Why a truly independent First Nations political voice could be just $1 or $2 away
Yesterday, as I watched the decisive re-election of Shawn Atleo as the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, my thoughts couldn’t help but turn to the perennial question hanging over the AFN: as an organization funded so heavily from the coffers of the Canadian government, just how independent a voice is it, anyway?...
The National Media and the AFN’s “Angry Indians”
It’s an auspicious week for the Assembly of First Nations. The AFN’s Annual General Assembly will either re-elect Shawn Atleo as National Chief or select one of seven challengers to lead the organization through the next three years. Today’s vote is the culmination of a relatively short and mostly unexciting campaign, yet it is one...
First Nations education rally heads for the Hill
(OTTAWA) — Hundreds of First Nations people from across the country rallied on Parliament Hill yesterday in support of increased education funding. Among the messages displayed on demonstrators’ signs: ‘Our children, Our future, Our way!’, ‘Respect our Treaties’, and ‘Education Means Graduation.’ The rally was the culmination of a ‘National Week of Action on Education,’...
POLL: Should the Indian Act be gone by 2015?
Ah, the Indian Act. You know it, you hate it, you’re one of millions wondering what to do with it. Shawn Atleo thinks he knows. In fact, this week the Assembly of First Nations leader urged that the Act be repealed and replaced in its entirety by no later than 2015. Replaced with what, you...
De-brief with an Ex-Chief: First Nations Accountability Advocate Moves On (Pt. 2)
The following is the second half of my two-part interview with former Chief Marcel Balfour, who recently opted not to run for re-election in his home community of Norway House Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. In part one of our conversation, we discussed the realities and frustrations of working with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada...
De-brief with an Ex-Chief: First Nations Accountability Advocate Moves On (Pt. 1)
Last month, the Chief of one of Canada’s largest First Nations opted not to run again after serving just one term. For 8 years, Marcel Balfour held political office with the Norway House Cree Nation (on-reserve population: 5,500), located about 850 km north of Winnipeg, MB. First voted in as Councillor in 2002, Balfour was...
