ARTICLES BY Alex Roslin

Eight men drown in Inuit hunting tragedy

Iqaluit is in mourning for eight Inuit hunters who drowned on the night of Saturday, Oct. 29 when their boat capsized and they were plunged into the icy waters of Frobisher Bay. A private ceremony for the families of the men was held Wednesday night, Nov. 2. Two days later, 500 ... read more ››

Innu skeptical about PQ proposal

Jacques Kurtness isn’t getting too excited about the PQ government’s recent self-government proposal to the Innu and Atikamekw nations. “Let’s see the horse,” says Kurtness, who is the chief self-government negotiator for Quebec’s 12,000 Innu. “We’ll see if it’s a whole horse and if it’s teeth are all right, and can ... read more ››

Hydro says it won’t promise not to spy on Crees

Hydro-Quebec has refused to put it in writing that it has never spied on the Cree people and never will spy on them. Hydro’s refusal has prompted the Grand Council and several Quebec environmental groups to call for a government inquiry of Hydro-Quebec’s secretive $18-million police force. Last March 1993, the Crees ... read more ››

Trappers have mixed reactions to gun law

When the Canadian government brought in a tough new gun control law last year, it was intended to fight crime in the South. But the law also affects Crees and some trappers say it’s going to make their lives a lot more complicated. Under the new law, anyone getting a new ... read more ››

NHL lockout drags on

They’ve bargained in at least four cities and two countries, but the NHL lockout is still no closer to being over. “There was no progress to report,” said NHL spokesman Arthur Pincus after a five-hour meeting between league commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow in Washington, D.C. on Oct. ... read more ››

Tough talk from Quebec Chiefs

Tensions have been running high between First Nations and the PQ government in recent weeks. At a three-day meeting north of Quebec City, native Chiefs issued a unanimous declaration rejecting the PQ policy that Quebec’s borders cannot be changed. The First Nations have the right to self-determination and will defend that ... read more ››

Waswanipi moves ahead on sawmill

Waswanipi’s sawmill is a step closer to getting underway. A protocol agreement has been signed between the forestry company Domtar Inc. and the Waswanipi Mishtuk Corporation for a joint sawmill venture. The agreement is still being fine-tuned and will be signed by December. Chief John Kitchen told The Nation the sawmill will ... read more ››

53 die in cult death pact

A doomsday cult investigated for a plot to bomb native communities has grabbed headlines once again. At least four Quebecers, including the mayor of Richelieu, Que., were among 48 people found dead in a mass murder-suicide in two Swiss villages on Oct. 5. Twenty of the victims had bullet wounds and ... read more ››

Nalukturuk settles in at Makivik

A gruelling schedule awaited Simeonie Nalukturuk when he took over as President of Makivik Corporation, reports Makivik News. “Makivik had been working on many issues, such as Hydro-Quebec, environmental issues involved in Hydro development, so those things I had to get familiarized with right away, because Makivik and Hydro were almost ... read more ››

Old promises, New Cliche: An Interview With David Cliche

“Where I disagree will the Crees is where the Crees say they could eventually choose or decide that James Bay becomes a Cree country.” Crees are on their way to getting the reforms they want to policing services. At least that’s the word from David Cliche, the PQ government’s point man on ... read more ››

Police situation “intolerable”: Chief Diamond

The police situation in the Cree communities is “intolerable,” says Waskaganish Chief Billy Diamond. “The Waskaganish First Nation has been forced to use funding identified for other purposes in order to finance its policing services. This situation is intolerable, unacceptable and cannot continue any more,” writes Chief Diamond in letters sent ... read more ››

Lawyer paid a bundle for talks

A former president of the Liberal Party of Canada will be paid up to $250,000 to head the federal negotiations with the Mohawks of Oka next year. Lawyer Michel Robert was appointed to the part-time position by federal Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin last May. There was no public call for ... read more ››

Wellness program part of healing process

The only way to get the healing process underway in the Cree communities is by openly talking about issues like family violence and child sexual abuse, says Chief Billy Diamond. “We have been living in a period of denial,” said Chief Diamond in an interview. “The healing has to begin.” “We must ... read more ››

Let’s walk together

After interviewing Bertie Wapachee, he asked “So do you have a tear in your eye?” We both laughed while I reached for a hanky. You don’t meet many people more intense than he is. That power he has is now going to be put to work on behalf of the ... read more ››

Parti Quebecois seizes power, takes Ungava: We’re on our way to normal

Two more words: Le Hir. The infamous Richard Le Hir and the rest of his buds were elected to power on Sept. 12. Even though the PQ got only 16,000 more votes than the Liberals, Le Hir’s party won 77 seats compared to a measly 47 for the Liberals. Democracy is ... read more ››

Crees asked to be “partners in education”

There’s good news and bad news in the latest annual report from the Cree School Board. A new school opened in Ouje-Bougoumou, the Wiinibekuu Eeyou School in Waskaganish got an extension, the schools in Whapmagoostui and Eastmain will soon have extensions too and Quebec has agreed to Cree demands for a ... read more ››

Hi-tech symposium to link Crees

Cree individuals and organizations interested in learning about the latest trends in the communications industry should checkout a two-day symposium organized by the James Bay Communications Society in Montreal Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. This symposium is intended to help Crees learn about current trends in communications technologies, cost-effective ways of ... read more ››

Tough resolution passed on Cree rights, policing: General Assembly a time for “celebration”

“It was more of a celebration than anything.” That’s the way Bill Namagoose summed up this year’s Annual General Assembly of the Grand Council/CRA in Eastmain. In all, the three-day event was attended by 200 community delegates and other Crees, including some who stayed behind from the Youth and Elders Conference, also ... read more ››

Will North be flooded for clean cars?

The Quebec government has announced $100 million in spending to develop new electric-car technology, sparking renewed concern that the move to alternative fuels in Europe and the U.S. will lead to the construction of new hydro dams in James Bay. Hydro-Quebec has aggressively promoted the use of alternative fuels like hydrogen ... read more ››

The blessings of Yogic Flying

If Quebec’s politicians all knew how to do Yogic Flying, crime would plummet and everyone would be happy. That’s the message the Natural Law Party is taking to Ungava voters in the weeks before the provincial election on Sept. 12. “Yogic Flying is actually a lot of fun,” said Marlene Charland, the ... read more ››

MoCreebec expelled from Mushkegowuk Council

The Mushkegowuk Council has expelled MoCreebec Crees as members, and they are crying foul. The MoCreebec Band says Mushkegowuk violated its own constitution when it forced out MoCreebec on June 28. The expulsion took place at a meeting of the council’s Chiefs in Timmins. The move followed heavy pressure from Moose Factory ... read more ››

Friends of Hydro: No scientists will criticize Hydro-Quebec, say ecologists

Quebec scientists and engineering firms are too buddy-buddy with Hydro-Quebec to be able to do an objective study of the proposed Great Whale River Project, say environmentalists. “It’s very well-known in Quebec that it’s difficult to get consultants to work for you if you’re going to do something critical of Hydro-Quebec/’ ... read more ››

Cree Gathering plans set

The date and location of the Cree Nation Gathering are set—Sept. 13-16 in Old Nemaska Post. “The setting is important,” said Deputy Grand Chief Kenny Blacksmith. “It’s getting away from your conventional conference structures. It will be something more traditional.” Chiefs and regional Cree leaders met in Nemaska in mid-August to plan ... read more ››

Brouillard gave PQ S400

Richard Brouillard, one of the top consultants working for the Cree economic entities, made a financial contribution to the Parti Quebecois in 1992, The Nation has learned. Brouillard, who lives in Val d’Or, gave $400 to the party’s Abitibi-East riding association, according to public records of political donations. Brouillard is the ... read more ››

Most natives unlikely to vote

Ho hum. That about sums up the attitude of many of the First Peoples living within Quebec’s current borderstoward the provincial election. “The elections? Which elections? It’s been a longtime since the elections were held [for Band Council],” was how Kahnawake Band Council member Billy Two Rivers put it when asked ... read more ››

Fighters collide over James Bay

Two British fighter planes crashed during a refuelling manoeuvre in the skies above James Bay on Aug. 1. The pilot and navigator of the first plane had to eject, and spent nine hours in a lifeboat on the La Grande River. Their Tornado fighter crashed, but Canadian and British military authorities ... read more ››