ARTICLES BY NATION

Canada Drops to 8th on UN List

Canada has fallen from third to eighth place on a United Nations list of the most desirable countries in which to live, a further drop from the No. 1 ranking frequently touted by Prime Minister Jean Chretien as proof of the benefits of his government’s policies. Canada was No. 1 in ... read more ››

CSB Run-off Election

The election for chairperson of the Cree School Board, held July 10, settled very little. There were six eligible candidates running for the post, with no one receiving more than 29 per cent of the vote. As a result, a run-off election is scheduled to take place July 31. Advance polls will ... read more ››

New Prison Will Address Aboriginal Problems

Saskatchewan’s first federal minimum security penitentiary for aboriginal men is officially open. The Willow Cree Healing Lodge on the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation Reserve aims to prepare offenders for reintegration into society through Native spiritual and cultural interventions. It’s been about 15 years in the making, and officials say the lodge ... read more ››

Opposition Brewing to Manitoba’s Urban Reserves

Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray says that urban aboriginal reserves are “the best hope we have” of reversing native poverty in Winnipeg, but already opposition is brewing. Murray dismissed charges that urban reserves amount to a “city-within-a-city” that don’t pay taxes or follow city rules. “Reserve is such a loaded term. The ... read more ››

BC Natives Want Inquiry Into Police Neglect

Native leaders in British Columbia are calling for a public inquiry into the death of Frank Paul after the release of disturbing video footage showing his last hours alive. Chief Edward John of the B.C. First Nations Summit said the jailhouse tape troubles him. It shows Paul being dragged by prison ... read more ››

AFN Unable to Work With Gov’t: Nault

Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault called the Assembly of First Nations ineffective and irrelevant last week, an attack that comes less than a month before the organization chooses a leader. “The AFN is structurally incapable of working with the government, at least the way it’s organized now,” Nault said at a ... read more ››

Standoff in G.W.

On June 23, 2003, police in Whapmagoostui were alerted to a disturbance involving a young man and women, who were intoxicated. The young man was carrying a rifle and police soon set up a security perimeter, effectively shutting out residents in the restricted area near the young man’s home. Four ... read more ››

Bizness as Usual

The day after Canada Grand Chief Ted Moses finally had a chance to talk to Quebec premier Jean Charest. Charest quickly dispelled any notions that Moses support of Landry and the Parti Quebecios during the provincial election would have any effect on Cree/Quebec relations. Moses said Charest indicated that the ... read more ››

Rouyn Noranda Welcomes Crees

Wachya! It is with a great pleasure that the mayor, Mr Jean-Claude Beauchemin, welcomes all the people of the Cree communities to Rouyn-Noranda. Around 40,000 people spread out on a territory of 6,638 km2 offer you Rouyn-Noranda as your next destination for distraction, shopping and great food in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. For ... read more ››

Two Suspected Killings in Two Days

Two violent deaths in Puvirnituq made for a horror-filled weekend. Police were called to a local residence the evening of Friday, June 13. When they arrived, they found Lydia Emaruituk, 66, lying on the floor, and her son Lazarussi Qaqatuk, who was very intoxicated. An autopsy will be performed to find out ... read more ››

Carol Morin – CBC Northbeat Star

Carol Morin is the Host of Northbeat. Part Cree, part Chipewyan, Morin grew up in Sedley, Saskatchewan. A native adoptee, she was one of the sixties scoop babies, taken from her family and home community of Sandy Bay in northern Saksatchewan. Morin says it was through her job that she met ... read more ››

10th Anniversary of the Signing of the Inuit Land Claims Agreement

Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Nunavut land claims agreement. And while there were no official celebrations, Inuit leaders did pause to reflect on the progress made since 1993 -and on the challenges that lie ahead. Nunavut Tunngavik president Cathy Towtongie says the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement ... read more ››

Native Kill in Middle East Promoted

The United States Army announced recently that Lori Piestewa has been promoted posthumously from the rank of private first class to Army specialist. Piestewa, a 23-year-old Hopi mother of two young children, is believed to be the first Native American woman killed in combat while serving in the U.S. military and ... read more ››

Cree Want ‘Spiritual’ Meteorite Returned

Plains Cree are asking the Alberta Provincial Museum to return a 145-kilogram iron meteorite, which the Cree people call Papamihaw Asiniy. The ’flying rock’ is regarded as a sacred object. The meteorite is the third largest in Canada. Ron Mussieux, curator of geology at the Provincial Museum, thinks the asteroid fragment should ... read more ››

Natives, Jews Must Fight Hatred Together, Conference Told

Shared experiences of oppression and racism bind Canada’s Jews and Native people in a common battle to fight hatred, the grand chief of Quebec’s northern Cree told a conference yesterday. “Part of a shared experience between Aboriginal Peoples and Jews is a history of oppression, of marginalization, and of struggling to ... read more ››

Stay Physically Active – Join the 100 Mile Club

Obesity and being overweight is becoming a major health problem among Cree children, youth and adults in Eeyou Istchee. The sedentary lifestyle and a lack of physical activity puts them are at great risk for developing diabetes, and many other serious diseases at a very young age. This wave of ... read more ››

On Mothers

It was Mother’s Day last issue and we wanted to print this but couldn’t bring ourselves to do it… then. Once again Happy Mother’s Day and this time with a laugh… What my mother taught me… yep, I remember these well. 1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE ... read more ››

Veteran Affairs Finally Settles…Sort of

After years of ignoring the contributions of Native veterans, Canada is finally about to settle up. It isn’t nearly the same amount that non-Natives received in return for their tours of duty in Canada’s wars. A national round table convened in February 2002 said that First Nations veterans who served in ... read more ››

New Alliance Provides Solutions for First Nation Indebtedness

A Nova Scotia native community is joining with a national accounting firm to offer much-needed financial management to other First Nations. The Mi’kmaq community of Membertou is on Cape Breton island and numbers 1000 people. Their business alliance with Grant Thornton LLP took Membertou from a deficit of over $1 million ... read more ››

Metis Voyageurs Canoe to Thunder Bay

The Hudson Bay Company had better watch out. Ten Metis are re-enacting their past as voyageurs for two months. They will go from Lachine, Quebec, to Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They are using the same fur trading route that the Northwest Company used. It is a ... read more ››

Open Letter to: Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault

The Honourable Robert Nault, RC. M.P. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development House Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Nault: The front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, the Hon. Paul Martin, declared publicly on May 3, 2003, that if elected Prime Minister, he would not implement Bill C-7, the First Nations ... read more ››

Natives Reject Fed Proposal on Consent Forms

There is little argument that drug abuse has become an issue amongst First Nations, but a move by Health Canada to track prescription drug abuse in Canada is drawing harsh criticism by First Nations leaders in Alberta. Spokesman Herman Wierenga of the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch told the CBC ... read more ››

Gwich’in and Inuvialuit Move Toward Self-government

An agreement-in-principle (AIP) was reached earlier in April that clears the way for the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit to obtain self-government. On April 16, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, the Inuvialuit, and Canada signed the AIP that will recognize new legislative and administrative powers in the Beaufort-Delta region, including authority over culture, language, ... read more ››

Deh Cho Ink Deal

An initial agreement between the Deh Cho First Nations and the Government of Canada that could have blocked the development of the $4 billion (Cdn.) Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline project was signed April 17. A key piece of the Deh Cho Process Interim Resource Development Agreement is the removal of ... read more ››

Natives Stage Vigil in Parliament: Groups Protest Proposed First Nations Governance Act

It was no ordinary scene in the staid halls of Parliament. About 50 Native people from across Canada ordered pizza, sipped Tim Horton’s coffee and frequently shouted from the public gallery as the Commons committee on aboriginal issues met until 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. “This land is our land. Why aren’t we at ... read more ››

Manitoba Hydro, Province, Sign Compensation Deal

The northern Manitoba communities of Cross Lake and Norway House have signed agreements in principle with the province and Manitoba Hydro to compensate for the impacts of past hydroelectric developments. Energy Minister Tim Sale announced the million dollar deals Wednesday. Approximately $9 million will be provided to Norway House, while Cross Lake ... read more ››