Re: "Courting Controversy," by Pamela Palmater (July/August 2011).

As a member of the Stoney Tribe, I was disappointed with Pamela Palmater's review of John Reilly's book, Bad Medicine: A Judge's Struggle for Justice in a First Nations Community.

It appeared the objective of the review was to portray Judge Reilly as a self-centred attention-seeker who was only out to advance his own interests. Overlooked was the fact that Reilly nearly destroyed his career and himself personally, by bringing attention to the political problems in my community. A person whose only goal was notoriety would have certainly found easier means and not put himself at such risk. By discrediting Reilly, Palmater discredits the voices of the Stoney people who are saying that all is not well in our community. But I am not surprised by Palmater's response as First Nations are reluctant to discuss dilemmas of reserve governance openly for fear of exacerbating stereotypes and giving ammunition to Canada's political right, which is known for its strong and often racist opinions against indigenous people (see, for example, Calvin Helin's Dances with Dependency: Out of Poverty through Self-Reliance). While many First Nations have well-organized political institutions and govern their communities effectively, others suffer from inept governance systems that contribute to political quandaries like those seen on the Stoney reserve.

In truth, the political issues that Reilly raised back in 1996 still plague the Stoney Tribe. Not only did one Stoney chief recently decide to forego an election and was taken to court by his own people, another chief, Ernest Wesley, refused to sign the budget until the Stoney Tribal Council agreed to be accountable and adhere to its own financial policy. I can only assume that Palmater does not read national newspapers when she asserts that Chief Wesley, who was deemed in Reilly's book to be of good character, was being investigated for misappropriation of funds. Had she looked beyond our partisan website, Palmater would have learned that no such investigation took place as the call was simply a smokescreen erected by the other two Stoney chiefs in the interest of maintaining the status quo.

Instead of shooting messengers like John Reilly, we need to look at why some First Nations are afflicted with such intense political problems.

Many attribute these difficulties to the Indian Act, which forced First Nations to abandon their traditional governance systems and adopt the foreign system of band governance. Whatever the case, let us admit our problems so we can begin rebuilding our nations from the destructive forces of colonization.

Terry Fox

Wesley Nation, Stoney Tribe

The LRC welcomes letters--and more are available on our website at <www.reviewcanada.ca>. We reserve the right to publish such letters and edit them for length, clarity and accuracy. E-mail <editor@ reviewcanada.ca>. For all other comments and queries, contact <[email protected]>.