ARTICLES BY Amy German

And the Beat Goes On…: Hot off of the heels of their second annual Native Women’s Summit, NWAC’s Beverly Jacobs rehashes what went down but more so what still needs to happen

Violence against Canada’s Indigenous women, the overrepresentation of Aboriginal women in the judicial system, Kelowna, the trafficking and prostitution of Aboriginal girls and the general population’s belligerent indifference to all of it. These were just a handful of topics that were discussed when 150 First Nations women congregated in Yellowknife ... read more ››

Who need the Olympics? Though they may not have come home laden in hardware, the Eeyou Istchee’s finest young athletes made their debut at the North American Indigenous Games and a lasting impresison on the world

For the first time since the games inception back in 1990, a delegation of Cree youth made their way to the 2008 North American Indigenous Games in the hopes of bringing back gold in honor of their people. The seven-day event, held in Cowichan, B.C., saw more than 4,500 Aboriginal athletes ... read more ››

Waswanipi tailings pond spill

After a dyke burst at the defunct Opemiska mine at the end of June, causing a mine tailings pond to spill into Slam Creek just down the waterways from Waswanipi, community members had concerns for the quality of their water supply. And this, despite reassurances from the Cree Regional Council ... read more ››

Ontario to protect boreal forest

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made what he claimed is the single largest conservation commitment on the planet July 14 when he announced that 225,000 square kilometres of Ontario’s northern boreal forest would receive permanent protection from “unbridled” resource development. In doing so McGuinty said he is helping preserve the most carbon ... read more ››

Oh what a night!: Niskamoon sends 15 hopefuls on to new careers with Hydro-Quebec

The Niskamoon Corporation honoured its newest graduating class July 15 with a golf tournament and a gala graduation ceremony for the 15 grads of two vocational programs, Automated Systems Electro-Mechanics, and Industrial Construction and Maintenance Mechanics. With diplomas in hand, these grads are set to begin new careers as skilled workers ... read more ››

Talk is Cheap: First Nations’ and Premiers’ summits produce hot air on Native issues … while Quebec’s Native families are once again discriminated against

Quebec City was abuzz with politics July 15 as the city hosted the Canadian Premiers’ summit, hosted by Jean Charest, and The Assembly of First Nation’s Council of the Federation meeting. The Kelowna Accord, the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights and ending Aboriginal poverty were the talk of both the Premiers’ ... read more ››

What’s her 411?: Newly elected Youth Grand Chief Stacy discusses her past, present and future

Not only is Stacy Bear the first-ever female Youth Grand Chief of the Cree Nation but at 28 she is bringing a sense of humility and wisdom beyond her years to the table that perhaps only someone as evolved and endearing as her could. Though bubbly and brimming with self-confidence now, ... read more ››

Prepping for the future: Retiring Liberal MP John Godfrey gets the Federal Sustainable Development Act passed through parliament

On June 26, Canada finally made the Federal Sustainable Development Act a law with the bill receiving Royal Assent and all four political parties giving it their stamp of approval. Having finally confirmed its commitment to the environment, the Canadian government will now be required to create and implement a governmentwide ... read more ››

Crees going greener: Several new projects indicate a growing interest for protecting the environment up north

For as much as living off the land and being kind to Mother Nature ring true with the Cree spiritually, ever since the intrusion of the modern world, most communities have sent their garbage to landfills without contemplating other options. Though the community of Wemindji has managed to set up an ... read more ››

Water alert: After a dyke burst Waswanipi residents fear their surrounding waters are contaminated

Due to the heavy rainfall in the last two months, a dyke – that had surrounded a settling pond containing tailings from the now-defunct Opimiska mine located between Chapais and Waswanipi – burst at the end of June. The breach washed away nearby roads and spilled into Slam Creek that flows ... read more ››

The new commish: Regional police force will change law enforcement in the north

Law enforcement in Eeyou Istchee is changing rapidly as Cree local community police forces are being merged into one regional police force to be known as the Eeyou-Eenou Police Force with Deputy Grand Chief Ashley Iserhoff to serve as its first police commissioner. Though the bylaw for the new police organization ... read more ››

Where’s the money?: Government agency cuts its funding to aboriginal film festival without notice

Just four weeks before the First Peoples’ Festival kicked off on June 12, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the federal ministry that annually grants the event $50,000, told the festival it was not going to get the money nor would it get any in ... read more ››

The shrinking beds: Will the federal government help save the loss of eelgrass?

On March 4, the Crees from Chisasibi spoke in the House of Commons with the help of Yvon Levesque, Bloc Quebecois MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, and members of the scientific community about the decline of the eelgrass beds in both James Bay and Hudson Bay. They requested that a study ... read more ››

Money shuffle: INAC responses to NDP accusations that its reallocation of funding is too liberal

In the last edition of the Nation (Vol. 15, No. 16), Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, accused Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) of misspending and shady reallocations. While Marc Brooks, INAC’s Director General of Community Development, will confirm the reallocations, he could not say where the money ... read more ››

Blowing in the wind: Aboriginal wind-power developers left out to dry

On May 13, Claude Bechard, Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Benoit Pelletier, the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, announced in a joint press conference that Hydro-Quebec will hand out 500 megawatts more in contracts to Aboriginal wind-power developers and companies in remote areas. This statement comes after both Hydro and ... read more ››

We want our school! Students from Attawapiskat meet the evasive Chuck Strahl

On May 29, The National Day of Action, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl met with three students from Attawapiskat on Parliament Hill and told them that they still cannot have the school they were promised three years ago. Over 1000 people congregated in Ottawa to stand in support of the children ... read more ››

Notes on Goosebreak

Mistissini Over in Mistissini, Don Macleod shot the first goose, again. It was an early spring for this inland community with the snow and ice melting away quite quickly. With the water moving faster, due to an early thaw, the geese were unable to land, making kills difficult and fewer than ... read more ››

Preserving our tradition

Tamarack decoys, snowshoes, spruce baskets and moose-hide mitts, gloves and slippers are all products that were traditionally made by the Crees but their production has seen a decline since colonization and the intrusion of the modern world. In an attempt to keep traditional arts and crafts from falling by the wayside ... read more ››

For the female persuasion: Annual trade show focuses on all the things women need

Though the Montreal Women’s Show, held at the Palais de Congres April 4-6, was an event geared towards women, it did beg the question, “What kind of women?” The exposition floor was a flurry with exhibitors hawking just about every variety of cosmetic, cosmetic process, feminine-hygiene product, cleaning product, diet product ... read more ››

The Cree Health Board celebrates its 30 years of operation

The Cree Health Board has just hit the big 3-0 and to celebrate it held a big bash in Chisasibi April 19-20 to commemorate three decades of accomplishments, commitment and diligent service and to honour the individuals who made it possible. Diane Reid, chairperson for the CHBand a seven-year veteran, said, ... read more ››

Seeking recognition: NDP pushing Canada to sign the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On Monday, April 7, seven months after it was introduced and the rest of the world signed on, the New Democratic Party managed to get the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before the House of Commons, a declaration the Conservative government is refusing to sign. Three NDP ... read more ››

Assessing accountability: INAC introduces a new audit clause to keep First Nations in check

On March 31, Indian and Northern Affairs minister Chuck Strahl announced First Nations communities across Canada would be subject to a new audit clause which will be added to all 2008-09 funding arrangements, much to the dismay of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL). When asked if ... read more ››

Unleaded shots: Cree Health Board campaigns to get hunters to use non-toxic shells

Just as Crees throughout Eeyou Istchee are gearing up to hit the bush for the 2008 goose break, a lot of talk has surrounded the use of lead shotgun shells despite the fact that they have been outlawed for over a decade. The Cree Health Board (CHB) contacted the Nation recently ... read more ››

Savouring the drink: The annual Wine and Spirits show offers a variety of tasty beverages

With literally thousands of choices of libation to sample from, the Montreal Wine and Spirits Show at the Palais de Congres (March 27-30) was about enough to send any reviewer’s head reeling long into the night and perhaps for days afterwards. Between the 230 different exhibitors and the 2000+ products they ... read more ››

Turning Blue: Lise Kistabish is Conservative Party choice for Abitibi-Temiscamingue riding

Though there may not be a federal election for some time to come, Lise Kistabish, an Algonquin from Pikogan, entered uncharted territory last February 20 when she became the Conservative Party candidate in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue riding. Though there were four others originally vying for the coveted position, Kistabish said, “I won ... read more ››

2008 National Outfitter’s Hunting & Fishing Show

Though the 2008 National Outfitter’s Hunting and Fishing Show went off without a hitch, the show itself has seen bigger years. Like any large-scale exposition, hundreds of exhibitors lined the aisles of Montreal’s Palais de Congres from February 12 to 15 but instead of the many product hawkers, dog breeders and ... read more ››