Tag: Election 2015

Saganash re-elected in northern Quebec, Liberals win majority

Romeo Saganash Justin Trudeau will be Canada’s next Prime Minister, as the nation’s longest election campaign in over 100 years ended October 19 with his Liberal Party sweeping its way into a 184-seat majority government. In a tight regional battle, Waswanipi’s Romeo Saganash retained his seat in the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding. Saganash was ... read more ››

Election 2015: Hope defeats fear and division

For the most part, First Nations issues received little attention in this campaign cycle. Candidates focused largely on Canada’s middle class and inconsequential, inflammatory topics, like whether to allow a woman to wear a niqab during her citizenship ceremony. No questions were asked on Aboriginal topics over the five leaders’ debates, ... read more ››

My vote

I know voting is by secret ballot but there’s no law sharing one’s choice, which I’m about to do for this election. In Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou I will be voting for Romeo Saganash, the current MP and candidate for the New Democratic Party. I like most of the NDP platform and the way ... read more ››

Cast your ballot

The Harper government passed the so-called Fair Elections Act last spring, just in time for this federal election. It’s anything but fair. Introduced in February 2014 by then-minister for democratic reform Pierre Poilievre, the new law requires potential voters to show two pieces of ID to cast a ballot. In ... read more ››

Election 2015: Meet the candidates

With a federal election just around the corner, The Nation reached out the five major party candidates running in the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding. The riding covers most of Northern Quebec and all nine communities in Eeyou Istchee. Click on the names below to find out what each candidate has planned for the North ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash – New Democatic Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region?  I think that my track record for the region speaks for itself. I have worked hard to support the local economy: the forestry and mining industries, the Nunavik Tourism Association, and the Cree outfitters in Eeyou Istchee. It is important ... read more ››

Patrick Benoît – The Green Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region? Hailing from Val-d’Or, Patrick Benoît says that he has led a diverse life with a career history that covers health-care work as a paramedic to 10 years in the military dealing with everything from environmental disasters to combat zones. So ... read more ››

Pierre Dufour – Liberal Party of Canada

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Pierre Dufour first became involved in community development as Director General of Val-d’Or’s mining tourism attraction, the Cité de l’Or. After opening it under Dufour’s guidance in 1995, the attraction went on to win Quebec’s Innovation in Tourism prize ... read more ››

Steven Hébert – Conservative Party of Canada

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Born in Val-d’Or, 28-year-old Steven Hébert is the youngest candidate running in the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, he spent the last four years working in the Prime Minister’s Office as a communications advisor. Prior ... read more ››

Luc Ferland – Bloc Québécois

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Luc Ferland, who represented the Parti Québécois in Quebec’s National Assembly from 2007-2014, is a well-known figure throughout the region. After losing his provincial seat last year, Ferland is looking to represent the region once again, this time on ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash wants to mobilize the Aboriginal vote for federal election

MP Romeo Saganash marked the unofficial launch of his re-election campaign with a cocktail party and fundraiser July 6 in the Old Port of Montreal. Joined by New Democratic Party leader Tom Mulcair, Saganash said he intends to mobilize First Nations voters across Canada to turn out in large numbers ... read more ››

Something Fishy in Ouje-Bougoumou

Residents of Ouje-Bougoumou have just learned that they’ve been consuming poisoned fish for at least two years. The community received a warning from the Quebec government that children under six and women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should stop eating the fish from two local lakes due ... read more ››

The Agreement in Principle

In what is being described as a “new relationship” between the James Bay Cree and Quebec, the two signed a monumental Agreement In Principle in Quebec City Oct. 23 that redefines the rights and responsibilities of each partner. The agreement spans 50 years and promises eventual payments of at least ... read more ››

Push For Full and Complete Participation

The Agreement-in-principle was one of the most closely guarded secrets in Quebec. At this point it’s difficult to discern everything it could mean for the Cree. Upon reading it, I will say I have reservations about the deal, especially because of the Rupert River diversion, among other issues. But the crux ... read more ››

Quebec Court of Appeal Upholds Cree Rights

In a majority decision the Quebec Court of Appeal said that Canada and Quebec violated Cree rights concerning language, education and culture. It stemmed from a Cree arguement that had to be involved in any decision relating to Cree education and funding. The Court noted the importance of the rights, benefits ... read more ››

The Secret Sex Lives of Moose

A recent Reuters news story out of Whitehorse tells of a hunter who found himself on the horns of a dilemma. The horns actually belonged to a moose shot by the hunter in the Yukon Territory and this is where the tale gets interesting. One would normally expect such a ... read more ››

It’s been some time since I started going to school…

It’s been some time since I started going to school, at the tender age of six, at Horden Hall in Moose Factory in the early ‘sixties. I was a model student and getting into trouble only a few times a year, like setting off the fire extinguisher in grade four ... read more ››

A Tale of Four Towns

It’s the Cree community that’s the most northern-most, but it’s more than that. It’s the town that has more than one name. Yes, we visited Great Whale, or Whapmagoostui, or Post-de-la-baliene, or Kuujuaraapik. It makes no difference what you call this town because every name is legitimate. It is the ... read more ››

Cree Connection in Hells Drug Network?

Police are investigating a possible Cree connection to a large drug-smuggling network in the Inuit communities that was recently dismantled and had links to the Hells Angels. Forty police officers raided several residences in the Montreal area on May 30 and 31, arresting six people. Among them were alleged ringleaders Gilles Allard ... read more ››

The Solution to Diabetes Lies with the People

The Cree Diabetes Network was formed in 1997 to address diabetes in Eeyou Istchee. In line with the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association, we want to create networks and opportunities for individuals and communities within our culture, traditions and values. Anyone is welcome to join. Today, many people are aware of the ... read more ››

Crees Launch Counter-Strike in Lawsuit

Crees launched a legal counter-strike in the Mario Lord forestry lawsuit, filing an appeal of the controversial decision to remove Justice Jean-Jacques Croteau from the case. Meanwhile, due to a bureaucratic mix-up by the Quebec government, logging machines fell silent all across Quebec on April Fool’s Day. Forestry companies weren’t laughing as ... read more ››

www.apocalypse.com?

Hello. Can you hear me? I am sitting here talking into a microphone. Actually, into a computer. And that computer is typing whatever I am saying. I know. I’m lazy. My punishment for sloth will probably be that I will be sitting here emailing a love letter New Year’s Eve at 11:59:59, ... read more ››