Volume 20, Issue 11

A date for the General

A landmark trial for genocide and crimes against humanity concluded last week in Guatemala City, though you could be forgiven for not having heard of it. The trial of former Guatemalan dictator and army General José Efraín Rios Montt and his one-time intelligence chief, José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, for wiping ... read more ››

A journey of a nation

I watched the progress of seven intrepid young men on their epic walk from Whapmagoostui to Ottawa, much of it by snowshoe. At first I was sceptical, thinking that perhaps they might come to their senses and give up, but they didn’t. Their walk to express the need to come ... read more ››

A monument for residential school victims serves to remind

On March 25, the Anishinabek Nation erected a monument to honour their citizens who suffered in the residential school system. The monument was unveiled by the Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation Patrick Wedaseh Madahbee in front of the head office of the Union of Ontario Indians (UOI) in ... read more ››

Broadback Conservation plan

A new initiative launched by the Grand Council of the Cree’s (GCC) and the Cree Regional Authority (CRA) on April 10 seeks to protect the Broadback River and preserve the wildlife in the region for future generations. “Forty years ago the Government of Québec put the Broadback River on notice ... read more ››

Canada First Nations Joint Action Plan

Canada and First Nations have an enduring historic relationship based on mutual respect, friendship and support.  Under this government, there has been a shift in Canada’s relationship with First Nations, exemplified by the Prime Minister’s historic apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools, the creation of the Truth and ... read more ››

Coming together

Annual Val-d’Or march underlines the fight against racism   Photo by Paul Brindamour   Over a 1000 people gathered in downtown Val-d’Or for the 13th annual Gabriel Commanda March on March 21. The event is held every year on the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and brings people from ... read more ››

Connecting to the past

Youth Grand Chief discusses the two-day meeting devoted to Cree history   Two jam-packed days in Ottawa focused on passing on Cree history to the future generations. This landmark meeting couldn’t have gone better, said Youth Grand Chief Joshua Iserhoff. This event was held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa March 16-17 to ... read more ››

Cree Grand Elder Raymond Robinson attracts media attention

Since going on a no food and no water hunger strike on Wednesday April 3, Cree Grand Elder Raymond Robinson has garnered media attention in his fight to bring about serious Nation-to-Nation. He is hoping that his actions bring about a serious discussion between the First Nations and the Harper ... read more ››

End First Nations poverty by ditching Indian Act

OTTAWA — An influential lobby group with close ties to the federal Conservatives is recommending that Ottawa ditch the Indian Act and give First Nations more control over their land in order to end aboriginal poverty once and for all. On the surface of it, those are goals that First Nations ... read more ››

Facing the past

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Chisasibi airs a painful chapter of Cree history   In the lead-up to its four-day Quebec National Event in Montreal at the end of April, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held the last of its four Quebec regional events in Chisasibi on March 19-20. Following ... read more ››

First Nations ask for urgent meeting

More than 2,000 aboriginal protesters took a “dire” call for change to the nation’s capital on Friday in a bid to pressure the government to meet and discuss treaty rights and “crises” plaguing First Nations communities. The demonstrators, who were taking part in a growing grassroots First Nations movement called “Idle ... read more ››

First Nations brace for 'nefarious' funding cuts

First Nations leaders in Northern Ontario are preparing for looming federal funding cuts and caps that could slash their budgets in half. “We’re vulnerable right now,” Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno told almost 50 chiefs gathered for a meeting in Thunder Bay on Tuesday. “With the funding cuts that ... read more ››

First Nations eye action to oppose pipelines

A coalition of aboriginal leaders has drawn a line in the oilsands and has warned of a “long, hot summer” ahead in the group’s fight against the government’s resource development agenda. [wzslider height=”450″] First Nations leaders from Canada and the United States held a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday to warn ... read more ››

First Nations youth discuss ideas for change

Youth taking part in a forum to discuss issues such as education, culture and suicide plan on making recommendations to government and First Nations leaders about how to make things better for their communities. The three-day forum in Thunder Bay involves young people from more than 90 northern Ontario First Nations ... read more ››

Fun at the food show

The Manger Santé et Vivre Vert expo serves up a bevy of new eats   VIEW IMAGE GALLERY It was all about quality, purity and going organic at this year’s Manger Santé et Vivre Vert March 15-17, when the Nation made its annual pilgrimage to investigate trends and sample the latest healthy food ... read more ››

Grand Elder Robinson ends hunger strike

Over forty people showed up to give their support for Grand Elder Raymond Robinson’s hunger strike at the Place des Festivals in Downtown Montreal on April 8. Event organizers were happy at the turnout, which helped bring the struggle for First Nations rights to the streets of Montreal. Vigils were ... read more ››

Looking to the future

On an appropriately cold, rainy night March 12, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Espace pour la vie Montréal screened We Were Children at the Botanical Gardens. Using vivid reenactments, the film sheds light on the disturbing crimes that disgraced Canada’s residential schools. With many survivors in attendance and ... read more ››

Message to Ottawa

First Nations in Ontario are standing up to government pressure over the imposition of the First Nations Education Act. On April 12, over fifty members of Ontario First Nations rallied on the shores of Lake Huron and Thunder Bay against participation in the consultation process for the new act. They ... read more ››

Nishiyuu’s epic journey

Hundreds of determined youth walkers make history and spread a message   photo by Ernest Webb As an eagle soared overhead, the Nishiyuu walkers took their final steps to Parliament Hill on March 25. Emotions finally caught up to the young men who embarked on this epic walk from Whapmagoostui to Ottawa. They ... read more ››

Opening up

Men articulate their inner feelings at Wemindji wellness conference   “The old adage that ‘men don’t cry’ no longer applies,” said Rev. Rod BrantFrancis of Wemindji’s Anglican Church. “In fact, it takes a strong man to be able to show his feelings, to articulate his emotions and to admit that he doesn’t ... read more ››

Panda-mania

If you were tuned into the news networks March 25 you were subjected to wall-to-wall panda-mania. China, as you must know by now, rented Canada two pandas for five years (for $5 million, no less) and our mainstream media decided this was the top news story of the day. Canadians ... read more ››

Remembering my father

I can’t believe I am writing words dedicated to the passing of my dad, Marius Kataquapit (October 26, 1938 – March 13, 2013). His death from a heart attack has left a hole in my own heart that I know will never fully heal, though it will get better with ... read more ››

Val-d’Or’s Quality Inn wins three awards

Since opening in 2011, the Quality Inn and Suites Val-d’Or has already made quite the impression in the region with its award-winning services. On March 16, at the Grand Prix du Tourisme de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue held in La Sarre, the CREECO-run hotel managed to pick up three more awards to add ... read more ››

Waiters & Walkers

The Nation’s first-hand report of the historic arrival of the Nishiyuu Walkers   photo by Ernest Webb   The Nation spoke to a few of the thousnads of people waiting for the Nishiyuu walkers about why they had come out, and what the Journey of Nishiyuu meant to them. Here’s what they said:   Vivian Snowboy, Mistissini I’m ... read more ››