Coronavirus infection numbers have been spiking in parts of Manitoba. Brandon has seen a significant number of new infections, and is now considered a “code orange” area. Some of the limited local events scheduled have been cancelled, and some restaurants in the area...
The United States and the red provinces of North America. What the future might bring for reds and blues across the border. They are increasingly locked in a stubborn and at times violent struggle over each respective countries character, future, and very existence....
An infamous quote (“Screw the west, we’ll take the rest”) from then Liberal organizer Keith Davey during the 1980 election drove Albertans’ bumper stickers saying “let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark”. Pierre Trudeau and his notorious National Energy Program...
There are forces at play in Canada and the United States that are pulling each country apart. Some – the more glaring and talked about – are driving wedges between conservatives and progressives in each country. At the same time, they are increasing the commonalities...
It seems like everything is about justice these days. Recently, as I drove home from the store, I saw a sign for the elections here in New York from the local Democratic Party, promising “equity, equality, and justice for all.” Beyond the obvious concerns any sane...
The “secret graves” and “missing children” narrative had our national flag flying at half-mast for over five months after an obscure indigenous politician made the startling claim that she “knew” that 215 indigenous children had been secretly buried in the “apple...
The dust has still not settled after Wab Kinew was elected as the new leader of Manitoba’s New Democratic Party. He has admitted to past indiscretions, but revelations of a domestic violence charge from some years ago gave rise to a flurry of negative comments from...
Senator Lynn Beyak says in a letter that status Indians should give up their status cards and become true Canadians. The reaction to the letter has been fast and furious. She has been denounced by a host of worthies. As I write this, I am listening to a CBC radio...
Most of us tend to be nostalgic about our ancestral past. Researching one’s family tree has become a popular and passionate pastime. We imagine that when our forefathers lived, things were simpler, and in some ways, better than the complicated lives we live now. But...
A former judge from Manitoba who compared rights of status Indians to a gravy train in an opinion column for a Thunder Bay newspaper earlier this month says it was meant to be taken as satire. And Brian Giesbrecht is surprised no one saw it that way. “It was satire...
Craig Blacksmith was a candidate in the Association of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) recent election. He ran on a platform of getting rid of the Indian Act. While he made it clear that he was not calling for an end to the lucrative relationship that Status Indians have with...
Parliament made a serious error when it denounced “Islamophobia” earlier this year. It should have denounced anti-Muslim bigotry, anti-Semitism, and a few other forms of hatred. Instead, the government made it impossible for anyone–including Muslims–to have a healthy...
There is turmoil within the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson, from northern Manitoba, has called for the resignation of the Inquiry’s chief commissioner, British Columbia Judge Marion Buller. At...
Why is the university pretending indigenous knowledge and science are the equivalent of our written knowledge base? I recently listened to an interview of the new head of the University of Manitoba's Indigenous Knowledge department on CBC radio. She articulately...
Chief Rick O’Bomsawin of Quebec is urging a Commons Committee to pass Bill S-3, which would give Indian women full equality with men. In 1985 tens of thousands of women were given Indian status, but S-3 would grant it to as many as two million more people. Indian...