Volume 20, Issue 17

A constant presence

The First Nations film and cultural festival unveils its schedule For the past 23 years, Land InSights has been bringing First Peoples Festival / Présence Autochtone to Montreal with a line-up of Aboriginal films and performances that rivals the city’s other summer festivals. This year’s event is no exception with dozens ... read more ››

Aboriginal Affairs minister defends Ottawa’s funding cuts

The Conservative government is defending its further planned cuts to the Aboriginal Affairs budget. On June 9, many Aboriginal advocacy groups were shocked to learn that their funding has been cut within the latest rounds of austerity measures pushed forward by the Harper government. Responding to the criticism, Aboriginal Affairs Minister ... read more ››

Aboriginal couture: Inukt melds First Nations culture into its fashion

Over the years, Canadian artists and designers have been inspired by the rich imagery and symbolism of First Nations culture. But walking down the streets of downtown Montreal, which offers a good representation of the Canadian fashion scene, the style seems to be a mishmash of American and European styles ... read more ››

Bust and boom

A high-profile raid in Waswanipi gets locals talking about drugs and crime. Some people said that the police had their guns drawn. Others even said that shots were fired. As the rumours circulated, however, it became clear that few in Waswanipi were certain of whether the police raid that took place ... read more ››

Elections Part III: Christopher Napash, Linda Lillian Shecapio, Robert Kitchen

Christopher Napash Deputy Grand Chief candidate CN: I am from Chisasibi but was born on Fort George Island. I have been involved in politics both directly and indirectly over the course of my entire career. I currently work as the Assistant Director of Operations for the Cree Nation of Chisasibi and have done this ... read more ››

Elections Part III: Matthew Coon Come, Virginia Wabano, Roger Sandy

As the election race for the positions of Grand Chief and Deputy Grand Chief heats up, more candidates accept our invitation to speak about their dreams for the future. With perspectives from just about every point on the spectrum, some of these candidates have already run governments while others have had ... read more ››

Iserhoff visits Australia

At the invitation of the Australian government, Deputy Grand Chief Ashley Iserhoff addressed the inaugural conference of the World Indigenous Network in Darwin, Australia, on May 27. The conference brought together Indigenous groups from around the world with over 1,300 delegates representing 50 countries. With a wealth of successful achievements by ... read more ››

Lubicon Lake Nation claims its rights

 In Northern Alberta, the fight for First Nations rights to ancestral lands is moving towards another showdown between the Lubicon Lake First Nation and the federal and provincial governments. The Cree band is calling on the courts to block all further resource development on disputed territory until they gain the ... read more ››

New project to map urban Aboriginal mobility

 As Quebec’s Aboriginal population continues to surge, people across the province are travelling between Nations and cities in unprecedented volume. This month, the Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Quebec (RCAAQ) announced the impending release of a new study carried out over the last four years with the ODENA Research ... read more ››

Putting up with mosquitoes

T he Sah-kah-mel or mosquitoes are really, really bad this year. I think I have used up every swear word I ever learned in Cree, English and even French complaining about these little insects. No matter what I do they manage to find me out on the land and even ... read more ››

Singularly collective

It’s taken me a while to address last month’s Supreme Court of Canada decision that limits individual rights to protest resource exploitation. It’s a tough one as it looked at not only the duty to consult with Aboriginal Peoples before making decisions affecting treaty rights or agreements, but how and ... read more ››

Whapmagoostui man sentenced in family slaying

Peter Jr. Tooktoo receives 30 years for triple manslaughter in 2008 Whapmagoostui community members witnessed the end of a tragic chapter in their Nation’s history this month, as the final sentencing in the death of Minnie Natachequan and her two sons was delivered by Quebec Superior Court Judge François Huot on ... read more ››