Indians on reserves in Canada. What are the results Lower life expectancy, higher suicide rates, and a higher infant mortality rate than the Canadian average. As treaties in no way change the Indian Act, it is unlikely treaties will change these disheartening statistics.

Worse, the federal government gives money for services on reserves not to individual Indians, but to band leaders. Band leaders do not have to account for the $8 billion per year and the almost $300 million for treaty negotiations. Band members do not have access to the Band's financial operations. Once money goes to band leaders, the auditor general of Canada cannot audit how the money was spent.

Band members allege misappropriation of funds, corrupt electoral practices and misuse of social program funding. Of the more than 250 complaints received by the federal Department of Indian Affairs in 2004/2005, 65 came from BC.

As BC's auditor general concluded in a recent report; "using treaties to resolve who owns, uses, and manages the land and related resources - has proven to be expensive and time consuming for all three parties."

The lack of results after more than 15 years of treaty negotiations show the treaty process is not working. But this is about so much more than treaties - this is about human lives, and the lives of individual aboriginals on reserves continue to decline. What is the solution Instead of further entrenching the status quo, establish private property rights on reserves, as in the rest of Canada. Give funds to individuals instead of leaders, and have the leaders tax the funds back, just as municipalities do. Make Band leaders accountable and give individual aboriginals the dignity and respect they deserve. And give taxpayers - aboriginal and non aboriginal alike - a break.