"In the instance of Indian Affairs, the whole system is against changes because it is protecting its own interests, and it needs to keep Indians as their dependants see, because the day that the Indians are independent, there’s really no purpose for a whole number of...
Aboriginal Futures
Lacking of Judicial Principles in Writing the TRC Report
It’s a mystery why some people suddenly eschew their past principles. This phenomenon is especially notable when people of power and fame forget principles they have sworn to uphold as responsible professionals. This mystery is evident in Senator Murray Sinclair’s...
The Unintentional Racism Underlying the Indigenous Rights Movement
“God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” -Acts 17:26 “Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more that I can tell and I...
$1.3B Leave it in the Ground Blunder at Windy Craggy (or N’tsi Tata)
A World Heritage site designation continues to prevent the development of one of the largest cobalt and copper deposits in North America, thereby denying opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and serving as an example of how environmental...
Featured News
Beijing’s Minions Don’t Belong on Canadian Stock Exchanges
The Chinese economy is growing and surpassing the U.S. economy in size. That stature, with its consequent soft and hard power, means opposition to the Communist Party of China (CPC) regime needs to be multilateral. No matter how much unipolarity the U.S. has enjoyed...
Manitoba Trade with the U.S.: The Need to Strengthen Relations with the Midwest
Trade is essential for Manitoba’s economy. International exports and imports represented 46.4 per cent of GDP for Manitoba in 2018. With a significant goods-related industry estimated at 26.9 per cent of GDP in 2019, Manitoba needs to have strong trading partners to...
The Value of Tax Exemptions On First Nations Reserves
All Canadian provinces face mounting health expenditures, owing in part to smoking. Yet, tobacco products sold on First Nations reserves is not subject to taxes, unlike off-reserve sales. Even though exemptions are not enshrined in the Indian Act, the constitution, or...
System That Rewards Status Indians is Spectacularly Unfair
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...
Open Letter to the Anglican Church of Canada
Dear Archbishop, On March 20, 2017 you, along with National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald and General Secretary Archdeacon Michael Thompson, published an open letter to Senator Lynn Beyak in response to a speech she gave in a Senate Committee. In your...
A Diamond of an Opportunity For Northern Manitoba
In early March, the Manitoba Geological Survey and its industry partner, Lynx Consortium, made an important diamond discovery southeast of Thompson. While there is no guarantee the find will lead to a significant mining project, the province should move quickly to...
A Wrongly Placed National Park that will Cost First Nations Jobs
Why is the federal government planning to create a national park on top of potentially lucrative nickel ore deposits? It is a question local indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba that stand to benefit from mineral development are asking. The Manitoba Lowlands...
Attawapiskat’s Bad Habits
Attawapiskat First Nation — an isolated Northern Ontario reserve — played a prominent role in the Idle No More indigenous protest movement that erupted in 2012. Then Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence complained to the media about unacceptable housing conditions on her...
Too Costly To Leave The Indigenous Situation As It Is
Graham Lane Despite innumerable inquiries, claimed reforms and repeated apologies, Canada’s indigenous situation remains unsettled, tragic and almost incalculably expensive. Mired in misery, far too many aboriginal people and communities remain trapped in dire...
Treaty Land Entitlement and Urban Reserves in Saskatchewan
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy today released a study about treaty land entitlement and urban reserves in Saskatchewan. The study was conducted by Dr. Tom Flanagan, Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, and Mr. Lee Harding, who was a M.A. student in the...
What Was Missing In the Truth and Reconciliation Report
Graham Lane In an op-ed in the Winnipeg Free Press (September 26th), Gerry Chidiac accepted without reservation the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) findings, which uncritically condemned past residential schools. The TRC Report (on the History of Indian...