Tensions reach boiling point over true purpose of Inquiry: to account for lives and deaths of missing and murdered women, or for the (in)actions of police? . . . → Read More: Any illusions of credibility for “sham” Missing Women Inquiry fade as Aboriginal rep resigns

In Tsartlip, a Coast Salish community near Victoria, BC, a family grieves the loss of a loved one for the second time. Back in 1999, a fatal car accident took the life of then-30 year old Frazer Joe Smith Jr.. Thirteen years later, the family struggles to understand the removal of a totem pole memorializing Smith. [...] . . . → Read More: A History of Violation: Why an Aboriginal grave site robbery is no isolated incident

For more than fifteen years, I have been working on issues of violence in Indigenous communities in BC. I have become familiar with the state of the justice system in Canada, with its huge over-representation of Indigenous people in detention centres and an accompanying lack of concern for those of us who are victims of [...] . . . → Read More: Seeking the Breaking Point: Violence and Justice in Canada

An Ontario government report released several weeks ago confirms what many Indigenous people already know: that First Nations children are still vastly overrepresented in Canada’s child welfare systems. In fact, statistics show that there are more First Nations children in government care today than at the peak of Indian residential schools. In his report, “Children First,” [...] . . . → Read More: Apprehending First Nations children: a Canadian tradition