Time to address the age of #MeToo in First Nations organizations
OTTAWA—Once upon a time, not so long ago, First Nations and many Indigenous societies governed with balance—men and women, including Two Spirits, equally shared the roles of leadership to serve a community. It wasn’t perfect. No governance structure is perfect. Then came the Canadian government, overly influenced by the church and paternalism which created the […]
$2.2-billion for MMIWG positive sign, but groups cautiously await details amid delayed action plan
Indigenous women’s groups say they need clarity on how Ottawa will roll out the $2.2-billion in funding earmarked in the budget and when it will release its delayed action plan in response to the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. When Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) unveiled Budget 2021 on April […]
A just recovery from COVID-19 must include climate justice
Earth Day not only celebrates the life-giving planet that sustains us, but also focuses our attention on the science and impacts of a changing climate. While today highlights the need for urgent climate action we must remember that climate change can only be addressed through climate justice. Canada can and must take action on climate […]
Ottawa earmarks $18-billion on Indigenous spending
Budget 2021 lays out expansive spending on Indigenous services, reaching $18-billion over five years, to address longstanding inequities that Ottawa says have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The largest promises, typically over a five-year time frame, are assigned to infrastructure projects ($6-billion), pandemic support ($1.4-billion), addressing the “national tragedy” of missing and murdered Indigenous women and […]
UNDRIP law a ‘game changer’ for reconciliation, says AFN’s Bellegarde, calling for accelerated plan in two years
The government’s bill to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a “game changer,” says Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, who urged MPs to pass it quickly and require Ottawa to bring it into effect a year earlier than outlined. With the pandemic creating tighter timelines and […]
Post-pandemic recovery plan must include national Indigenous entrepreneurship strategy
The pandemic has severely impacted Indigenous businesses and requires an whole-of-government to prevent further loss, and to support the prosperity and well-being of Indigenous people. In collaboration with leading national Indigenous organizations, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) undertook two COVID-19 Indigenous business surveys to understand its impact. The first, conducted in spring 2020, suggested […]
Status card list for First Nations is a hot mess
OTTAWA—I am status, card-carrying First Nations—the federal government calls me a real one. The status card is a race-based ethnic identity card used to limit access to certain federal government programs for real First Nations peoples only. It used to be based on blood quantum, one had to prove at least 25 per cent real […]
Indigenous Services Canada is not up to the task to fix drinking water on reserves
OTTAWA—“When it comes to the safety of drinking water, residents of First Nations communities do not benefit from a level of protection comparable to that of people who live off reserves,” reported the auditor general in 2005. The Council of Canadians, meanwhile, declared “little progress with First Nations drinking water” in 2012. In 2016, Human Rights Watch […]
Indigenous groups wary but hopeful as consultations start on co-developing distinctions-based health legislation
The Liberal government’s promise to co-develop distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation is being welcomed as an opportunity solidify jurisdiction by some Indigenous groups, who are also cautious of Ottawa’s approach to consultations. For many, self-determination and the provincial and territorial transfer of health service delivery to Inuit, Métis, and First Nations is the key outcome. Any legislation […]
Faith voices support Bill C-15
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in Call to Action No. 48, specifically called upon all faith communities “to formally adopt and comply with the principles, norms, and standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.” Then-NDP MP Romeo Saganash, a Cree lawyer who represented Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, Que., […]
