Controversy continues to brew over the Cree Nation Government’s lawsuit seeking recognition of its claim to traditional rights over land west of the Ontario border. Now, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) council, formed of northern Ontario First Nations on the […]
Post Tagged with: "Indigenous rights"
A legal look at the Métis of Chibougamau
I read with some amusement that, following the results of DNA tests that show some Indigenous ancestry, Luc Michaud and 350 other individuals are claiming to be a “Métis community” with Aboriginal fishing and hunting rights in Chibougamau. As a […]
Grand Chief Coon Come’s State of the Nation
While Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come says the Cree of Eeyou Istchee have fared well in 2016, there is still much work ahead and justice must be sought. From the economy to the women of Val-d’Or, the Grand Chief discusses […]
Val-d’Or decision remains a political storm for the Couillard government
The contrast couldn’t have been more striking. The fallout from the Quebec crown prosecutors’ decision not to proceed with charges against several Val-d’Or Surêté du Québec police officers continues to swirl around the province and across the country. But, for […]
The Battle for Standing Rock
After a federal US court judge denied the Standing Rock Sioux’s request for a temporary injunction against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) September 9, the large encampment at the North Dakota reservation was disappointed but not surprised. What they didn’t […]
The shine dulls on the Liberal pledge to adopt the UN Declaration
It’s easy to overlook the difference between words and action, especially when the words are something you’ve been waiting to hear for decades. But there’s a cold realization seeping in that our shiny new prime minister may have been fudging […]
The $80 Indian
Like many non-Natives in North America, I can point to at least one First Nations ancestor. My great-grandfather, Charles Augustus Fry (pictured here at his wedding with Edna Eaton), emigrated from Oklahoma to Western Canada in the late 1890s. He […]
Negotiation is better than conflict
My people have come a long way in obtaining a life with more opportunity and hope. Through education First Nation people all over Canada are moving into leadership roles in government and private enterprise, in both Native and non-Native initiatives. […]
Bring them Home
When then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to the First Nations Peoples in 2008 for the residential school system, I cast doubt on the sincerity of his words. I still feel that way given the many harmful pieces of legislation his […]