Establish northern university, feds hear, as Arctic policy framework talks wrap
It’s early days yet for the government’s Arctic policy framework, but the idea of an Arctic university has already emerged as a popular frontrunner to increase northern economic development and share Canadian expertise in the region with the rest of the world. Canada is the only Arctic nation without a university physically in the North, […]
Philpott’s $9-billion Indigenous Services budget triple Bennett’s in new departments’ inaugural year
Half a year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially split Indigenous Affairs into two departments with “distinct, but complementary objectives,” their first departmental plans show new Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott’s budget is triple that of her Indigenous-focused counterpart Carolyn Bennett (Toronto-St. Paul’s, Ont.), and more than double what she oversaw as health minister. The […]
AFN national chief wants Indigenous languages bill tabled this fall
Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde says the Liberals should table legislation protecting and promoting Indigenous languages by this fall or risk not fulfilling a key promise that he considers to be a cornerstone of Canada’s reconciliation efforts. “That’s our hope and our wish,” Mr. Bellegarde told The Hill Times, following an April […]
What’s needed to close the Indigenous health-care gap
My perspectives herein apply primarily to First Nations, where I have spent the majority of my years as a dental and health-care provider, before being appointed to the Senate. As the history of access to health care is markedly different for the Métis and the Inuit, it would be unrepresentative to place all three Indigenous […]
Infrastructure improvements could increase annual GDP of northern territories by $4.7-billion: report
Upgrading trade-enabling infrastructure in Canada’s northern territories could add billions each year to the national economy, says a new report from the University of Calgary. Goods and services in the North are costlier than elsewhere in Canada, largely owing to logistical and geographic barriers limiting access to communities in the south. In the report “Gains from Trade for Canada’s […]
Infrastructure
It’s time to ensure Indigenous representation in Canadian institutions
OTTAWA—There is nothing sacrosanct about governmental structures. They are no more “divine” than past rulers who sought celestial sanction. Canada’s structure of bilateral federalism, with the provinces and Ottawa having separate and overlapping sovereign powers, is a reflection of 19th century political compromises accommodating, if not uniting, diverse peoples. Its survival for more than 150 years […]
Let’s talk sovereignty: how Canada can help stop lingering colonial attitudes towards Indigenous peoples
OTTAWA—The value-laden words of truth, apology, reconciliation, compensation, and nation are all being used repeatedly in the national exchanges involving Indigenous peoples. Lurking in the background are the larger words of sovereignty, self-determination, self-government, and possibly, independence—words that must be acknowledged if we are to emerge from this period of introspection and fragmentary answers. In […]
Cannabis bill a concern for Indigenous communities and ‘ripe for amendment’: Sen. Sinclair
The effect legal marijuana will have on historically “over-policed and under-resourced” Indigenous communities is cause for concern, according to Independent Senator Murray Sinclair, who is calling on the government to address gaps in services he said will be further strained by legalization. “Right now, Indigenous communities have a significant amount of drug problems without them […]
True reconciliation will only happen when the feds stop interfering with Indigenous governance
When Europeans arrived in North America in great numbers after 1600 they assumed that their civilization was superior in every respect to that of First Nations. They were wrong in a number of ways, and Canadians who cling to such views are still wrong. Grudgingly, those first visitors had to accept that First Nations did […]
