Northern food security key to Canada’s future
True or False: The Arctic is thawing, uncovering land that can grow food and eventually feed the world. Answer: both. Another answer: We don’t know—because so much is changing. And it has serious implications for food security in the north. What we do know is that permafrost—ground that remains at or below zero degrees for […]
Two candidates look to unseat Natan Obed in ITK election this month
Two candidates, including a former Member of Parliament, are vying to unseat Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami incumbent president Natan Obed in the national Inuit group’s Aug. 16 election. Peter Williamson is a rookie candidate, but he’s worked on Inuit issues for more than 20 years, including five years with ITK and 15 years at Indigenous and […]
Circumpolar Inuit gather for historic assembly in Alaska
UTQIAGVIK, ALASKA—Inuit from four circumpolar nations are gathered on the shores of the Beaufort Sea this week for the quadrennial general assembly of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). They include Canada, Alaska (United States), Greenland, and Chukotka (Russia). The meeting is taking place in the birthplace of the international Inuit organization, founded 41 years ago […]
Clock is ticking on government’s relationship with Indigenous communities
Kayla Bernard grew up with no doctors in her community. Her school lacked qualified teachers. Drinking water was a luxury. The 22-year-old First Nations woman from Halifax told senators earlier this month what reconciliation means to her. “Reconciliation is a word that is thrown around a lot in Canada, especially by Canadian leaders,” she said. […]
Perry Bellegarde: the path we must walk together
Indigenous priorities are Canada’s priorities. Whether it’s the economy, the environment, opportunities for growth, or measures to help the middle class and those struggling to join it, First Nations care deeply about these public policy matters. In 2015, the Assembly of First Nations introduced Closing the Gap, which spelled out the challenges facing First Nations, […]
Nurses, the unsung heroes of health care, go beyond traditional roles
Last month, I attended the 16th Annual Awards of Excellence in Nursing, a celebration of both the beginning of National Nursing Week and the recipients of these awards. This year’s theme during Nursing Week was #YESThisisNursing, a testament to the constantly changing and expanding roles of nurses in Canada. It’s a theme that is especially relevant to […]
Trudeau government’s promise on Indigenous education gets a failing grade
What would you do if education officials in your children’s school board falsified graduation rates or failed to track why so many children were unable to pass basic literacy tests? What would you do if, year after year, education officials covered their tracks by ignoring orders to compile useable data to ensure better education outcomes? […]
Indigenous Relations Policy Briefing
Trans Mountain buy adds to Liberals’ betrayal of Indigenous voters, say activists, NDP
The backlash to the federal government’s decision to purchase Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project could cost the Liberals in 2019, as some Indigenous, environmental, and youth activists gear up to respond to what they see as a broken attempt at reconciliation, say activists, opposition MPs, and observers. On May 29, Finance Minister Bill Morneau […]
Global warming change can be abrupt, quite extreme, and once it happens it’s the new normal
LONDON, U.K.—Here are two interesting facts. One is that the winter temperatures in the Arctic this year were the highest ever recorded. On two days in February, it was actually warmer at the North Pole than it was in Zurich, Switzerland. At one location in Greenland, the temperature rose to 36 degrees C higher than […]
