Under section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canadians are guaranteed freedom of thought, belief, and expression. These freedoms are fundamental in our democratic society. In fact, an official government commentary on the Charter states: “In a democracy,...
Aboriginal Futures
Grey Matter – This Land is Not Stolen – With Jeff Fynn-Paul
Professor and author Dr. Jeff Fynn-Paul says our forefathers were not racist. People weren't either the oppressed or the oppressors but today we tend to put people into these categories. Is the word genocide being abused by our government? How does this help or hurt...
The End of Nuance
George W. Bush said famously to Congress after the 9-11 terrorist attack, “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” Similarly, George Orwell said in 1942 that “in practice, ‘he that is not with...
They Spent $8,000,000 Without Putting One Shovel In The Ground
That’s how much money the Kamloops Band spent on…..exactly what we have no idea. If you remember, that indigenous band claimed that the people running the local residential school had, for unexplained reasons, secretly buried 215 of the students under their care. They...
Featured News
Traditional Teaching is not Obsolete
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
Ottawa’s Policies Defeat Its Critical Minerals Push
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a recent rush visit to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s experimental rare earth refining facility in Saskatoon. He touted his government’s efforts to promote rare earth discovery, development, and extraction, along with the...
Graves And School Murders? What Were We Thinking?
The year 2021 was the year of the Kamloops graves. It was the top news story of the year. It was reported by CBC and all mainstream media that ground penetrating radar had detected remains of 215 indigenous children who were found buried in the old apple orchard on...
A Separate Health Department is More Home-Grown Apartheid
A recent Winnipeg Free Press article – Citizens panel recommends Indigenous health department - by Katie May reports that a panel of thirty “randomly selected volunteers” is recommending a “dedicated Indigenous health department” in Manitoba, as an “undisputed...
There are no Indian Residential School Denialists, so Why Criminalize Them?
In a recent Canadian Press story, Kimberly Murray, the government’s special interlocutor on unmarked graves of missing Indigenous children from residential schools, is reported as saying: “We could … make it an offense to incite hate and promote hate against...
Canadas Indigenous Model Is Not Sustainable
Canada’s Indigenous Model is Not Sustainable Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux has spoken out about the alarming rise in Canada’s contingent liabilities related to indigenous claims. Todays estimated 76 billion dollars is many times the 15 billion...
Should Canada Hold an Indigenous Referendum?
Canada, United States, Australia and New Zealand all share one important historical feature. Indigenous people were already present when the Europeans arrived. The histories are all similar, in that the indigenous populations had to be accommodated before large scale...
Maybe the Residential Schools Should Just Have Been Better?
Most of the attention on the subject of indigenous education in the last three decades has been on residential schools. But other aspects of this important topic have been ignored. Quite simply, the real tragedy of indigenous education is not that some indigenous...
A Brief and Selective Summary of The Arguments to The Supreme Court of Canada in The Restoule Case
Ontario’s appeal of the Restoule Court of Appeal decision was argued before a full panel of the Supreme Court of Canada on November 7th and 8th, 2023. The writer was present in the courtroom. Ontario was the only appellant. Canada supported the position of the treaty...
Chief Dan George (Geswanouth Slahoot) 1899-1981
Most people have heroes, people in history or people still living, people who inspire, evoke strong feelings of admiration, respect, love. High on my list of heroes is Geswanouth Slahoot, aka Chief Dan George. The more I learn about him, the higher his name climbs. A...
What is Missing From the Missing Children’s Story at Indian Residential Schools?
From Truth Comes Reconciliation