Weekly Cartoon
...
Register
Liberal minority focus won’t be on Indigenous issues
Four years ago in the 2015 federal election, Justin Trudeau came to Indigenous people bearing gifts. He promised if elected as Prime Minister, he would enact calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), develop a nation-to-nation relationship and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Elected, giving Canada its glittering dynasty, Trudeau began the work on a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. One he said would be based on respect and consultation. But during his first term as Prime Minister reality sunk in for the young politician. It kicked off with the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) that came close to sinking. Then came the Indigenous Rights legislation he planned to implement without talking to First Nations....
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: For The Love Of Our Elders
By Xavier Kataquapit My uncle Cheekanish passed away on November 24 at the age of 88 in Attawapiskat. He is my father Marius’s older brother. Uncle Cheekanish’s English name was Leo Kataquapit. My family mourned at his passing but we also celebrated his memory as he had lived a long full life that he filled with as much fun, happiness and goodness as he could. Uncle Cheekanish and his wife Theresa raised a strong family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that inherited their sense of laughter, warmth and kindness. His children include Robert, Maria, Noella, Peter, Rollande, Jeffrey and Jerry. I remember my last visit with him and his wife Theresa in 2016. It was a visit full of laughter and recollections that I had together with my cousins...
Register
Chief Stacey Laforme re-elected to third term
Chief Stacey Laforme, along with five elected Councillors, were re-elected in the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Election (MCFN). Back for his third term as Chief, Laforme has served his community on council for the past two decades after first being elected as a councillor in 1999. During that time he was also involved with MCFN’s Pan Am Games Secretariat (PAGS), as Chair of the PAGS Committee. After the Election results were released, Laforme released a short statement on Facebook. “I look forward to serving with the new council. I also believe that there were others who ran for council and should be elected in the future and I will do my best to assist them next year. Miigwech.” Of the 413 valid votes cast for Chief, Laforme garnered...
Register
Judicial review of election could be in the offing
By Justin Lethbridge Writer Six Nations’ recent election could be facing a Judicial Review leaving the fate of the current council still up in the air after an anonymous Election Appeals Committee deemed a complaint “irrelevant.” Alaina VanEvery told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Tuesday court action may be the only avenue left open to her. She said the Six Nations Election Appeals Committee called her concerns “irrelevant” and SNEC seems unwilling to act on her concerns. Alaina VanEvery questioned the actions and conduct of the Chief Electoral Polling Officer Steve Williams and questioned the operations of the election including the use of online voting. “How are my concerns irrelevant?” VanEvery asked Council after reading out the response she received from the Election Appeals Committee. “This response is a slap...
Register
Cayuga Chief Cleveland General (Deyotowehgoh) passes
On Dec. 16, family, friends and the community lost one of its longest-serving traditional chiefs. Cayuga Chief Cleveland General (Deyotowehgoh) has passed, after serving as Chief for 61 years with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council. The funeral will be held this Thursday at Sour Springs Longhouse at 11 a.m. “He will be sadly missed,” said HCCC Secretary Leroy Hill....
Register
Assumption makes quick work of the Thunderbirds
ACS Lions feast on Pauline Johnson By Josh Giles Sports Writer BRANTFORD – Dominance is the only way to describe Assumption College’s play when they visited Pauline Johnson for a Jr. Boys basketball game. It was a lopsided affair from the start when the Lions put the pressure on and never let off for the rest of the game. By the time the first half was over, the game’s fate was already sealed with Assumption up 61-14. But that didn’t stop team coach Steve Petrella from being on his team to perform to their best abilities. “You always have to make sure that they’re talking with each other and communicating with each other. Especially on defense. And right from day one I told our guys that the best offense is...
Register
Meet the 99ers lockdown defenseman
By Josh Giles Sports Writer BRANTFORD – The impressive Brantford 99ers Peewee A team has had a terrific season so far. With a record of 28-6-2 they’ve been one of the most competitive teams in the league this year. Already winning 3 tournaments thus far, and being ready to compete in more. The teamwork has been impressive for the 99ers behind head coach Dean McIntosh. But credit doesn’t go to just McIntosh alone, it also goes to the players. And one defenseman that has been a big help is Graeson Martin. Martin is from the Six Nations and is playing his first season with the 99ers team, and has fit in really well with the team. McIntosh said, “I was very impressed with him from tryouts. He’s a real competitor...
Register
OMSK Teachers win first Teachers vs Students game
By Josh Giles Writer SIX NATIONS – The Oliver M. Smith Kawenni:io (OMSK) Elementary School saw its first ever Students vs Teachers hockey game played. But the fun didn’t just apply to the OMSK students. The game saw the likes of parents, local coaches and even some former students get involved in the game. Before the game there was a competitive spirit around the school according to OMSK Principal Travis Anderson, “They (the teachers) started some back and forth chatter between the students and kids involved. But it should be a fun game.” With a lot of these students ready to beat their teachers and parents, especially with a lot of them playing minor league hockey regularly with the Six Nations. Anderson said, “I know the students will want to...
Register
Dewey Jacobs Inducted into Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame
By Josh Giles Sports Writer SIX NATIONS- The Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame has been graced with many talented athletes who represented Canada, and Six Nations in a variety of ways to make the game so amazing. A long list of Six Nations players and coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame got a little bit longer when Duane “Dewey” Jacobs became the latest member this year. Jacobs has had a prestigious career enjoying three straight Mann Cup victories as a co-captain for the Six Nations Chiefs. He also won the Champions Cup in 1997 with the Rochester Knighthawks, all while being an elite scorer. Receiving the call in May, Jacobs told Turtle Island News, “It was really humbling news to receive. It’s just amazing knowing you get to go...
Register
NLL Boasting plenty of Six Nations talent
By Josh Giles Sports Writer With the NLL season already underway there are teams that are showcasing some amazing Six Nations talent that fills the NLL. Starting with the Toronto Rock is fan favourite Johnny Powless, a journeyman throughout the league racking up a lot of awards. He was named to the All-Rookie Team and won the NLL Sportsmanship award in 2012 Following that he played a key part in helping the Rochester Knighthawks win three straight championships. Bouncing around the league, Powless found his footing in Toronto where he will be a key piece. The Buffalo Bandits also host another Powless. Quinn Powless is a forward from Ohsweken and has played four of his seven seasons with Rochester. This will be his first season in Buffalo. The Georgia Swarm...
Register
Ottawa’s consultation with Indigenous groups on pipeline was meaningful: Lawyer
By Amy Smart THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER _ Lawyers for the Canadian government say it conducted a new round of consultations with Indigenous groups about the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that was reasonable, adequate and fair. Jan Brongers began arguments on behalf of the federal government Tuesday, asking the Federal Court of Appeal to toss out legal challenges to the government’s approval of the project for the second time. The court has heard from four Indigenous groups in British Columbia that say the government once again failed in its duty to hold meaningful dialogue about the project during consultations conducted between August 2018 and June 2019. “The shortcomings of the earlier process were not repeated and therefore these four applications should be dismissed,” Brongers told a three-judge panel in Vancouver....
Register
Contempt case of Indigenous women arrested at Alton Gas site delayed until April
By Michael Tutton THE CANADIAN PRESS HALIFAX – A contempt of court hearing for three Indigenous women arrested at a construction site north of Halifax has been rescheduled for late April in the latest of a series of delays. The women’s lawyer, Michael McDonald, is arguing before Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the women had the right to be on Alton Natural Gas property along the Shubenacadie River. The three defendants, Darlene Gilbert, Madonna Bernard and Paula Isaac, were taken into custody in April after they allegedly broke an injunction to stay off the work site. Alton Gas plans to use water from the 73-kilometre tidal river to create large underground storage caverns, but the three women say they fear the waterway cutting through the centre of the province will...
Register
Court to hear First Nations’ challenge of Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
VANCOUVER – Four British Columbia Indigenous groups are set to argue in the Federal Court of Appeal that the Canadian government failed to consult adequately with them before its latest approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. A three-day hearing is scheduled to begin today in Vancouver to consider legal challenges launched by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Squamish Nation, Coldwater **>Indian Band<** and a coalition of small First Nations in the Fraser Valley. Several First Nations, environmental groups and the City of Vancouver had originally filed challenges making a range of arguments including that the project threatens southern resident killer whales off B.C.’s coast. The court only allowed six First Nations to proceed and called for an expedited hearing focused on the federal government’s consultation with Indigenous communities between August 2018...
Register
Jody Wilson Raybould says she’s in discussions over Parliament Hill office space
OTTAWA-The Speaker of the House of Commons says he will evict Jody Wilson-Raybould from her current office space if she does not leave on her own. House Speaker Anthony Rota told the CBC today that if she does not vacate, someone from his office would enforce the rules _ but the timeline is flexible. Wilson-Raybould, who is now an Independent MP, says she has been working with the House administration to resolve the issue involving her space on Parliament Hill where she was placed as a cabinet minister in 2018. She says she understood she would stay in her offices when she was sworn in as an MP earlier this month and had an Algonquin elder bless the space. But Wilson-Raybould says she found out two days later she would...
Register
Indigenous hockey player buoyed by support after sharing experience with racism
WAYCOBAH, N.S. _ An Indigenous hockey player from Nova Scotia who shared his experience of racism on the ice says he’s been inspired to stick with the sport after an outpouring of support from professionals and peers. Logan Prosper of Waycobah First Nation said he was taunted with racist comments from opposing players and parents during a game in Cheticamp, N.S., last week. Prosper said he was hurt and angry after a player told him “all you natives look like turds in your helmets” during the game. Since sharing his experience, the 16-year-old said he’s received hundreds of messages from players telling him to stick with the sport, including former NHL player Cody McCormick. Players across Canada and some in the U.S. have rallied behind Prosper...
Register
Thousands gather for change climate protests in Madrid
Thousands of demonstrators are gathering in Madrid as the Spanish city hosts climate negotiations by the UN. They are calling for more ambitious climate change policy.r more ambitious climate change policy. OTTAWA—Canada’s environment minister is raising concern with United Nations after hearing that an Indigenous-led protest was shut down Wednesday by security at the global climate change conference in Madrid. In a post on social media, Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), said his organization is “aware that a group of Indigenous youth (including many from Canada) have arbitrarily been detained for a peaceful protest” at the conference. An AFN official witnessed the protest and told the Toronto Star that security detained the demonstrators in a “courtyard” before removing their access badges. The official said the...
Register
Liberal MPs won’t empower themselves to turf Trudeau, control caucus membership
By Joan Bryden THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Liberal backbenchers declined Wednesday to give themselves the power to turf their leader, Justin Trudeau. They also passed up the chance to control who gets expelled from, or re-admitted to, the ranks of the governing party’s caucus. The decisions were made at the first formal meeting of the Liberal caucus since the Oct. 21 election, amid some quiet grumbling about the prime minister’s failure to adequately consult with Liberal MPs since his government was reduced to a minority. Some pundits have predicted Liberal backbenchers will use the minority situation to flex their muscles and demand more input into decision-making. However their refusal to empower themselves suggests most are content, at least for now, to let Trudeau and his inner circle continue calling the...
Register
Nova Scotia hockey officials form task force to combat racism, discrimination
HALIFAX _ Nova Scotia’s governing body for amateur hockey has assembled a task force to deal with discrimination in the sport after an Indigenous player said he was subjected to racist taunts during a recent game in Cape Breton. The executive director of Hockey Nova Scotia, Amy Walsh, says the team will include a human rights lawyer and representatives from the Indigenous, African Nova Scotian and LGBTQ communities. “At Hockey Nova Scotia, we believe that the rink should be a welcoming place for everyone. We believe that racism and discrimination have no place in our game,” Walsh said in a statement Wednesday. The move comes after 16-year-old Logan Prosper came forward this week to say he was the target of racial slurs during a game in Cheticamp,...
Register
Anonymous Appeals Committee Calls Election Concerns ‘Irrelevant’
By Justin Lethbridge Writer A second appeal of the 58th General Election has been denied by the Appeals Committee. In an email sent to appellant Alaina VanEvery, the committee said that her concerns were ‘irrelevant’ and said they will not be pursuing a recall of the election or dismissal of Chief Electoral Polling Officer (CEPO) Steve Williams. “This is unacceptable,” VanEvery told Turtle Island News, “ and insufficient. To me if you’re deeming my appeals irrelevant, not my appeals but my concerns are irrelevant, that tells me something. That either you didn’t read it, you didn’t comprehend it or you think that you’re in a position where you control this process and nobody is allowed to question you.” VanEvery questioned the letter. “To me that is offensive as a community...
Register
