In Canada, Mr. Harper spends EXTRA time, in fact an entire day, dutifully listening to Aboriginal concerns at the First Nations Conference, held in Ottawa with full CBC coverage.

In Australia, the Police move in on Aboriiginal representatives with battons. The surrond the Prime Minister in a restaurant and she has to be hustled out of the place as a riot breaks out outside the restaurant windows.

So, which country is the reasonable, civilised and cultured one?

The PM in Australia got mobbed by the aborigines. Just sayin.
I get your point but I had to throw that out there.

Remember earlier about northern natives in upper canada that were pushed aside for political reasons.Some idiot decided to spread a band member.

Neither. The racism is more subtle in Canada. I've experienced it first hand working as a gas attendant in a Native run truck stop on the border. Their favorite, "you people," makes me smile. They're so multi-cultural in Canada, my ass.

I feel that it might be a little more hidden here in Canada. I believe that a large portion of the problems come from the institutionalization of their society. I mean we don't talk about large issues like handing out lump sum payments at 18 or mismanagement of funds given to tribes with horrible corruption/logistical nightmares. The recent debacle with Attawapiskat and funds being allocated before securing(if that really is the case) seem to be an ongoing problem that is slowly doing to a cultured people in the north here just like it is to the amazing people of Australia. It may be intended or simple coincidence but it is having the same ends.

By no means do I not understand their plight or reasons for being mad, sometimes when talking to others I try and liken this issue like the systematic lowering of life in ghetto neighborhoods or lowincome housing areas(only fast food, no-schools-publicworks-libraries-etc) There is a reason to be mad when there seems to be a legitimate persecution of you.

I don't know if I have really added to the conversation, I just feel there need to be more public discussion of these issues without prejudice or bigotry, but with media today and the either nonplay of these things or the disgusting spin and mal/under-informing I'm dumbfounded how to change most minds.

I really think it got blown out of proportion. I did not see any violence by the protestors aside from smacking the glass and making noise.
What I did see was a lot of officers running into each other and pushing cameramen.
I was kind of embarrassed for both sides.
The conversation of the pm with the opposition was awkward.
There was no broken glass no signs of injury just a bunch of unsatisfied people voicing their concern and causing a ruckus.
As I said I really felt embarrassed for both sides and Australia as this is being played around the world.

Well you gotta hand it to the Aborigines, they can make a violent stand and the Government stands back and does nothing. They have the White Government of this Country completely and utterly stuffed, if they do anything they immediately have the race card thrown in their face.

If it were Bikies that did this you could expect a total Nation Wide crack down on their organizations immediately, but because its this demographic the Powers that be are totally and utterly powerless. Its good to show the rest of Australia who are mostly sheep that you can stand up to this tyrannical government here in Australia, we don't have a democracy here we have a duopoly...they take turns getting kicked out of office for incompetence.