Someone gave you a "disagree", 214Montreal, but it wasn't me!

I think you're on to it with "As long as they shirk their own responsibilities to help each other, waiting for Ottawa to cure their problems is going to lead to more mental illness." 

The "hand-out" mentality (truly the "colonial" behaviour some FN people continue to rant about) dooms these people, as surely as liquor and small-pox once did. 
It tends to replace INCENTIVE, and without the incentive to improve their lives their children suffer and die.  (Wow: think about THAT! You want incentive? Save the kids!  But no...). Because I, too, believe there is a connection between "handout" and suicide.  Not to mention abuse and murder.