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...
Aboriginal Futures
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
Featured News
Cities Have to Expand for House Prices to Fall
The cost of actually building a house does not vary that much across Canada The Ford government’s plan to expand the land supply available for housing has evoked the usual dog whistles about “urban sprawl” by interests apparently unaware of the strong...
How We Teach Reading Really Does Matter
Reading is the most important skill taught in school. If students don’t learn how to read, not much else that happens there is going to matter. That’s because being able to read is important in virtually every job. Without the ability to read, life itself will be a...
A Year of LNG Royalties/Taxes from a Single Pipeline Could Pay for …
Sitting on top of one of the world’s largest and richest natural resource warehouses is turning into quite a disconcerting distraction. While much of Canada’s population – the heavily urban part for whom “rural” means Whistler, Muskoka, or Mont Tremblant – likes to...
The Wilderness Ghetto; the Dream of Aboriginal Sovereignty and the Nightmare of Remote Reserves
On Oct. 20th, the remote reserve of Red Sucker Lake in Northern Manitoba declared a state of emergency “after a teenage boy died by suicide earlier in the week, a man killed himself last month and several other people in the community have attempted to take their own...
Are Land Acknowledgements Justified?
Recently, Canadians have seen various institutions implementing Indigenous Land Acknowledgments (ILAs) to recognize the institution as situated on previously occupied Indigenous land. They are widely accepted, but privately disputed. It is obvious that the moral...
Killing With Kindness
The Sanderson murders are receiving a lot of media attention, as they should. Much has been written about the government policy of pretending that truly dangerous people, like these brothers, are victims, and returning them to indigenous communities, where they...
Turmoil at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) should lead to Reform
The AFN claims to speak for First Nations in Canada. But serious problems started with allegations about the new National Chief RoseAnne Archibald. Earlier this year, Archibald was subjected to complaints by her staff, alleging harassment and a toxic workplace....
A Lamentable Tale of Two Colonies
During the whole of recorded history, the empire has been the most constant and common form of political organization. A basic, self-evident feature of all empire-building has been the successful occupation of the lands of the local, Indigenous inhabitants by outside...
Moving Aboriginal Services Closer to People a Good Thing
Manitobans should be cautiously optimistic about a deal that will transfer health care for Indigenous communities in the province to a regional Indigenous authority. If done properly and not politicized, a deal between the federal government, the Manitoba government...
The Truth About Residential Schools w/Brian Giesbrecht
On this episode of Open Mike, Michael Thiessen tries to sift through the sensationalized rhetoric and common lies pertaining to the history of Canadian Residential schools by talking to former Manitoban Judge, Brian Dale Giesbrecht, author and commentator, and a...
Happy Canada Day!
Canada Day is recognized in our calendars, but some organizers have been spooked by last summer’s hysteria about 215 Indigenous children murdered and secretly buried at Kamloops. Following that news, churches were set on fire, statues were toppled, and a panicked...