Current Problems:
Exploring Theme: "Treaty Relationships and Indigenous Rights"
Updates on this page: 112
(Filtered by Indigenous Group "First Nations")
November 5, 2024
Finding proof of a treaty: Researcher finds letter in England implying existence of treaty rights between the Mi’kmaq in N.L. and the British
Written in April 1764 to King George III, British sea captain wrote that he’d renewed treaty...
November 1, 2024
Teegee to work with NDP on involuntary care; eyes inquiry on Indigenous in-custody deaths
NationTalk: MYPGNOW: BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee is ready to get back to the negotiating table with the NDP once the legislature resumes. While Teegee is calling on Premier David Eby to continue reconciliation with First Nations, another talking point will be involuntary care. During the campaign, Eby noted the New...
October 18, 2024
N.B. election: Blaine Higgs says Indigenous people ceded land ‘many, many years ago’
New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party Leader Blaine Higgs speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Moncton, N.B. on Friday. Photo: Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press. APTN News: The Canada Press – New Brunswick is “ceded” land, the province’s Progressive Conservative leader said Friday on the campaign trail, highlighting his party’s position regarding a major lawsuit...
October 15, 2024
PAGC Calls for Urgent Action During Ottawa Visit
NationTalk: Ottawa, ON – From Oct. 7 to 11, Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) leadership, along with Chiefs from its member nations, travelled to Ottawa to demand immediate federal action on critical issues affecting First Nations in northern Saskatchewan. The delegation met with key federal officials, including Conservative MP Jamie Schmale, deputy chair of the...
October 11, 2024
Mi’kmaw Sen. Paul Prosper releases ‘listening tour’ report
APTN News: Paul Prosper, a Mi’kmaw senator representing Nova Scotia, has released a report of an eight-month “listening tour” throughout Mi’kma’ki. Appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023, Prosper said he and his team met with 1,701 people across the region. “Every part of Mi’kma’ki faces the same issues, to varying...
October 4, 2024
Youth Call for Changes to Child Welfare and Housing Policies
As the Oct. 19 election looms, under-30s from the LEVEL program have their say. The Tyee: With the BC NDP and BC Green Party having released their full election platforms this week, it’s unclear how much input youth have had on the parties’ ideas. The Vancouver Foundation’s LEVEL Youth Public Policy Program aims to change that, by mentoring a...
October 3, 2024
Rustad Says Residential School Abuses Were Real. Some Conservatives Disagree
The party’s stance on the damage done to Indigenous children has become a campaign issue. The Tyee: Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad says he has heard first-hand from Elders about residential school abuses during Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission did a good job, and I think that’s part...
October 3, 2024
Federal fisheries officers refusing duties because of violence on the water in N.S.
Federal fisheries officers in Nova Scotia say they’re refusing some enforcement duties because of threats to their safety, as they await Ottawa’s response to their complaints. Toronto Star: Federal fisheries officers in Nova Scotia say they’re refusing some enforcement duties because of threats to their safety, as they await Ottawa’s response to their complaints. The...
October 3, 2024
Higgs villainized teachers, Indigenous people in debate performance
Commentary by Chris Walker Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs speaks during the CBC leaders’ debate on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Photo: Screenshot. NationTalk: NB Media Coop – During last week’s debate, Blaine Higgs was asked by moderator Clare MacKenzie about the flyers that Campaign Life Coalition has recently distributed across New Brunswick. It would appear this question caused...
October 2, 2024
Four Takeaways from the First BC Leaders’ Debate
Eby, Furstenau and Rustad trade accusations in radio showdown. The Tyee: The leaders of the BC NDP, Conservatives and the Green Party squared off in a radio debate on CKNW today, moderated by Mike Smyth. Here are four takeaways from the first debate for David Eby, John Rustad and Sonia Furstenau, who will meet again in a televised...
September 30, 2024
Over 30 years of Indigenous resistance with Mohawk land defender Ellen Gabriel
‘Colonial-rooted poverty will not be solved by more colonial solutions’ Ellen Gabriel speaks during a march on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Montreal, Saturday, September 30, 2023. Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press The Narwhal: Thirty-four years ago, Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel was thrust into the spotlight when she was chosen as the spokesperson for...
September 29, 2024
B.C. Conservative Leader Rustad wants to repeal Indigenous rights law, triggering backlash from regional chief
Globe and Mail: British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October, 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them. The law “fundamentally changed the relationship” between First Nations and...
September 28, 2024
First Nations, Inuit and Metis leaders say work lays ahead on road to reconciliation
The Liberal party of today is not quite the same as the one elected in 2015 promising to foster new paths and nation-to-nation relationships with Indigenous Peoples, the leaders of the three national Indigenous organizations said as they look ahead to the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday. Métis National Council President...
September 27, 2024
‘Rustad Is a Threat to First Nations and a Threat to Reconciliation’
Indigenous leaders unpack the BC Conservative leader’s statements on DRIPA, First Nations title and more. The Tyee: Regional Chief Terry Teegee admits that he isn’t really one to get political. But in a recent interview with The Tyee, Teegee was blunt about what it could mean for First Nations if the Conservative Party of BC...
September 26, 2024
Hydro-Québec Bills: A Declaration by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador
Nationtalk: WENDAKE, QC – In response to recent reports and various comments made regarding unpaid electricity bills by certain First Nations people, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) issues this official statement: As we prepare to commemorate the sad anniversary of the tragic death of our Atikamekw sister Joyce Echaquan, and just a few...
September 25, 2024
John Rustad wants to dump gasoline on BC’s housing fire
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad speaks at an announcement in Surrey B.C., Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Voters in British Columbia will go to the polls for a provincial election on October 19. Photo by: The Canadian Press/Ethan CairnsListen to article Canada’s National Observer: John Rustad was in the midst of a political comeback for the...
September 19, 2024
Inside Rustad’s Regressive Approach to Indigenous Rights
It’s contradictory and harmful. The Tyee: The First Nations Leadership Council minced few words last week when they blasted Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad for making “inflammatory and ignorant” comments that included racist stereotypes about Indigenous people. The council’s rebuke should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Rustad’s duplicitous approach to Indigenous...
September 5, 2024
John Rustad’s Interview with Jordan Peterson Another Example of BC Conservatives Taking Aim at Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation
NationTalk: (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) Earlier this week, BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad gave a lengthy interview to notorious right-wing podcaster Jordan Peterson where Mr. Peterson suggested that Indigenous governments can’t be trusted- the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is asking why Mr. Rustad is aligning himself with those views....
August 29, 2024
Hereditary chiefs set up blockade to halt B.C. LNG pipeline work
Construction proceeding despite Gitanyow protest, says president of Nisga’a Government, which co-owns project CBC News: Gitanyow hereditary chiefs and a group of young Indigenous people have blockaded a forest service road in northern B.C. in an attempt to prevent pipeline construction workers from passing through their territory. The Gitanyow chiefs say they are concerned the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline...
August 29, 2024
‘The focus is the 7 generations coming after me’ says Hereditary chief on Gitanyow blockade in B.C.
Deborah Good Facebook APTN News: Two hereditary chiefs in northwestern British Columbia are demanding a new environmental assessment be done before a liquified natural gas pipeline is built in their territories. On Aug. 22, they burned an agreement between the previous owner of the pipeline and their clans and put up a blockade on a logging...
August 26, 2024
BC Illegally Collected Personal Info Tied to the Wet’suwet’en Conflict
A Tyee exclusive: Coastal GasLink intel was shared with the Indigenous Relations Ministry during high-stakes talks. The Tyee: B.C. says it violated its own privacy laws when it gathered personal information from Coastal GasLink about “various individuals” involved in a high-profile conflict over the controversial pipeline project. . The province did not say how Coastal GasLink...
August 13, 2024
Michel Band society looks for scattered descendants as it pushes to re-establish First Nation
”When we lost the band, we lost everything,’ says Michel descendant Brandy Callihoo CBC Indigenous: The Michel Callihoo Nation Society (MCNS) is looking for descendants of the former Michel Band in Alberta as they make a push for Canada to recognize the First Nation that gave up its Indian status more than 60 years ago. The Michel Band’s enfranchisement when members...
August 13, 2024
Mining regulations in Ontario ‘unconstitutional’ say First Nations chiefs
APTN News: The chiefs of six First Nations in northern Ontario are taking the province to court over how the mining industry is regulated. “Ontario has had knowledge for a number of years that cumulatively mining claims registration and exploration are rising to serious levels,” says the statement of claim filed on Aug. 9. “Ontario’s...
August 13, 2024
Saskatchewan’s oldest permanent settlement celebrates 250th anniversary
Cumberland House residents share hopes and dreams for their home CBC Indigenous: Philomene Chaboyer says she is proud of her community of Cumberland House and hopes for an even better future as the northern village celebrates its 250th anniversary. Cumberland House is Saskatchewan’s oldest permanent settlement. CBC attended the community’s three-day celebration, which wrapped up Tuesday. For...
August 9, 2024
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Calls for Action to Protect and Uphold First Nations Rights on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
NationTalk: Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, Ontario) – On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) urges governments, organizations, and individuals to take action to protect, uphold, and safeguard the rights of First Nations across Canada, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the globe. This year’s theme, “Protecting...
August 6, 2024
Yukon premier says he won’t halt mining on First Nation but will pause new projects
Ore material at the mine site that has moved towards Dublin Gulch valley. Photo: Yukon Government APTN News: Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said his government isn’t prepared to halt all mining activity on the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun’s (FNNND) traditional territory – though it is willing to grant some of the First Nation’s ...
July 31, 2024
The Blueberry River First Nations’ oil and gas dispute is a failure of colonial-imposed governance
by Giuseppe Amatulli, Postdoctoral fellow, School of Public Policy & Administration, Carleton University Earlier this month, BRFN formally initiated a dispute with the B.C. government by filing a Notice of Civil Claim. Adobe stock by Kalyakan. NationTalk: Canadian Manufacturing – The Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) has, for a few years now, been locked in...
July 25, 2024
Why Rustad’s Reckless Indigenous Policy Would Be Disastrous
A Green MLA says the Conservative leader’s approach is wrong, costly and economically destructive. The Tyee: I sat next to BC Conservative Leader John Rustad in the legislative chamber for the past several months, our desks side-by-side. I had a front row seat and watched him work closely. He showed up for question period, asked...
July 22, 2024
First Nation in B.C. calls for delay in its neighbour’s treaty
Wei Wai Kum First Nation says K’ómoks treaty as written will infringe on own rights and title CBC Indigenous: A First Nation located in the Campbell River area of Vancouver Island says it’s concerned about a potential treaty for a neighbouring nation because it could infringe on its own rights and titles. The Wei Wai Kum...
July 11, 2024
Some First Nations leaders turn their backs on Pierre Poilievre
APTN News: As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began to speak to the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Montreal Thursday one delegate stood and turned his back to him. The delegate stood alone for a few minutes before another joined him. Then six more. In total, seven veterans and one leader in the two-spirit community all looked...
July 5, 2024
Lax Kw’alaams collaborates with Gitxaała, Gitga’at and Kitasoo/Xai’xais to advocate for reconciliation and rights recognition
by ahnationtalk on July 5, 2024 July 4, 2024 NationTalk: Territory of the nine Allied Tribes of Lax Kw’alaams – Lax Kw’alaams Rights and Title Chair, Councillor Joey Wesley, attended a meeting with the Honourable Minister Murray Rankin and Honourable Minister Gary Anandasangaree, along with representatives from Gitxaała, Gitga’at, and Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations to discuss reconciliation efforts with...
June 21, 2024
Justin Trudeau’s government is losing its momentum on Indigenous reconciliation, leaders say — and they’re worried a Conservative government could be worse
Nine years after Justin Trudeau came to power campaigning on a new relationship with Indigenous people, Indigenous leaders say his government’s once considerable rate of progress is slowing — and they are worried about that momentum reversing if the Conservatives topple the Liberals in the next election. The Toronto Star: OTTAWA — Nine years after Justin...
June 14, 2024
Concerns about assertion of Métis rights on the BC coast discussed at fisheries forum
Concerns were raised during the Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries about the presence of Métis organizations amid efforts to protect the West Coast. Council of Ha’wiih Chair Wickaninnish, Cliff Atleo, speaks at the meeting in Port Alberni June 5. (Eric Plummer photo) First Peoples Law Report: Ha-Shilth-Sa – Port Alberni, BC – Concerns...
June 13, 2024
Both Innu Nation, NunatuKavut Community Council claim victory after Federal Court decision
APTN News: The Canadian Press – A Federal Court judge has dismissed a bid by Labrador’s Innu Nation to throw out an agreement involving the NunatuKavut Community Council, but both groups claim the ruling is a win. The case involved the NunatuKavut Community Council, formerly the Labrador Métis Nation and the Labrador Métis Association, represents...
June 11, 2024
Commercial fishers worried about fishing out of season – Majority of members have little trust in the government to make good policy decisions for the commercial fishery
NationTalk: SHEDIAC, NB – A new survey of over 1,000 commercial fishers led by the Coalition of Atlantic and Quebec Fishing Organizations in cooperation with the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance suggests significant concern about government actions on the commercial fishery. This is the second wave of research conducted among commercial fishers in coastal communities across the...
June 6, 2024
First Nation in N.W.T. facing retaliation complaint at human rights tribunal
APTN News: Salt River First Nation in the Northwest Territories is facing allegations that it retaliated against two of its members after they filed a human rights complaint against the band. According to records at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, Christopher Coyne and Penny Way originally filed the complaint against Salt River, or SRFN, because...
June 5, 2024
Haida Gwaii Agreement: Most say it was right decision, but oppose it as precedent going forward
Those living in BC’s Interior nearly twice as likely to oppose agreement as those in Metro Vancouver ANGUS REIDL June 5, 2024 – When the B.C. government announced a historic agreement with the Haida Nation that would see Indigenous title recognized across Haida Gwaii, Premier David Eby said it could provide a template for future land...
May 24, 2024
‘For them, it’s money. For us, it’s life’: Grassy Narrows’ 60-year legacy of poison
Six decades on, the natural beauty and wildlife of the Northwestern Ontario First Nation remains shrouded by an industrial disaster that has only continued to get worse Mike Forbister and Robby Williamson Jr. of the Land Protection Team, stand along the shore of Grassy Narrows Lake. (Geordie Day/Ricochet Media) NationTalk: Ricochet The land guardian knows...
May 23, 2024
‘One of the biggest mistakes of his political career’: New book details what happened when Pierre Poilievre crossed Stephen Harper
Harper feared a revolt in his caucus when he decided to go ahead with compensation for residential school survivors, new book reveals. Toronto Star: OTTAWA — Stephen Harper feared a revolt in his Conservative caucus when, as prime minister, he decided to go ahead with compensation for residential school survivors, a newly published book reveals....
May 23, 2024
Rights and Remedies at the Supreme Court: Case Comment on Shot Both Sides v. Canada
FIRST PEOPLES LAW REPORT, MAY 23, 2024 The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Shot Both Sides marks the end of a decades-long effort on the part of the Blood Tribe to address Canada’s failure to fulfil its outstanding obligation to provide lands as promised under Treaty 7. The decision raises troubling questions about when and under...
May 9, 2024
Northern affairs minister says Métis Nation of Ontario has work to do in proving legitimacy
APTN News: Canada’s minister of Northern affairs says the Métis Nation of Ontario has some challenges ahead in proving its legitimacy to other Indigenous organizations. “The Ontario Métis have more work to do,” said Dan Vandal. “They need to sit down with First Nations and other Métis affiliates from across Canada and have these important...
April 18, 2024
Sask. First Nations’ delegates meet with province to discuss commitments to inherent treaty rights
Click on the following link to view the video: https://regina.ctvnews.ca/sask-first-nations-delegates-meet-with-province-to-discuss-commitments-to-inherent-treaty-rights-1.6852331 CTV News: Delegates from several First Nations met at the Saskatchewan Legislative building for a day of action focused on inherent treaty rights Wednesday. Attendees are concerned the provincial government is not properly consulting First Nations on a number of issues such as hunting and...
April 17, 2024
Indigenous leaders continue calls for proper consultation in Saskatchewan
First Peoples Law Report: Global News – Indigenous leadership from a few First Nation communities gathered in solidarity at the Saskatchewan Legislature for the Duty to Consult Day of Action event. On Wednesday, dignitaries expressed their frustrations and concerns about the lack of proper consultation with Indigenous communities in the province. Indigenous leaders from Nekaneet...
April 15, 2024
Wolastoqey Nation brings the issue of criminalization of Indigenous Peoples to the United Nations
APTN News: Hundreds of delegates from around the world converged on United Nations headquarters in New York for the opening of meetings to discuss Indigenous issues. That includes representatives of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick who said the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and around the world must be addressed. “One of the...
April 12, 2024
Cree lawyer says cows and plows settlements don’t reflect spirit of treaty clause
‘It didn’t just mean cows, plows, agriculture. It meant livelihood,’ says Deanne Kasokeo CBC Indigenous: A Saskatchewan-based lawyer says “cows and plows” settlements do not reflect the spirit and intent of treaties from an Indigenous perspective. Under treaties 4,5,6 and 10, the Crown promised agricultural benefits — livestock and farming equipment — to the First Nations that signed. That promise...
April 2, 2024
Frustrated with government, Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs wavering on support for B.C. pipeline
As tensions in northwest B.C. persist over pipelines, court-ordered injunctions and police enforcement, Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs demand government respect and dialogue Nearly a decade after signing agreements for a major pipeline project, support from the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs appears to be fraying. Photo: Matt Simmons / The Narwhal The Narwhal: On a bitterly cold morning in...
April 1, 2024
Confederation anniversary is no cause to celebrate, says Mi’kmaw elder
Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland were not recognized nor acknowledged in Terms of Union with Canada CBC Indigenous: As Newfoundland and Labrador marks 75 years since it joined Canada, a Mi’kmaw elder who led the struggle for the recognition of Mi’kmaw people in the province says he won’t be celebrating the anniversary of Confederation. “There’s nothing really for me to...
March 21, 2024
Innu Nation disputes Canada’s recognition of NunatuKavut in Federal Court
Innu elder vows to fight as Labrador Indigenous identity court hearing concludes CBC Indigenous: Outside a downtown Ottawa courtroom on Wednesday, Elder Elizabeth (Tshaukuesh) Penashue speaks slowly but passionately in the language of her Innu ancestors. Inside, lawyers for the Innu Nation of Labrador were making their case against federal recognition of a group they say is...
March 9, 2024
Brian Mulroney’s complicated relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada
From laying the foundations of Nunavut to the Oka crisis, the former PM’s legacy was one of contradictions CBC News: The late Brian Mulroney’s legacy with Indigenous peoples in Canada is marked by its contradictions — failures remembered for their good intentions, successes accompanied by catastrophic disappointments. The former prime minister is praised by some Indigenous leaders for creating a...
March 1, 2024
Brian Mulroney held the line on settler colonialism: activist
‘They basically threw our rights out the window’ says activist and artist Ellen Gabriel remembering Brian Mulroney’s complex legacy APTN News: Brian Mulroney is being remembered by some in the Indigenous community as a polarizing figure during his time in office, with his decisions and actions continuing to shape the country to this day. Mulroney...
February 29, 2024
Why Did Trans Mountain Dig Through an Indigenous Burial Site?
The company’s plan was to ‘micro-tunnel’ in Secwépemc territory — but that fell through. An explainer. The Tyee: Trans Mountain says it is in the process of wrapping up work to install its pipeline through a sacred Secwépemc site, bringing its expansion project one step closer to completion. The new collaborative work from Debra Sparrow...
February 28, 2024
Algonquins of Ontario organization removes nearly 2,000 members after ancestry disputes
AOO ‘reorganization is possible’ but not confirmed, Pikwakanagan chief says CBC Indigenous: The Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) has removed nearly 2,000 people from its certified electorate after an internal tribunal ruled against their asserted Algonquin ancestry last year. This follows years of controversy and internal protests, which flared in 2021 after CBC News reported a suspicious letter — on...
February 27, 2024
History of Canada’s largest national park reveals exclusion of First Nations people and injustice
“Wood Buffalo National Park was the heart of the Dene homelands, and when it was removed, Dene people suffered.” —from the book Remembering Our Relations: Dënesųłıné Oral Histories of Wood Buffalo National Park Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation with the cover of the book Remembering Our Relations: Dënesųłıné Oral Histories of...
February 15, 2024
What does the duty to consult First Nations, Inuit and Métis mean?
And why some advocates say Canada needs to move from consultation to consent CBC Indigenous: You’ve probably heard the phrase duty to consult, or failure to consult, when it comes to governments and their relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. But what does it actually mean? Stemming from three Supreme Court of Canada decisions in 2004...
February 14, 2024
First Nations, Jim Balsillie slam government over lack of consultation on AI bill
The Globe and Mail: The Canadian Press, OTTAWA – The Assembly of First Nations is warning it could take the Liberal government to court over its proposed privacy and artificial intelligence bill. And former tech executive Jim Balsillie told MPs studying the bill that he considers the legislation “anti-democratic.” The government has already been criticized...
February 13, 2024
B.C. regional chief decries ‘fear mongering’ over proposed changes to Land Act
Terry Teegee says suggestion changes would allow First Nations a ‘veto’ is false and inflammatory CBC Indigenous: Recent reactions to proposed changes to B.C.’s Land Act are a threat to reconciliation, B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee says. “This is fear mongering at its worst,” said Teegee. The province’s NDP government is drafting amendments to enable agreements with Indigenous governing bodies...
January 29, 2024
A new, reset relationship starts with meaningful consultation
The election of Premier Wab Kinew is an incredible achievement for our province. It’s also a significant opportunity for a reset in how the provincial government manages its relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba. For years, former Manitoba governments adopted an approach of informing Indigenous communities of decisions after they were made, instead of including...
January 26, 2024
Chiefs of Ontario call for 1-year pause on staking mining claims in the province
A similar request from the Anishinabek Nation in 2022 wasn’t granted by the province CBC Indigenous: The Chiefs of Ontario are calling for a 365-day moratorium on mining claims staked across the province. They say many First Nations can’t keep up with the administrative burden of reviewing the mining claims staked in their territories. “Mining claim staking...
January 18, 2024
Chrétien-era effort to soften UN’s Indigenous language a ‘stain’ on Canada: Hajdu
‘Indigenous, First Nations people deserve so much more than that,’ says Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu. Photo: APTN. APTN News: The Canadian Press – The current federal Liberal government tried to distance itself Tuesday from the Jean Chrétien-led one that reportedly conspired with Australia to weaken United Nations language on Indigenous Peoples in the early...
January 15, 2024
Feds approve $2B loan guarantee to help TMX over finish line
Photo by Jesse Winter / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: The federal government has issued yet another taxpayer-backed loan guarantee — this time for up to $2 billion — to help get the massively over-budget Trans Mountain pipeline expansion over the finish line. TMX is about 97 per cent complete, but the...
January 1, 2024
Consulting Indigenous communities on critical minerals is key to net zero ambitions
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 31, 2023 UPDATED JANUARY 1, 2024 The Globe and Mail: Two years ago, First Nations leaders made clear what Canada must take to heart if it wants to be a global player in critical minerals and the energy transition: The only road to net zero runs through Indigenous lands. That is, any efforts to develop...
December 13, 2023
Chiefs say pan-Indigenous approach leaves Ottawa taking too much away from First Nations
“I don’t think we should be buying into this Indigenous label that they’re trying to homogenize all of our rights into a common group. I think in the long run, we will be short changed.” —Chief R. Donald Maracle Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte at the Assembly of...
November 30, 2023
Minister blames ‘misconceptions’ for concerns over Métis self-government bill
Assembly of First Nations latest to express concerns about Bill C-53 CBC Indigenous: The backlash against the Trudeau government’s proposed Métis self-government legislation is “largely based on misconceptions,” the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said Thursday, as he appeared unmoved by a recent call for its withdrawal. “This is an opportunity to set right a long-standing wrong, when...
November 24, 2023
Mi’kmaq fishers say feds aren’t listening to their concerns about safety
APTN News: In the early morning hours of April 3, 2021, the fishing vessel Tyhawk launched into the icy waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Chéticamp, Nova Scotia. The weather was bad. Ice was accumulating on the boat because of freezing rain. Despite this, the captain and his crew of four kept going...
November 21, 2023
Sask. First Nations call on province, feds to rescind policy that withholds income assistance for recipients
‘This is a battle brewing. It’s coming and here to stay until we see it rule in our favour,’ says FSIN Chief CBC Indigenous: The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says it is frustrated with the federal and provincial government’s financial policy that withholds income assistance from First Nation citizens who receive per capita distributions from...
October 23, 2023
Canada using ‘outdated’ treaty to do end run around Indigenous rights in U.S.: court documents
This 2016 photo shows an aboveground section of Enbridge’s Line 5 at the pump station in Mackinaw City, Mich. Photo by: The Canadian Press/AP/John Flesher Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: The Canadian Press – WASHINGTON — The federal government and Enbridge Inc. are trying to exploit a “dormant” and outdated treaty with the United States...
October 20, 2023
Community copy of Treaty 3 believed to be last in existence on display at human rights museum
Copy shows treaty ‘was about allowing access to the land, not selling the land’: elder CBC News: What is thought to be the final remaining community copy of a 150-year-old treaty that opened a gateway to what is now Western Canada is on temporary display at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. The...
October 19, 2023
Allegations of Indigenous identity fraud could affect lawsuit by Native Council of Nova Scotia
Members of the NCNS are suing the provincial government for $40 million over moose hunting rights. A recent report alleging that the Native Council of Nova Scotia has members in its ranks who are not Mi’kmaw could have an effect on a class action lawsuit filed by members of the organization. The council, also known as the...
October 12, 2023
A need for action on reconciliation
NationTalk: Winnipeg Free Press – Each year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation prompts us to take stock of the progress we are making, as a country, on the journey towards reconciliation. Often this progress — or the lack of it — is measured by counting how many of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s...
October 11, 2023
‘How is that reconciliation?’: Hereditary Gitxsan Nation chiefs rally for their rights
Gitxsan Nation hereditary chiefs marched through the streets of Vancouver on Wednesday to assert their rights. Photo by Isaac Phan Nay for Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Hereditary chiefs from the Gitxsan First Nation marched to BC Supreme Court in Vancouver on Wednesday morning, demanding an end to RCMP suppression of Indigenous-led...
October 9, 2023
Wolastoqey chiefs slam Higgs, ready to work with new government should election be called
First Nations’ leaders criticize how provincial Department of Aboriginal Affairs has been ‘overhauled’ CBC Indigenous: Leaders of the six Wolastoqey nations in New Brunswick have issued an open letter slamming Premier Blaine Higgs’s government for how it has handled its duty to consult and have signaled their readiness to work with a new provincial leader, should a...
October 2, 2023
We do not want pity, we want parity
Toronto Star: The most important table for talking about reconciliation is the kitchen table. This is the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — our annual day as Canadians and Indigenous Peoples to acknowledge what we all inherited and the actions needed to assure the relationship gets stronger. In the spring of 2021, the...
September 30, 2023
How Wilfrid Laurier’s Liberals grabbed reserve lands in the Prairie west
Bill Waiser and Jennie Hansen are historians based in Saskatchewan and co-authors of Cheated: The Laurier Liberals and the Theft of First Nations Reserve Land. The Globe and Mail: Contributed by BILL WAISER AND JENNIE HANSEN In June of last year, at Alberta’s Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood next to Chief Ouray Crowfoot and...
September 29, 2023
Aboriginal Rights as a Tool of Colonialism: Part Four: First Peoples Law report
This week I’m sharing my thoughts on how Aboriginal rights have become a tool of colonialism and why. I’ve posted an essay each day leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is the final installment of the four-part essay which can be found on our website here.I hope you enjoy reading it.Best,Bruce Aboriginal Rights as a...
September 20, 2023
BC Assembly of First Nations Strongly Opposes Bill C-53, Urges Rejection of Unconstitutional Act Threatening Section 35 Rights
NationTalk: (Lheidli T’enneh Territory/Prince George, B.C.) – The BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) unequivocally supports the Chiefs of Ontario, together with First Nations leaders, communities, and individuals across the country, in resolute opposition to Bill C-53. This legislation, introduced by Canada without proper consultation, poses a grave threat to First Nations’ inherent, constitutional, and...
September 20, 2023
MMF expresses support for First Nations rally opposing Bill C-53
NationTalk: Winnipeg, MB – in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis - Today, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) – the National Government of the Red River Métis – expresses support for the First Nations protest on Parliament Hill against Canada recognizing unfounded and illegitimate Métis rights of Métis Nation of Ontario communities. Ontario First Nation...
September 20, 2023
The Canadian Parliament must Reject Bill C-53 of the Trudeau Government
NationTalk: WENDAKE, QC – The AFNQL denounces the self-proclaimed “Métis” groups and the federal government’s intention to recognize to grant them rights. Only the First Nations are holders of Aboriginal rights and titles. The AFNQL strongly supports the resolution adopted during the AFN Annual General Assembly that was held last week in Halifax, under the...
September 11, 2023
RCMP Spent Record Amount to Protect CGL Pipeline Last Year
Tyee exclusive: The force spent $11 million to patrol a remote road in Wet’suwet’en territory. Amanda Follett Hosgood is The Tyee’s northern B.C. reporter. She lives in Wet’suwet’en territory. Find her on Twitter @amandajfollett. The Tyee: The RCMP’s costs for patrolling a remote resource road on Wet’suwet’en territory to protect a pipeline project rose almost 60...
September 8, 2023
Marc Miller touts progress on reconciliation, has harsh words for Poilievre
Miller reflects on leaving Indigenous portfolios after 5 years Warning: This story contains language that some readers might find offensive CBC News: Marc Miller — who held two Indigenous affairs cabinet portfolios before he was shuffled over the summer — says he believes the Liberal government has made substantial and “irreversible” progress on reconciliation, despite what he described...
August 21, 2023
Algonquin members organize in fight for identity, land and nationhood
‘We’re all starting to feel considerably more threats,’ says professor Veldon Coburn CBC News: It’s almost like a game of colonial whack-a-mole. Everywhere Algonquin Nation members look these days, it seems a new problem pops up. If it isn’t declining moose stocks, it’s a proposed radioactive dump on unceded land, and if it isn’t a controversial Ontario land claim or...
August 18, 2023
Ontario First Nations leaders call for housing minister, chief of staff to resign over Greenbelt controversy
Premier’s spokesperson says ministers regularly meet with Chiefs of Ontario leadership council at its request CBC News: A coalition of First Nations leaders is calling for the Ontario’s housing minister and his chief of staff to step down after the auditor general faulted the government for failing to consult with Indigenous communities before making the controversial decision to open up thousands...
August 18, 2023
Anishinabek Nation responds to the Auditor General’s Special Report on Ontario’s Greenbelt Development Plan
NationTalk: ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE – The Anishinabek Nation is disappointed in the recent findings that the Ontario government’s plan to encroach on the portions of the protected Greenbelt were found to be favourable to specific developers and contractors. Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released a special report on August 1, 2023, highlighting a number of concerns...
August 14, 2023
First Nations leaders say Sask. government’s updated consultation policy is still problematic
Minister says the revisions emphasize relationship building, address timelines CBC News: The Saskatchewan government released a revised First Nation and Métis consultation policy framework on Friday. It’s the first time changes have been made to the Consultation Policy Framework (CPF) in 13 years — and some Indigenous leaders say the changes don’t go far enough. “They’re doing...
July 19, 2023
First Nations sick of Sask. government’s ‘trinkets and beads’ approach to resource development: Opposition
Critical mineral claims to hundreds of square kilometres recently granted without First Nations consultation Indigenous people will no longer tolerate the Saskatchewan government’s “trinkets and beads” approach to natural resource development, says the Opposition critic on the file. “First Nations and Métis people are tired of trinkets and beads. They’re tired of getting crumbs. They...
July 19, 2023
Chiefs continue to press feds on its land back and NRTA shortcomings
“It is a broken system and it’s something that needs to be fixed. It is probably the poorest form of getting land back to your communities and control over those.” Marc Miller, minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Black River First Nation Chief Sheldon Kent speaks about the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Act and how jurisdiction over...
June 12, 2023
First Nations, federalism and lessons from the fight against COVID-19
To be ready for future challenges, we need to build a path forward that brings First Nations into the heart of Canadian federalism NationTalk: Policy Options – The fight against COVID-19 in First Nations communities had many successes. Vaccination rates were high – nearly 93 per cent of individuals aged 12+ years received a second dose and...
June 10, 2023
Long lineups for treaty annuities at The Forks spark discussion about ‘insulting’ $5 payment
Working group calls for modernization of payments through land-based model CBC news: Dozens of First Nations people braced long lineups and a humidex of 30 on Thursday afternoon to get their treaty annuity payments at The Forks in Winnipeg, leading to conversation on whether the $5 payments are outdated. The federal government doles out the $5...
May 18, 2023
Editing the oath: growing call for province to mention treaty rights in municipal oath of office
Any changes to the municipal oath of office need to be approved by the Ontario government Several city and town councils in northeastern Ontario want to edit the oath of office mayors and councillors say before they take their seats. They have passed motions in recent weeks calling on the provincial government to change the oath...
May 2, 2023
Work of the monitoring committee of the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection: The AFNQL and FNQLHSSC are satisfied
NationTalk: Wendake — Two years ago, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (FNQLHSSC) reacted favourably to the long-awaited report from the monitoring committee of the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection (CSDEPJ). Today, it is in the...
April 20, 2023
Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief carries strong message to United Nations on behalf of E’Dbendaagzijig
NationTalk: NEW YORK, NY (April 20, 2023) — Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe joined an international delegation including representatives from the Bay Mills Indian Community, Center for International Environmental Law, EarthRights International, and Environmental Defence Canada this week at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) carrying a strong message to...
April 11, 2023
Western premiers blast Lametti for suggesting Ottawa might ‘look at’ provinces’ power over natural resources
Lametti told an AFN meeting he would examine calls to rescind Natural Resources Transfer Act CBC News: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and three western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to disassociate his government from comments made by his justice minister — who promised last week to “look at” a decades-old law that...
March 30, 2023
First Nations lay claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in Saskatchewan
Province’s new critical mineral strategy infringes on Inherent and Treaty rights: FSIN CBC News: First Nations are laying claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in Saskatchewan in light of the province announcing its new critical mineral strategy on Monday. Saskatchewan has 23 of 31 critical minerals on the Canadian Critical Minerals List....
March 2, 2023
N.B. needs to improve Indigenous engagement: minister
NationTalk: Country 94.1 – New Brunswick needs to do a better job of engaging with Indigenous communities, according to one federal minister. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller made the comments during a news conference on Tuesday. Miller said he has heard directly from Indigenous communities about the expiration of tax-sharing agreements“. I don’t think it...
January 27, 2023
SCO Urges Prime Minister to Include First Nations Leaders in Health Meeting
NationTalk: ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and the Government of Canada to ensure that First Nations leaders are included in health discussions on February 7, 2023. “Health care systems are in crisis. They are not meeting the needs of First Nations people, and...
January 19, 2023
Dealing with Sask. First Act one of treaty commissioner’s top priorities for 2023
Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson says bill offends inherent and treaty rights Jennifer Francis · CBC News · Posted: Jan 11, 2023 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: January 19 CBC News: Last year, Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan Mary Culbertson was critical of the proposed Saskatchewan First Act and now, in 2023, she is questioning the basis, accuracy and respect of treaty...
January 12, 2023
Rights group releases scathing report on Canada’s violations of Indigenous rights
NationTalk: CTV News, NEW YORK — A prominent human-rights group says Canada is failing to address long-standing abuses, delivering a rebuke of what it calls the federal government’s inadequate climate policy and violations of the rights of Indigenous people and immigration detainees. Human Rights Watch says more than two dozen First Nations remain under long-term drinking...
January 11, 2023
Higgs’s ‘new partnership’ plan highlights gulf in understanding with First Nations
Funding proposal tied to measurable targets, tax surrender at odds with Indigenous vision CBC News: To some First Nations chiefs in New Brunswick, the “new partnership” the Higgs government is offering them looks a lot like old-style paternalism The province’s proposal to replace the existing tax-sharing agreement is another example of the vast philosophical chasm...
December 21, 2022
By ignoring the duty to consult First Nations, three Canadian premiers show their true colours
The Globe and Mail: TANYA TALAGA SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL Sacred law binds Anishinabeg to safeguard the land, water, four-legged creatures and each other. It is our duty to make sure the planet is protected for future generations. There are 634 First Nations throughout the country we now call Canada, including 133 here...
November 2, 2022
First Nations leaders push back against ‘Saskatchewan First Act’ tabled by government
First Nations leaders unhappy with Legislation and lack of consultation. First Peoples Law Report: APTN News – The Saskatchewan government has tabled its controversial Saskatchewan First Act, in spite of push-back from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner and the opposition NDP. The government had unveiled the policy in October which...
October 27, 2022
Saskatchewan Office of the Treaty Commissioner says throne speech offends treaty rights
The Office of the Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan responded to the 2022 throne speech on Thursday, saying its contents do not work for everyone and offends the treaty and inherent rights of Indigenous people. “While the Office of the Treaty Commissioner welcomes programs and initiatives with Indigenous communities on health, education, and community policing among others, there remains an...
July 13, 2022
Federal government is failing First Nation fishers, Senate Committee on Fishing and Oceans finds: REBUTTAL
NationTalk: HALIFAX, NS – The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFCA) is voicing its grave dissatisfaction and frustration over a study released by the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans earlier this week on Indigenous rights-based fisheries, specifically those affirmed in the 1999 Marshall decisions. The report dismisses over twenty-two years of work by the...
July 12, 2022
Federal government is failing First Nation fishers, Senate Committee on Fishing and Oceans finds
NationTalk: Halifax – More than 23 years after a Supreme Court of Canada ruling affirmed the treaty fishing rights of certain First Nations, the federal government has failed to fully implement Indigenous rights-based fisheries, according to a new report by the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. Peace on the Water: Advancing the Full Implementation...
June 30, 2022
Tŝilhqot’in Nation Condemns Destructive B.C. Moose Harvest Allocation
Williams Lake, B.C.: The Tŝilhqot’in Nation is condemning the B.C. government’s destructive moose harvest allocation for the Chilcotin Region in recent days and expressing its opposition, in the strongest terms, to B.C.’s drastic escalation of Limited Entry Hunts (LEH) for moose in Tŝilhqot’in territory. Tŝilhqot’in people depend on moose for sustenance and cultural survival. For...
June 30, 2022
Cree Nation Government expresses its disappointment in Quebec’s lack of meaningful collaboration regarding the moose population situation in Zone 17
Nemaska, Eeyou Istchee (June 30, 2022) – The Cree Nation Government wishes to provide the following statement in response to the situation of the decline in moose population in Zone 17 and the discussions on the potential allocation of a portion of the Cree harvest of moose to Jamesian resident of the territory. The Cree...
June 9, 2022
The CAQ’s record with Indigenous peoples is historically disappointing
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador: Wendake, QC – As the parliamentary session in Quebec City comes to an end, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) is drawing up a less than rosy assessment of the Legault government’s mandate in terms of its relations with First Nations. From its recent adoption of Bill 96...
April 1, 2022
Government of Québec reneges on Indigenous commitments
CISION: Assembly of First Nations of Québec and Labrador refusal to include the notion of cultural safety in its Health and Social Services Act refusal to establish a new Protector of Indigenous students position refusal to establish an Assistant Commissioner and team to address issue impacting Indigenous children Le Devoir recently published an article announcing...
November 21, 2021
25th Anniversay of the RCAP Final Report
Prime Minister’s Office – “25th anniversary of the final report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples”. The five-volume landmark document outlined 440 recommendations on Indigenous governance, nation rebuilding, lands and resources, treaties, economic development, and social policy, and called for the renewal of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and all orders of...
October 24, 2021
Montreal Canadiens Land Acknowlegement
Toronto Star – The Montreal Canadians Land Acknowledgement preceding a hockey game “that’s launched hysterical editorials, hours of inane talk radio chatter and the interference of Quebec’s populist right wing government. What’s so offensive? That the Canadiens are insinuating Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) is unceded Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) territory.” According to the nationalist school of Quebec history, when...
October 15, 2020
Wet’suwet’en protests against Coastal GasLink
Union of BC Indian Chiefs – Coastal GasLink called in the RCMP to remove a group of Wet’suwet’en women and community members who are holding ceremony at a proposed drill site for Coastal Gaslink’s pipeline. UBCIC stands in solidarity with the Indigenous land defenders who are protecting the Wedzin Kwa, the river that sustains and...
January 6, 2020
Wet’suwet’en Coastal GasLInk protests
Hereditary Chiefs of all five Wet’suwet’en clans have rejected BC Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church’s decision granting an interlocutory injunction, which criminalizes Anuk ‘nu’at’en (Wet’suwet’en law), and have issued and enforced an eviction of CGL’s workers from the territory. “Canada and the B.C. government have both pledged to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights...
January 10, 2019
Wet’suwet’en Coastal GasLink protests
What happens when you engage Hereditary Chiefs in the Process vs excluding them? Union of BC Indian Chiefs – “There are not a lot of similarities between the Broughton and the Unist’ot’en engagement with the Province (as stated by Premier John Horgan). In June, government-to-government work between our three Nations and the Province was confirmed...
June 29, 2018
Eliminating dedicated Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Eliminating a dedicated cabinet position for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and subsuming all responsibilities under one Ministry responsible for energy, northern development ad mines, and Indigenous Affairs June 29, 2018 – The Ipperwash Inquiry into the police killing of protester Dudley George in an Indigenous occupation of a provincial park in 1995 concluded that divided...