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If you are a young Aboriginal woman age 16-25 (or know someone who is ) interested in community leadership skill development, check out my UN Live interview below with Natasha Latter, coordinator of the “Indigenous Young Women: Speaking our Truths, Building our Strengths” project for details on how to apply. A joint initiative of the Native [...] . . . → Read More: INTERVIEW: ‘Indigenous Young Women: Speaking our Truths, Building our Strengths’ Project Quickly thought I’d share yesterday’s Aug. 9 interview I conducted on UN Live with Craig Benjamin, Indigenous rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada, on account of that day being International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. I invited Craig on to evaluate the present social, economic, political and ecological state of affairs for Indigenous people in the Americas, not [...] . . . → Read More: INTERVIEW: Amnesty International rates Canada on International World’s Indigenous Peoples Day Seventeen years have passed since the United Nations proclaimed August 9 the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It’s a day meant to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples. To recognize the achievements and contributions they’ve made to the world around them. They’re achievements James Anaya knows like the back of his [...] . . . → Read More: Indigenous rights on the international stage: how far have we come? Today on Urban Nation LIVE, home to my alter-media-ego on Winnipeg’s STREETZ FM, I had the opportunity to discuss the provocative thesis of my friend Chris Powell‘s new book, “Barbaric Civilization: A Critical Sociology of Genocide.” An assistant professor of sociology at the University of Manitoba, Powell’s thesis is provocative because he applies the book’s radical premise — that “civilization produces genocides” — not only to places like Rwanda and Nazi [...] . . . → Read More: INTERVIEW: Prof. Chris Powell on why ‘Canada’ and ‘genocide’ can and should belong in the same sentence 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 As part of Urban Nation LIVE‘s on-site, week-long coverage of Women’s Worlds 2011 in Ottawa, I got to sit down with Bridget Tolley and Kristen Gilchrist, two of the driving forces behind Families of Sisters in Spirit, a “volunteer, grassroots, non-profit organization led by families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.” The following are [...] . . . → Read More: INTERVIEW: How Families of Sisters in Spirit works to help relatives of missing/murdered women cope If you’re an eligible Aboriginal elector who does not subscribe to the notion that participation in Canadian elections is inappropriate, be it as a candidate or as a voter, you may be curious to know whether your vote could prove decisive in your local race. Certain ridings (officially known as federal electoral districts) have now [...] . . . → Read More: From marginal to margin of victory? Ridings where Aboriginal vote could make or break majority With the Canadian federal election campaign officially in the third period, many of our beloved readers may be looking for another intense race to follow once the votes are in May 2nd. You may also be sick of the campaign by now, or even totally indifferent to it. Either way, the other big show going [...] . . . → Read More: The Spirit of George Armstrong: Aboriginal Players in the NHL Playoffs Should First Nations be part of Canadian elections? 50 years after getting the vote, debate rages onIt’s been just over half a century since First Nations gained the right to cast a ballot in Canadian federal elections back in 1960. Back at the time of Confederation, members of First Nations were originally not recognized as Canadian citizens and therefore could not participate in federal elections without giving up their treaty rights and [...] . . . → Read More: Should First Nations be part of Canadian elections? 50 years after getting the vote, debate rages on UPDATE: Evidently, some folks are having difficulty seeing all 5 columns in the grid, especially on the far right (ironically, the NDP’s column), so I offer you the option to simply download the pdf version of this blog post instead. Distribute it far and wide and make sure you tell ‘em where you got it. If [...] . . . → Read More: Canadian Election 2011 Party Platforms: Aboriginal Peoples It’s federal election time in Canada and across the country campaigns are in full swing. Whether you choose to vote or not, here’s a quick look at Aboriginal involvement in the 41st federal election, and information about some interesting ridings to watch. Keep in mind that, as per Elections Canada rules, the deadline for nominations is [...] . . . → Read More: An Aboriginal Who’s Who of Canada’s 2011 Federal Election Tim Powers of The Globe reports today that the Conservative candidate for the federal riding of Labrador “will likely be Peter Penashue,” a seat he’ll have to wrest from Liberal incumbent Todd Russell. While obviously more common within Indigenous communities, this Aboriginal-vs.-Aboriginal contest is a relative rarity in federal Canadian political circles. Powers opines that the former [...] . . . → Read More: Federal contest between Aboriginal candidates would see rare rivalry in Canadian politics Despite millions upon millions of dollars supposedly going toward clean drinking water for First Nations, monies spent by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) seem to have largely come up dry. Between April 2006 and March 2010, the department allocated apx. $1.25 billion to water and waste water infrastructure. But according to documents received from Health [...] . . . → Read More: Four years and $1.25 billion later, nearly 1 in 5 First Nations still lack safe drinking water  .25 billion later, nearly 1 in 5 First Nations still lack safe drinking water">5 comments  ISSUES+POLITICS With a spring federal election a distinct possibility as the reigning minority Conservative government faces defeat by the opposition, there’s no time like the present to start prognosticating about MPs’ prospects for re-election. I am particularly interested in those races where the Aboriginal vote could play a key role by virtue of their numbers. And few [...] . . . → Read More: How Indians might actually get to pick the next Indian Affairs minister Quick plug for a Kickstarter project trying to raise funds for a doc about a small, beleaguered Indigenous community on Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana. According to filmmakers Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez, the area’s coastal marshland is eroding at the equivalent of one football field every 30 minutes … Only a half-mile of Isle de [...] . . . → Read More: VIDEO: Island Indians’ last stand against forces of nature and commerce Here’s an interview I did today for URBAN NATION LIVE (heard live weekdays at 12 noon central time on Aboriginal hip-hop station STREETZ FM) with Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. She reacted to the recent dismissal by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal of her organization’s attempts [...] . . . → Read More: AUDIO: Cindy Blackstock reacts to Human Rights Tribunal’s dismissal of child welfare complaint  How well do you know the guy next door? Do you understand why he’s always up at night — sometimes all night — yelling and shouting? Is it a fight between brothers, or husband and wife, or father and son? Do you know if they’re simply arguing about what music they plan to play ’til the dawn breaks? Maybe you’re the [...] . . . → Read More: Must juries look like their communities? You be the judge  I had planned to write my first post here about something light-hearted (I’m working on pieces about yoga and an awesome art project). Much of my time is spent thinking about violence in our communities, so I wanted to take on some more positive issues, reminding us of our strengths and possibilities as Indigenous people. But [...] . . . → Read More: Government blames sex workers for violence used against them Here’s my quote of the day, to be filed under ‘I’ for irony: “It is easier in First Nations politics to be aggressively contrary to something than it is to be supportive. That is an observation that I will make and stand behind.” — Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan, during a Senate committee hearing on [...] . . . → Read More: Duncan’s double-standards as Indian Affairs Minister continue In less than a decade, Ontario’s Liberal government has more than doubled the number of senior staff in the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, according to the province’s public salary disclosure website. In 2005, there were just 4 senior staff in what was then known as the Ontario Secretariat of Aboriginal Affairs. But by 2009, the number [...] . . . → Read More: Bureaucrat salaries grow while Ontario land claims stall |
     
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