The Senate or an election are the only things that could amend or end a badly worded and contentious bill that seeks to harmonize federal laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Bill C-15 has received third reading in...
The discovery of human remains at the site of a former residential school has set off a firestorm that has already resulted in demands for another national inquiry, and massively expensive forensic and excavation projects. But maybe we should take a pause, and ask...
Sometimes, self-determination for Indigenous communities can become problematic in meeting certain standards or policy goals, especially if it is done with a hands-off approach from the federal government. This can be the case when it comes to ensuring all First...
In December of last year, the Assembly of First Nations’ (AFN) national chief announced he would not be seeking re-election. Coming up on the next leadership race, it may be important to have a conversation about what the AFN wants to be and where it wants to go. Here...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership was one of the world’s most ambitious trade deals. The agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States was signed on February 4, 2016. Its goal was...
Societies today are in a state of flux influenced by myriad factors—globalization versus nationalism, liberalization versus traditional values, and immigration versus closed borders. Some people perceive that an injustice has been committed against them while others...
On a Saturday afternoon that presented me with a few idle hours, I sat down on the living room sofa to watch director James Mangold’s 2007 film, 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and — oh my goodness! — Peter Fonda in a supporting role. I’d popped...
The "Secret Path" by Downie and Jeff Lemire suggests that in 1966 an Indigenous teen named Chanie Wenjack ran away from a residential school near Kenora Ontario and died trying to get home to his first nation contains some unsubstantiated claims.
For Métis entrepreneur Caralyn Rabichuk, 39, the secret to success in her Winnipeg-based business – Covert Logistics – has been the hard work and dedication she and her husband Robert have placed in their logistics and transportation solutions company. “People we work...
To Chief Reginald Bellerose, 49, of Muskowekwan First Nation in southern Saskatchewan , the wave of the future belongs to Indigenous entrepreneurship. “Our entrepreneurial spirit has been dormant. We must re-ignite that spirit,” said Bellerose, the 13-year chief of...
For First Nation entrepreneur Rhonda M. Dieni, 45, there is something more important to running a business than having a good product or service. “Don’t worry so much about your business, work on yourself and work through your life trials,” she said, in a phone...
We want simple answers. But, sometimes, there aren’t any. Take Manitoba’s child welfare system, for example. We want to find a solution to a problem that has plagued us for generations. What to do about the huge numbers of Indigenous children that are taken into the...
Calvin Helin, 58, Indigenous lawyer, best-selling author, and business leader, says the real battle of First Nations is in convincing Indigenous peoples to understand that if they want power over their lives they must have economic control over their income. “We can...
For Indigenous entrepreneur Brad MacMillan, 45, growing up with some of the worst parts of a New Brunswick First Nation reserve has never been an excuse for quitting, but has always been an inspiration to seek something better. He went from an Indigenous youth on a...
I listened to an Indigenous spokesperson interviewed on CBC Radio the day after the jury returned with acquittal in the Tina Fontaine murder trial. The spokesperson gave his opinion that this case is a symbol of the way our society does not seem to give the same value...