Category: 2013 02 22

If I were a chief…

  When I was young, I often wondered about those guys who seemed to expel a lot of spit while hollering at the top of their lungs at other people. They often looked riled up enough to speak out, but would hold their tongues, until it was their turn to rant ... read more ››

Uncle Tomahawk

  It’s unavoidable, if unpleasant, to address the case of Senator Patrick Brazeau. I have often questioned his credentials as a credible Native leader in the pages of The Nation. For instance, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), which Brazeau led before being appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen ... read more ››

New Year’s babies

Children are the most precious gift you can give your community. They signal the continuation of family traditions and their people’s culture. Every new child is worth being written about and it’s always a pleasure to introduce new additions to Eeyou Istchee. The latest bundles of joy to join the communities, ... read more ››

New Native centre opens in Montreal

The Montreal Native Community Development Centre has opened its doors to the public to offer a wide array of services and activities to the Native residents of Montreal. Located at 2306 Sherbrooke St. East, the centre will serve as a cultural hub for people of First Nations, Inuit and Métis ancestry ... read more ››

Seeking actors

The First Nations Human Resources Development Commission of Quebec has put out a call for five roles in a documentary production. The project is being done with the National Women Association of Canada. They are seeking two young women and one young man between the ages of 15 and 18. Those ... read more ››

Melodie’s first joke

  Melodie is only nine months old and she is already a comedian. My friends Serge and Lyne had their granddaughter, little Melodie, up to their chalet in the wilderness recently. I met the pretty little girl and her parents Jennifer and Mathieu a few weeks ago at the lakeside retreat. I ... read more ››

Gearing up for dialogue

Truth and Reconciliation Commission announces a four-day hearing in Montreal   Montreal will host a four day national Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearing this April. TRC hearings in Quebec have already taken place in Mani-Utenam, near Sept-Îles, and Val-d’Or. Two more hearings will be held next month, in La Tuque March 5-6 ... read more ››

Walkabout

Wemindji residents use their feet to fight substance abuse Sometimes you just have to vote with your feet. On November 23, 2012, Wemindji did just that with “Enough is Enough”, a community walk that provided an opportunity for residents to express their heart-felt sentiments about the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Elementary ... read more ››

Growing opportunities

Roundtable will focus on youth job creation in Eeyou Istchee   Looking for a career is one of the toughest choices to make early on in life. People the world over search far and wide to find industries and regions that are flourishing. Fortunately, Cree youth with a post-secondary degree are offered ... read more ››

Heart smart eating

With all of the focus on love and romance in February, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the health of our actual hearts takes centre stage, as February is Heart Month. Between the frigid weather, the endless shovelling and the store shelves laden with St. Valentine’s Day sweets, ... read more ››

A fight to the finish

The legal challenge by Strateco Resources to the Quebec government requirement that it obtain “social acceptability” from the Cree before the company’s Matoush uranium development project can proceed highlights a key moment in the evolution of Cree sovereignty over its territory. As a judicial concept, however, the notion of social acceptability ... read more ››

Not yet idle

  If the meeting point for Montreal’s third Idle No More demonstration, Phillips Square, was lost on some of those attending, organizer Melissa Mollen Dupuis spelled it out for the crowd, asking them to turn around and look across the street at the Hudson’s Bay Company building. The Quebec Idle No More ... read more ››

Grand Chief on Idle No More’s real meaning

Aboriginal peoples’ protests have dominated the Canadian media over the past few months. It is winter, it is cold, and yet Indigenous people of all nations and ages are gathering in the rain and snow in unprecedented numbers, all across this country, under the brave descriptive banner of Idle No ... read more ››

Polluter pays

Quebec’s new rules will force mining companies to pay for site cleanup   Quebec will finally require mining companies to commit funds to restore their mining sites once their operations are exhausted. Quebec’s minister of natural resources, Martine Ouellet, announced the measure during a conference in Montreal February 8 hosted by the Coalition ... read more ››

A shooting star flames out

To say that Senator Patrick Brazeau has been going through a rough patch of late would be an understatement. The controversy over his offensive remarks against Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence quickly blended into a growing Senate scandal over unmerited housing allowances he and other Conservative Senators claimed by allegedly lying ... read more ››