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Cabinet papers: Howard government worked with Canada to oppose UN declaration on Indigenous rights
By Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbne The Guardian Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard’s government fought strongly against recognizing the right of Indigenous peoples to “self-determination” and worked secretly with Canada to try to change a draft UN declaration, newly released cabinet papers show. The cabinet papers from 2003, released by the National Archives on Monday, show that some Australian government departments held concerns about potential impacts of the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, but Australia’s talks with Canada on amendments were being pursued with “no Indigenous consultation about the process or its product” as such input would be “premature”. John Howard’s government ultimately opposed the declaration when it was adopted by the UN general assembly in 2007, with 143 countries voting in favour and just four –...
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Newly elected chief provides welcoming at Leafs’ Indigenous Celebration Game
By Sam Laskaris Writer TORONTO – Claire Sault is a casual hockey fan. But the recently elected chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation found herself on the ice prior to a National Hockey League contest this past Saturday. There was no need, however, for Sault to display her skating, stickhandling or shooting abilities. That’s because Sault was asked to deliver a welcoming at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second annual Indigenous Celebration Game. “It was a very huge honour for me to do that,” Sault said of her on-ice appearance at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. “It’s important in our territory that we elevate our First Nation and that people understand that whole history.” Sault said she wasn’t nervous welcoming the spectators and participants to the game. More than 19,000...
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Local protected players and draftee join Arrows’ organization
By Sam Laskaris Writer Several potential players have joined the Six Nations Arrows in recent days. For starters, 20 local players were placed on the Arrows’ protected list last week, ahead of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) draft held on Sunday. These 20 individuals suited up for one of Six Nations’ two Under-17 box lacrosse squads from this past year. The Arrows entered Sunday’s draft, which featured players across the province born in 2007, with two picks. But the Six Nations squad only ended up choosing one individual in the draft, held to stock players for the 11-team Junior A circuit. That’s because the Arrows ended up trading their first-round selection, the fifth pick over-all, and their second-round pick, 16th over-all, to the Peterborough Lakers. In exchange the Arrows...
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Sports Briefs: Six Nations members contributing to undefeated teams
By Sam Laskaris, Writer Some local players are making an impact with the two National Lacrosse League squads that are still undefeated. For starters, Justin Martin is the lone Six Nations player on the Toronto Rock roster. Martin, a rookie, has scored three goals this season for the Rock, who are off to a perfect 4-0 start. Meanwhile, the Albany FireWolves are the only other team in the 15-club pro circuit that is still undefeated. The FireWolves, who only managed to win three of their 18 contests a year ago, are off to a 6-0 start this season. The Albany squad is being led by goaltender Doug Jamieson, a Six Nations member, who has backstopped his side to all of their wins in their first half dozen matches. Meanwhile, a...
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Metis player proud to hit the ice as part of new women’s pro hockey league
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Though her club was unable to register a victory, elite hockey player Jocelyne Larocque, was thrilled to be on the ice as part of a pro squad. Larocque made history in 2014, becoming the first Indigenous player to suit up for the Canadian Olympic women’s team, which captured the gold medal at the Sochi Games in Russia. Larocque, who is Metis and 35, plays defence, and is now a member of the Toronto squad in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). The six-team league held its first ever match on Jan. 1 at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, the facility that is the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Larocque and her Toronto teammates were blanked 4-0 by the visiting New York team in the New...
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Cree School Board launches Department of Higher Learning
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As more options become available in the region for the growing number of Cree students interested in post-secondary education, the Cree School Board has launched a new department dedicated to higher learning. The department will manage the post-secondary programs currently offered in Eeyou Istchee and those yet to come. So far it includes the Cree Teacher Training Program and the Iyeskuwiiu CEGEP-level springboard program. “We’re in the midst of negotiations to form my department, which will determine our plans for programs we want to develop in the next five years,” said director Darlene Cheechoo. “All the programs we are developing will emphasize Cree culture and language as much as possible, that’s a real high priority for the CSB and our department.” The land-based...
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Human rights complaint filed over Manitoba election ad against landfill search
By Brittany Hobson THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG- The daughter of a slain First Nations woman has filed a human rights complaint against Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives for an ad campaign about its decision not to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for her mother’s remains. “Families need to be protected ? there should be laws in place to ensure that no political party could play off of a national tragedy. It should have never been a political thing,” Cambria Harris said in an interview Tuesday. “This is a humanitarian search.” Harris and Robyn Johnston, an advocate who represents the family, said they submitted the complaint last week. Harris posted a copy of the complaint on her Facebook page Monday. It alleges the party discriminated against Indigenous women and girls. The “decision to run...
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Chretien era effort to soften UN’s Indigenous language a ‘stain’ on Canada: Hajdu
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA-The current federal Liberal government tried to distance itself Tuesday from the Jean Chretien-led one that reportedly conspired with Australia to weaken United Nations language on Indigenous Peoples in the early 2000s. Newly released Australian cabinet documents from 2003 show the two countries worked together on putting forward a softer version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration spells out Indigenous rights, including self-determination, language and cultural preservation, prohibits forced removal from lands or territories and requires states to consult with Indigenous Peoples. The proposed changes from Australia and Canada would have removed references to restitution of land, cultural genocide and demilitarization, significantly diminishing the scope and potential impact of the final version. The idea of a more state-friendly...
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Manon Jeannotte becomes Quebec’s first Indigenous Lieutenant Governor
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First Nations groups across Quebec applauded the nomination of Manon Jeannotte as the province’s first Indigenous lieutenant-governor on December 7, despite the unanimous vote in Quebec’s National Assembly only one day later to abolish the position. “Prime Minister Trudeau gave me his confidence with this position so it’s an honour,” Jeannotte told the Nation. “I was afraid that my new position would not be accepted by First Nations but it’s the contrary. Everybody is proud of this nomination and see I can change relations with the provincial government.” In his nomination, Trudeau noted, “Jeannotte has dedicated her career to advancing Indigenous Peoples’ well-being and making a real difference in the life of our communities.” Originally from the First Nation of Gespeg, a Mi’kmaq...
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Homelessness and housing emergency resolution passed by Edmonton city council
EDMONTON- Council of Alberta’s capital city passed a motion Tuesday declaring a homelessness and housing emergency, but the vote wasn’t unanimous. The resolution was brought by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi who said action had to be taken, because of a jump in homelessness in the city and because people are dying. “If we don’t treat this as a long-term emergency, more and more Edmontonians will fall through the cracks and become homeless,” Sohi said in his final pitch to council. “They’re one cheque away from losing their housing. At one time, I was one of those Edmontonians. I could have ended up on the street but community was there to support me, lift me up. But as a system we are failing people.” The emergency was passed by a vote of...
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New highway signs in Cape Breton dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
By Mitchell Ferguson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WE’KOQMA’Q- In a tribute to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) human rights crisis in Canada, two new road signs have popped up along Highway 105 near both ends of We’koqma’q First Nation. These signs, featuring the image of 16-year-old Aleah Young of Eskasoni, are not only a symbol of remembrance but also a call for awareness and change. Barry Bernard, a community member who works in communications at Mi’kmaq Legal Support Network and runs the Red Tribe Boxing Club in Eskasoni, initiated the project with a vision to spread the message of MMIWG across Mi’kmaw territory. Bernard, emphasizing the gravity of the issue affecting Indigenous communities, says the MMIWG crisis has often been overshadowed, with investigations into the disappearances...
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What are sacred forests?
By Deepa Bharath THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KOTAGIRI, India (AP)- Sacred forests and groves are primeval woodlands that different faith communities around the world have safeguarded for centuries as abodes of the spiritual or the divine. Thousands of sacred forests have survived. They’re the church forests in Ethiopia’s highlands, hillside groves considered holy by Catholics in Italy, woodlands revered by Shinto practitioners in Japan and Indigenous people in Siberia, Australia, the Americas and India. Sacred forests are also treasure troves of biodiversity and are often the last bastion for species of flora and fauna that have become rare or even extinct elsewhere in those regions. Climate change, pollution and urbanization pose threats to these sacred spaces. Tended for generations by faithful caretakers, environmentalists and governments are now making a push to...
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‘People are dying’: Edmonton council meeting hears call for homelessness emergency
EDMONTON- The mayor of Alberta’s capital introduced a motion calling for an emergency to be declared over homelessness and housing Monday, along with a plan for immediate and systemic change. Amarjeet Sohi told a special city council meeting that action has to be taken now, adding that 300 people have died as a result of homelessness over the past year. “Service providers are being forced into unsustainable expansion to keep up with the demand. People are dying. Creating an emergency will signal to Edmontonians that council understands the magnitude of this problem,” Sohi said. “This is a call to action. The conversation I want to have today is not specifically about encampments or shelters. I’m here to talk about the system as a whole and how to best address the...
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Man running shirtless with baseball bat charged after kicking police dog
OHSWEKEN,- A local man is facing an assault charge after Six Nations Police received complaints about a suspicious person on Ojibway Road running around shirtless with a baseball bat Saturday Jan., 12th. Police received several complaints at abput 5:45a.m., from residents about a man screaming, running on the road, and approaching residences. Police arrived at the scene and located a man matching the description provided. Police said due to the “fog in the area at the time creating a visual obstruction,” police brought in the Six Nations Police Service Dog to help track the man along the roadway. Police located the bat the man was suspected of carrying along the roadway and then relocated the man attempting to enter a marked police cruiser with an officer inside. Police said a...
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Two communities in the running for storage of nuclear waste
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is slated to close negotiations on its deep geological repository (DGR) in late 2024. The NWMO has been in discussion concerning Canada’s 175-year-long plan to bury its nuclear waste since 2008, and the process of developing the repository has been over 20 years in the making. Canada’s nuclear electricity producers established the organization under the Nuclear Fuels Waste Act (NFWA) in 2002. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 and is funded by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers like Ontario Power Generation and Hydro-Quebec. The organization has whittled down prospective sites to two communities: Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in Northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in the South Bruce Area in southern Ontario. The...
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‘Hurry please’: Details of stabbing rampage heard on Day 2 of Saskatchewan inquest
This combination of photos shows stabbing victims, from top left, Bonnie Burns, Carol Burns, Christian Head, Lydia Gloria Burns, and Lana Head. From bottom left, Wesley Petterson, Thomas Burns, Gregory Burns, Robert Sanderson, and Earl Burns. ( RCMP photos) By Kelly Geraldine Malone THE CANADIAN PRESS MELFORT, Sask.- The first 911 calls as a mass stabbing unfolded on a Saskatchewan First Nation have been played on the second day of a coroner’s inquest. “Hurry please. I’m bleeding,” Brandon Genereaux said in a call to a 911 operator after he was attacked by Myles Sanderson. Genereaux would survive the violent rampage on the James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 4, 2022. But his father, Robert Sanderson, was among the 11 people killed during the attacks on the First Nation...
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New Indigenous Justice Centres will empower First Nations, says Squamish Nation’s Wilson Williams
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Five new centres offering First Nations communities culturally safe, Indigenous-led legal support will soon open in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey and Kelowna. The new centres will join the four existing Indigenous Justice Centres in Chilliwack, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Merritt, alongside a virtual centre that serves the entire province. In an announcement held at the new Vancouver Justice Centre Thursday morning, S?wx?wu7mesh ?xwumixw (Squamish Nation) elected council member Sxwixwtn (Wilson Williams) acknowledged the effects the colonial justice system had on Indigenous communities, adding how the new centres offer “promise” and “hope” for the future. “We stand here as a witness to a heartfelt story, a journey, an integration story, a challenge our indigenous people faced when faced with the justice system of...
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Longtime Liberal cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett to become envoy to Denmark
OTTAWA- Longtime Liberal member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett is set to become the next ambassador to Denmark. A senior government source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public, says the announcement is expected this week. Bennett was most recently the mental health and addictions minister, but left cabinet last July shortly after announcing she would not seek re-election. She is still the MP for Toronto-St. Paul’s, but announced Dec. 12 she would step down early and gave her farewell speech in the House of Commons. Other Liberal ministers that Trudeau has named to diplomatic postings include Ralph Goodale, who is Canada’s high commissioner in the United Kingdom, and Stephane Dion who is now the ambassador to France. Canada’s current ambassador...
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Eby drops children’s minister Mitzi Dean from job; Grace Lore appointed replacement
By Dirk Meissner THE CANADIAN PRESS VICTORIA-A British Columbia cabinet minister who faced calls to resign has been pulled from her post as minister of children and family development. Premier David Eby announced Monday that Mitzi Dean was removed as children’s minister and will be replaced by Victoria member of the legislature Grace Lore. Dean’s tenure at the ministry was rocky, with several horrifying cases of abuse of children in government care arising during her watch, leading to calls for her resignation by the Green Party and First Nations Leadership Council. She was appointed to the job in 2020, and is a social worker with a broad background working with children, youth and families. Her volunteer work included running children’s programs in a women’s transition house and working in a...
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