ARTICLES BY Amy German

Ending Violence Against Women

Why does women’s equality still matter? That is the question that will be pondered over a special breakfast hosted by Jack Layton and Irene Mathyssen of the National Democratic Party that will feature journalist, Heather Mallick, Ellen Gabriel, head of the Quebec Native Women’s Association an Sarah Ghabrial of the ... read more ››

A personal touch for Valentine’s Day

Though the day’s origins are deeply rooted in Christianity, Valentine’s Day as we know it is a multibillion-dollar machine that succeeds in prompting us to show people we are close to just much we love them via displays of cards, chocolates, flowers, perfume, lingerie and the like. In the United ... read more ››

Courses In The Communities

If you have resolved that 2007 is your year for action on retraining and changing your field of employment, you are not alone. As the demands of the labour market evolves, we the workforce must evolve to accommodate its needs. When we think of schooling however, our minds will often naturally ... read more ››

Heading for Success

Whether you are in the north or in the south of the province, when it comes to training programs that will lead to both meaningful and gainful employment, there is no better place to look at what is in demand than on Emploi Quebec’s head-ingforsuccess.com website. Because there are so many ... read more ››

Native Studies

It’s one thing to be an expert on your own culture but it’s something else altogether to have a university degree in Native or Aboriginal studies. In Quebec, unfortunately, the only available program is the Certificat en études autochtones at Université Laval in Quebec City (in French). What’s more, the ... read more ››

Sequoia – a big dream grows in downtown Montreal

Entrepreneurship was never what she had in mind when she started working, but Kahnawake native Michaelee Lazore is beaming with pride, having just opened up her second Native-run and inspired bath and body shop under the moniker Sequoia. The Mackay Street shop in downtown Montreal is both stylish and succulently scented. ... read more ››

Sticking it to resolutions

Believe it or not, New Year’s resolution-making has been around significantly longer than anyone would imagine as the tradition dates back to Roman times. The word January comes from the mythological Roman god, Janus who was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. He is depicted with having ... read more ››

Your Holiday Schedule!

For many, the best part about the holidays is how everyone comes together in celebration and takes time to focus on the simple joy and happiness derived from reconnecting with family and friends, old and new. The communities themselves also have a great deal of goings on from parades to feasts ... read more ››

White meat? or dark? – Cooking for the holidays is a complicated chore for Cree families with diabetic members

Here’s some help: While the rest of the world crams just about every single fatty, greasy, rich, sugar-laden, indulgent morsel of holiday food down their throats as though it were their last meal, those with diabetes or other dietary restrictions due to obesity can sometimes feel left out. There is no ... read more ››

Batteries not included – The Nation guide to being a hero on Christmas morning

Being Santa is an increasingly difficult job, particularly when just about every advertiser claims that their product is the thing to have. The December holiday shopping rush is stressful for everyone but when you are shopping for children a great deal of questions can come into play. Will the kids ... read more ››

Dealing with Holiday Blues

Just about anyone who does the Christmas thing knows the kind of stress the holiday can bring on. Whether it’s from shopping as if it were an Olympic event, the inability to do as much from a lack of financial resources as you’d like or the steady stream of social ... read more ››

Ho, ho, holy crap it’s hard to plan a Christmas party!

The holiday party season is upon us and along with tidings of comfort and joy comes thestress of planning the perfect holiday party. Whether you are hosting a gathering for the kids, the adults, the office or the whole community, planning is the best way to avoid a panic. So ... read more ››

Serving up holiday cheer

The holidays are all about getting together with family whether it is to trim the tree, sing Christmas carols, exchange gifts or huddle around the TV for a whole month’s worthof holiday specials. A big part of being the host with the most or the hostess with the mostest is ... read more ››

Homemade for the holidays

Christmas is without a doubt the most expensive holiday of the year and with the passage of time it grows ever more costly. Looking back to Christmas past however, there was a time where people gave each other things like sweets, preserves, garments and toys that they made themselves and ... read more ››

For gamers this x-mas, the only question is when do I get Wii?

Trying to envision what the average video game fanatic would like to see under the tree this Christmas season, the Nation dropped by the Arcadia video gaming convention held November 10-12 at the Uniprix Stadium. It’s no big secret that gaming isn’t just for children anymore, particularly when you look at ... read more ››

Diabetes special

When it comes to the reality of diabetes in the North, Chisasibi physician Darlene Kitty has her thumb on the pulse of the problem. In fact, at the time of our interview Dr. Kitty could give the exact number of diabetes sufferers in Eeyou Istchee: “Of the nine villages up here ... read more ››

An aboriginal history of diabetes

Though diabetes was virtually unheard of in Northern communities 50 years ago, today the disease is at epidemic proportions. One person who studies this phenomenon is Dr. Stanley Vollant, who heads up the Aboriginal Health program at the University of Ottawa and is an aboriginal health advocate. He says the ... read more ››

Walking the talk against diabetes

To address the North’s ever growing rate of diabetes, the community of Mistissini will host the very first Cree Regional Conference on Diabetes November 28-30. “It’s like that old expression that it takes a village to raise a child,” says Solomon Awashish, a Cree Health Board program officer for prevention of ... read more ››

Glenna Matoush – The art of living an empowered life

Glenna Matoush is known across the globe for her masterful and celebrated canvases. She presently has works exhibited in the National Gallery, has had major shows in Toronto and Europe, was once a special invitee of the Vatican to display her work and very soon her art will be displayed ... read more ››

Women’s History Month

Did you know that October is Women’s History Month? Did you know that the 2006 edition was dedicated to the achievements of Canada’s First Nation women? Well, don’t feel bad if you didn’t, because while the federal government decreed this month be dedicated to women’s history back in 1992 through ... read more ››

Language skills key school success

As the economy grows stronger in the North, so does its need for educated and skilled workers. In a growing economy, a good education can be more valuable than gold. In the past, sadly, proper systems were not in place within the school systems to help Cree kids learn at the ... read more ››

The second chance man

With a high drop-out rate often comes social and legal trouble. That is why for kids that have had such difficulty there are people like Gordon Hudson. Hudson works for the Cree Health Board and is the regional director for Youth Healing Services. “Basically I take care of the group homes,” ... read more ››

Vocational school offers life solutions

Does your job give you the “blahs”? Are you thinking about changing careers? Have you ever aspired to learn a trade but didn’t know where to start? If you have answered yes to any or all three of these questions, the Sabtuan Regional Vocational Training Centre in Waswanipi may have ... read more ››

Drink, dope and the damage done – Unborn children are hurt for life when pregnant parents party hard

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the phenomenon of children born with birth defects as a result of a pregnant mother’s consumption of alcohol, may have only come to the attention of Northern educators in recent years, but measures are now being taken to help these kids. Says Dorothy Nicholls, Vice-Principal of Mistissini’s Voyager ... read more ››

Money for Waswanipi school announced – Education becoming growth engine for community

The Quebec government will fund the construction of a new elementary school in Waswanipi. The office of Premier Jean Charest announced August 9 that the government will spend $8.4 million for a school that can accommodate 260 students. It will have 16 classes, five specialized rooms, a gymnasium and a library. Abraham ... read more ››

From the mean streets to the recording studio – Hip Hopper Daybi’s future looks bright

“He may be a man of humble origins, but for rapper, award-winning producer, emcee, director, editor, and graphic designer Daybi, things are just beginning to heat up. The Nation caught up with him earlier this year to see what kinds of hot projects he has on the burner, what it ... read more ››