Thank- you for visiting Indigenous Watchdog - the Phase 1 launch of an online platform to deliver current, comprehensive and insightful information on critical Indigenous issues impacting First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action are the starting point for an exploration into a broad range of current events... Continue Reading →
How does systemic racism undermine Indigenous health?
First, let's start with the following facts: $8,400 vs $18,178. That’s the per capita gap between First Nations and other Canadians in federal, provincial and municipal spending for programs and services1First Nations fall between 63rd and 78th vs Canada between 6th and 12th on the UN Human Development Index. The federal government’s Community Well-Being Index... Continue Reading →
Is the UN Declaration dead or more to the point – has it ever been alive?
“The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (UNDRIP) is an international instrument adopted by the United Nations on September 13, 2007, to enshrine the rights that “constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.” All four countries initially opposed (Canada, United States, Australia... Continue Reading →
August 17, 2020 Updates to Indigenous Watchdog
What the hell is happening with Reconciliation? Indigenous Watchdog was launched on Feb. 25, 2020 primarily to track progress on the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. In the past six months, that progress was delivered roughly every two months via three updates documenting a total of 153 specific actions as follows: SectionsApril 21June... Continue Reading →
Can Indigenous Leadership Help Save the Environment?
Indigenous people currently manage or have tenure on 40% of the world’s protected areas and remaining intact ecosystems. The deep connection to land and water that characterizes Indigenous cultures around the world suggests a natural alliance with conservationists working to protect those places. Mongabay. James Dinneen. Jan. 23, 2020 First Nations, Métis and Inuit people... Continue Reading →
June 15, 2020 Updates to Indigenous Watchdog
The June 15, 2020 Indigenous Watchdog update documents 49 actions across 10 Legacy and Reconciliation Themes and 15 Calls to Action since April 21, 2020 – seven weeks - that among other things should open Canadian's eyes to the following: COVID-19 and the recent killings of Indigenous people by police confirm how pervasive systemic racism... Continue Reading →
How much is an “Indian” life worth? Apparently, not very much.
What do the following Indigenous communities all have in common? Grassy NarrowsNorthwest Angle 33 First NationAamjiwnaang First NationMuskrat FallsAthabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation,Kashetchewan etc. etc. etc. Decades of fighting the federal and provincial governments to address ongoing health issues "plaguing" Indigenous people across the country, going back to the founding - or... Continue Reading →
Is $46M COVID-19 funding enough for roughly 732,000 urban Indigenous people?
The most recent census in 2016 counted 1.67 million Indigenous people in Canada, or 4.9% of the total population. Almost half (44%) of the Indigenous population—representing 731,480 First Nations, Métis and Inuit people —lived in one of 49 urban areas large enough to be divided into neighbourhoods (or census tracts): 51% identified as First Nations (373,055)45% as Métis (329,166) 1% as Inuit (7,315)... Continue Reading →
April 21, 2020 Updates to Indigenous Watchdog
Indigenous Watchdog was officially launched on Feb. 25, 2020 with a blog post about the Wet'suwet'en vs Coastal GasLink protest. Since then, seven additional blogs have been posted addressing a number of distinct issues. What else has happened over the last two months? As of April 21, 2020, Indigenous Watchdog has updated the following: 7... Continue Reading →
Ongoing problems and issues in fixing Indigenous health
What is the reality behind the statistics? We've all seen the numbers over the years that tell the unrelenting truth around the significant gaps in Indigenous health outcomes compared to the rest of Canada. Beyond the numbers, what are some of the current and ongoing problems and issues that sustain those negative results? The following... Continue Reading →
Is .4% of the $82B COVID-19 budget allocation enough to protect Indigenous People?
The most recent pandemic was H1N1 in 2009 where 27.8% of all hospital admissions were Indigenous people who at the time represented only 4.3% of the over-all population. (Maclean's, July 16, 2009) Manitoba had the highest rate of hospitalization among First Nations Consider also: 17.6% of all deaths during the first wave were Indigenous8.9% of... Continue Reading →