"Is it necessarily ‘right wing’ to recognize the role of the free market in elevating populations out of poverty?

That was the charge made against me after I delivered a presentation in early May at the Debating Aboriginal Policy conference held at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

The issue was whether land claims settlements could address Native welfare dependency. The answer was a tentative yes, but there were provisos, including the fact that the money received must be invested wisely. For example, the Ngai Tahu, a Maori tribe on the South Island of New Zealand, has used its settlements to invest in sound ventures.

I also argued that land claims can fight poverty because some land claims involve transferring reserve land title from the Crown to the Native government, which can use it to create a full property rights system.

However, my arguments were based on accepting the validity of the free market, which my opponent rejected.

But accepting the reality of the success of free markets is not really a right-wing argument. It is simply an acceptance of reality."

Get the Story:
Joseph Quesnel: Free markets work for First Nations too (Troy Media 7/9)