ARTICLES BY Brian Zelnicker

Coon Come, Chiefs Challenge Nault

One year after his election as National Chief, Matthew Coon Come passed the toughest test of his leadership last week in Halifax. The annual general meeting of the Assembly of First Nations provided the opportunity for Coon Come’s detractors to challenge his ability to lead effectively, but the National Chief ... read more ››

Olympics Take A Slow Boat To China

Much to the disappointment of the city of Toronto, the International Olympic Committee has awarded the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing, China. The announcement was made in Moscow on Friday the 13th, an unlucky day for lobbyists from Toronto. Even though Beijing was considered the obvious frontrunner for a number ... read more ››

The Puck Stops Here

Jordin Tootoo: Nashville-bound It’s a long way from Nunavut to Tennessee. I don’t anticipate too many folks from Nashville making the journey north, but there is at least one resident of Rankin Inlet who will be making the trip south to the land of the Grand Ole Opry. The Nashville Predators ... read more ››

2nd Annual OAPRA

Nominations from the public for the second annual Ontario Aboriginal Partnerships Recognition Award (OAPRA) are now open. The award was established by the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat with the assistance of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. “The award recognizes the Aboriginal and corporate leaders who are building partnerships that remove barriers, ... read more ››

Billions For High-Speed Net Access:

A recent report by the government-appointed Broadband Task Force suggests that the ambitious proposal of linking all Canadians to high-speed Internet services by the year 2004 could run as high as $4.57 billion. The panel, comprised of 34 members, sees the government as the key player in this project, as ... read more ››

Ex-Mohawk Cop Guilty of Fraud

Barry Commando, former chief of the aboriginal police force in Kanesatake, has been found guilty on two charges of fraud and theft. Commando, who was chief of the first all-aboriginal police force in Kanesatake from it’s inception in 1997 until his firing in January 1999, had been charged with multiple ... read more ››

Negotiator Appointed For Residential School Lawsuits

The Canadian government has appointed a senior public servant to negotiate costsharing arising from lawsuits filed against Ottawa and four Christian churches by former residential school students. Jack Stagg was named negotiator by the Prime Minister’s Office and is accountable directly to the offices of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Deputy ... read more ››

R.I.P. Mordecai

Montreal author, columnist, wit, man about town, and scourge of Quebec separatists, Mordecai Richler is dead. Richler passed away the day after Canada Day, July 2nd. He was best known for his novel “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” He also wrote the screenplay of the same name and earned an Academy ... read more ››

Don’t Try This At Home

Redefining the world of competitive eating, 23 year-old Takeru Kobayashi of Japan stunned spectators and competitors alike when he managed to wolf down an incredible 50 hot dogs in only 12 minutes at the 86th annual Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, N.Y. Tipping the ... read more ››

U of T Honours Coon Come

The University of Toronto has awarded an honorary doctor of law degree to Matthew Coon Come, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The degree was conferred upon Coon Come at the University during spring convocation on June 14, 2001. While there to receive his degree, Coon Come also ... read more ››

Cree Spoken Here Wins at Banff

At the recent Banff Television Festival, the biggest broadcasting event of its kind in Canada, Rezolution Pictures was astounded to learn that they won the award for Best Canadian Aboriginal Language Television Production. The award, co-presented by Telefilm Canada and APTN, went to Rezolution’s first documentary project, Cree Spoken Here. ... read more ››

Task Force Seeks High Speed for all

In January of this year, Minister of Industry Brian Tobin launched the National Broadband Task Force. The mandate of the task force is to advise the Canadian government on how to make high-speed broadband internet services available to all Canadian communities by the year 2004. The aims of the task ... read more ››

Why National Aboriginal Day?

What’s the deal with national Aboriginal Day? When did it start and what’s it all about? National Aboriginal Day was first proclaimed by the Canadian government on July 13, 1996. The official proclamation announced that, “the Constitution of Canada recognizes the existing rights of the Aboriginal people of Canada,” and that, “aboriginal ... read more ››

Ripped off But Still Riding Strong

Shortly after being featured on the cover of the Nation (volume 8, no. 13), young moto-cross racer Nathaniel Bosum was temporarily grounded by car thieves. His father Abel’s pick-up truck and 16 foot trailer were stolen from a parking lot near the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Montreal, either late Friday ... read more ››

Nemaska Evacuated

With a nearby forest fire posing an immediate threat to the community, a state of emergency was declared in Nemaska on Saturday, May 26th. According to local economic development officer Lawrence Jimikin, the fire had started Thursday morning (May 24th) at his brother’s hunting camp, at the southwest end of ... read more ››

Crees Helping Crees

It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining. This is certainly the case when it comes to the state of emergency that was declared in Nemaska on May 26th. From within the billowing smoke that threatened the community, a story emerged of Crees helping themselves and each other. ... read more ››

Mistissini’s Reception Centre

It is a true sign of social progress when a community can care for its own. Though resources may be stretched to the limit, and the challenge may be great, the Cree recognize the importance of administering to the needs of the community where it truly counts – with the ... read more ››

U.S. Environmental Groups, First Nations Join Forces in Lumber Dispute

It’s been said that one sometimes can’t see the forest from the trees. In other words, it can be difficult to see the big picture. Of course, if all the trees are felled you will be left with an unobstructed view of nothing. Where the softwood lumber industry is concerned, ... read more ››

A Mothers Job Is Never Done

I have a friend who doesn’t celebrate holidays, for the simple reason that he sees them as commercially motivated opportunities for high-pressured sales. He makes a good point. Christmas shopping can be stressful and financially draining at the best of times. At the worst of times it can lead to ... read more ››

Diving Headfirst Into The Pool

The scene takes place in a Canadian living room late one April evening. Buddy is testing the theory of gravity in his favourite chair. The room is awash in the fluttering blue rays of dancing light that emanate from the television set. The St. Louis Blues are playing the San ... read more ››

Diamonds In The Rough?

In the film Diamonds Are Forever, Sean Connery was the ever-suave 007 once again globetrotting from one exotic location to another, in a life and death quest for stolen diamonds and yet another evil genius hellbent on global destruction and control. Jill St. John provided the plunging neckline and expanding ... read more ››

The National Great Outdoor Show 2001

The first thing you notice about the Great Outdoor Show is that it is held indoors. Once you get your head around that small detail you are free to delve into an exhibition that boasts some 600 exhibitors all eager to show you their wares. A small but vital team ... read more ››

NAHO – National Aboriginal Health Organization

On Friday, February 16, The Nation participated in a nationwide teleconference held by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO). The conference, hosted by NAHO chairperson Dr. Judith Bartlett and executive director Richard Jock, was geared to provide aboriginal media from across the country with information, and to field any questions ... read more ››

Making Tracks

Filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo is not the easiest person to track down these days. First I tried a phone number in Utah where, having disturbed someone’s vacation, I was informed that they had never heard of Shirley Cheechoo. I then tried a number in Ontario, only to connect with an answering ... read more ››

2001:Space Odyssey or Jurassic Michaud?

So here we are in 2001 and we haven’t established colonies on the moon. Science Fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke’s image of a future world in which an advanced computer named Hal goes a little funny in the old logic circuits and embarks on a minor killing spree hasn’t quite ... read more ››

2000: Year In Review

January: -The world rings in the new year without the much anticipated computer armageddon. Elevators don’t plummet, planes don’t crash, and micro-wave ovens don’t blow up. Who knew? -Called the greatest legal victory for the crees since 1972, when Justice Alfred Malouf stopped the James Bay project, a Quebec Superior Court rules ... read more ››