I cannot agree too much with PMS’ agenda, but today he took a huge step forward in signing a tentative devolution agreement with the Northwest Territories and five of the region’s First Nations. It could come into effect as early as next year. Basically speaking, the territory will be able to operate more or less like a province in everything but name. I think that in some respects the
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Finally, one of the three pillars of Canada’s aboriginal peoples — the Métis — have won justice. They are owed a lot of money — perhaps ten billion or even more. And it’s because of one thing. Our constitution. There’s one thing about constitutions. The way they’re drafted can leave a lot to interpretation. Some insist on an originalist viewpoint, that is interpret it only considering This motion is to be argued tomorrow in the House of Commons: Opposition Motion February 12, 2013 — Ms. Bennett (St. Paul’s) — That the House recognize that a disproportionate number of Indigenous women and girls have suffered violence, gone missing, or been murdered over the past three decades; that the government has a responsibility to provide justice for the victims, healing for the families, and to work with partners to put an end to the violence; and that a special committee be appointed, with the mandate to conduct hearings on the critical matter of missing and murdered Indigenous women . . . → Read More: Impolitical: An opposition motion worth supporting on missing and murdered Indigenous women There was a lot of hullabaloo on twitter last night about the format of the Liberal leadership debate happening tomorrow in Winnipeg. But substance matters too: MP MURRAY REBUKES LIBERAL PARTY DECISION TO DROP INDIGENOUS ISSUES FROM WINNIPEG DEBATE WINNIPEG – Joyce Murray, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra and candidate for the Leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada called on the Liberal Party to put Indigenous issues back on the agenda for Saturday’s debate in Winnipeg after a letter to the Liberal Party’s National President from the Aboriginal Peoples Commission was distributed to Leadership candidates. “More Indigenous people . . . → Read More: Impolitical: Winnipeg Liberal leadership debate tomorrow Great moment at 1:45 mark where an eagle flying overhead an #Idlenomore rally in Vancouver is captured on film. Also, check out the 2:20 mark, but of course. It’s the end of Day 19 of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s indefinite hunger strike, taking place here in Ottawa. Spence started her peaceful protest on December 11, 2012. She’s demanding a meeting involving Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a representative of the Queen and First Nations leaders. She wants to discuss treaty agreements between Canada and First Nations, and READ MORE 
 Aboriginal Issues, Activism News, attawapiskat, Canada, Canada Politics, Chief Theresa Spence, Chief Theresa Spence Hunger Strike, Featured, First Nations, HUNGER STRIKE, Indigenous Rights, Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, protest, social media, Social Media Conversation, Theresa Spence Press Release Dana Wensley | Troy Media: The issue is one of of fairness As First Nation groups continue their protests against Bill C-45, what comes as a surprise to me is that it took so long to happen in Canada. In the lead up to Canada Day I noted that while other post-colonial countries like Australia and READ MORE
Aboriginal Issues, Assembly of First Nations, Bill C-38, Bill C-45, Canada, Canadian media, Chief Shawn Atleo, Chief Theresa Spence, Chief Theresa Spence Hunger Strike, Conservatives, Featured, First Nations, Guest Blog, HUNGER STRIKE, Idle No More, Indigenous Rights, opinion., Prime Minister Stephen Harper, rights Robin Rowland, a B.C. based journalist writes about an overlooked aspect of the omnibus Bill C-45, its drastic reduction of rivers, lakes and streams protected by the Navigable Waters Protection Act from 2.5 million to 159. This is one of the driving concerns underlying the Idle No More movement as these changes will affect aboriginal people who depend on water for hunting and fishing rights and basic access to clean water. As Rowland points out, this may also have further political ramifications for the Harper government: When the Harper government killed the controversial long gun registry, it claimed . . . → Read More: Impolitical: Navigable waters nightmare Once again I am pleased to offer my space for a guest post and once again by Jared Milne. This time Jared addresses the very real issue of Central and Eastern alienation now that “The West Wants In” has become reality. ***** This past Canada Day, I was reflecting on some of the most interesting trends I’ve noticed over the last couple of years in Canadian politics. John Ibbitson has written This week, the Prime Minister expressed aloud concerns many of us Canadian of all stripes have had either openly or privately – that Iran is a ticking time bomb with its nuclear program which without a shadow of a doubt has only one aim, to create a nuclear bomb that would threaten Israel. Meanwhile, the PM has been critical of “outside interference” in the debate over piping the oil sands From a First Nation contrarian: Breaking the spell, a call for unification NOW | rabble.ca. Filed under: Aboriginal Issues, Media Fail., Progressives The CBC, specifically the author CBCNews (which makes me think this article was something written by a chief editor at CBC instead of an actual reported) had this to say about the speech that Attawapiskat Chief made at the biennial conference of the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa In a rambling but emotional speech [...] No sooner did a “third party” manager come to take control of the financial affairs of Attawapiskat than he was told to get the hell out of Dodge. Chief Theresa Spence must have channeled Howard Beale when she said that her band of 2800 Cree were “not going to taking it no more.” Surprised she didn’t add, “We’re as mad as hell.” Because the events of the last few days have been as Whooee! Well, friends an’ foes, I got me a new video an’ poem all about Attawapiskat. Here it is: ‘Twas just weeks before Christmas, when all through the land,Attention was aimed at a First Nation band;Canadians heard as they’d oft heard before,Of hardship and squalour so hard to ignore;Of children shivering cold in their beds,While visions of plumbing danced in their heads;And Ma in her parka, and Pa in his cap,Thought they’d had quite enough of this poverty crap,Then down south in Ottawa there arose a big clatter,MP’s rose in the (Read more…) Mike Holmes said it best regarding the housing crisis in Attawapiskat. We need to stop building crap. It’s as simple as that Couple this with the allegation that the Government knew of the problems in Attawakpiskat for several years. Retired Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl recounted to Evan Solomon on CBC’s The House: It was [...] From the PM’s site: “PM announces meeting with First Nations early in new year.” Looking like an executive in charge, scheduling a major meeting to respond to the unfolding crisis in Attawapiskat. Except the word Attawapiskat doesn’t appear in the PM’s press release. Strange. Why not? As noted by the Globe, this meeting was scheduled last year, in any event. It will only be his first meeting with first-nations leaders: The Prime Minister and the head of Canada’s largest aboriginal group have agreed to sit down together in late January to discuss ways to increase the social and . . . → Read More: Impolitical: The PM’s not so bold meeting announcement It is simply inexcusable that people should have to live in third world conditions in Canada. Yet that is how people in many First Nations (FN) communities across Canada do live. And it gotten so bad in Attawapiskat FN, Ontario — 694 km (432 miles) northeast of Thunder Bay, and which can only be reached by plane from places such as Timmins and Kapuskasing as well as Ottawa — a reservation Quick whip of two items so let’s go:Good on the Supreme Court of Canada for ruling the Insite clinic in Vancouver does not run afoul of drug control policies; more technically that it does but to deny it a “constitutional exemption” would be a far wors… . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: Quick weekend thoughts (2010-10-02) It would be nice if we did it as the States do — schedule all federal, state and local elections and by-elections such that they all happen on the same day (except in the case of death). Would save a ton on multiple manual revisions of th… . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: (Provincial) election week in Canada Just as former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty — probably the only guy who’s close enough to the centre that he could actually beat Barack Obama in next year’s presidential race — withdrew his candidacy, current Texas governor Rick Perry announced he… . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: Enter stage right — WAY right — Rick Perry While most regions of Canada have imposed moratoriums on “fracking,” using jackhammers and / or high pressure water injections to get out natural gas, one province — British Columbia — is going, pardon the expression, full steam ahead and allowing ou… . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: All the "easy" oil and gas may be gone, but still … This week the Ontario Court of Appeal is hearing arguments in the case involving three sex trade workers who have asked to have three sections of the Criminal Code, as it is applied to them and others similarly situated, to be declared unconstitutional… . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: Uphold the sex workers’ decision Strangely I have had little to say about this year’s election in Canada. I can’t understand why since there appears to be an actual race and Jack Layton of the NDP is becoming a viable contender for second place. (The best I, personally, could … . . . → Read More: Blast Furnace Canada Blog: The housing problem in the Great White North |
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