“... if it was not so serious Espanola’s declaration or whatever it is would be laughable, but it is not alone … So few realize if this .. continues some years from now it will be used in some claim.” -Retired Supreme Court Justice Jack Major. The...
On October 23rd, 2020, Immigration Minister announced that the Liberal government will soon introduce a bill to alter the Oath of Citizenship making it “more inclusive,” and the minister says that “this bill will serve as “one more vital bill step towards...
Canadians are watching protests on American streets that stem in part from their history of slavery. That “original sin” dogs America, and tears at its soul. But Canada, too, has an “original sin”. And that is our history with Indigenous people. It is not that it...
The federal government can make a policy change to reflect treaty annuities modernization but it will not likely do this on its own. It would fall on an opposition party to introduce a private member’s public bill, such as this one, to reflect a policy change from...
In September 2000, one hundred and ninety-one member states established the United Nations Millennium Development Goals:1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; Achieve universal primary education; Promote gender equality and empower women; Reduce child mortality;...
In July, the Canadian prime minister denounced the arson and vandalism of Catholic churches across the country in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools. After more than 1,100 unmarked graves were discovered at schools previously...
The new Liberal government says it will implement the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It’s no surprise, as the Liberals campaigned on it. Nonetheless, there is great potential for mischief here because the sweeping language...
COMPAS Research carried out interview-based measurement of the perceived impact of selfgovernment on the quality of governance and services among the Westbank First Nation (Kelowna, B.C.), Yukon First Nation, the Cree of Northern Quebec, and Sechelt First Nation...
Due to passage of the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, systematic data about the compensation of chiefs and councillors are now available. Multiple regression analysis identifies three variables that explain part of the variation in pay: More populous First...
Cogent evidence from both Canada and abroad suggests that poor governance is a principal cause of the sorry conditions in many First Nation communities. While the importance of governance is well established, how to improve governance remains a perplexing question....
Dr. Flanagan's report explores the demands of First Nations to sharing of revenue generated by the exploitation of natural resources in Canada. The report finds that, though the demand for general sharing of resource revenue has received some support, it faces both...
Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations are urging their people to defeat the Conservatives on Oct. 19. Vote Liberal or NDP, is the message, but not Conservative. “We can mitigate the damages by voting for a different government in this upcoming...
Resource-revenue sharing has emerged as the next Big Idea for First Nations. Like most Big Ideas, it seems simple, but in reality is full of legal difficulties and unintended economic consequences. Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations...
The federal government has recently shown its willingness to help First Nations education in Manitoba. Ottawa announced it is entering into a partnership with four northern Manitoba First Nations. The Indigenous communities are Bunibonibee Cree Nation (Oxford House),...
The Assembly of First Nations is proposing a national public inquiry to address the grave situation facing Aboriginal women in Canada. While many believe that a national inquiry is the answer, that may not in fact be the case. The issue is a serious one. Indeed,...