Category: Editorials

Lobsters Anyone?

There was anger when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans flexed it’s muscle recently in Burnt Church. I think everyone has seen the pictures of the two Native-owned boats being sunk by the much bigger DFO boat. It looked like the running over of one boat was deliberate. “People could ... read more ››

The Point of no Return

The last few nights putting out the Nation have been late ones. As a result I was walking home at about one in the morning on a Wednesday night. I was feeling good as I had most of the paper ready to go. That feeling wouldn’t last. About five blocks from ... read more ››

Fear & Questions on the Campaign Trail?

I must say that Billy Diamond never ceases to amaze me. After refusing to talk to the press on more than one occasion he gave in and talked to L’actualité about the Crees. Cree insiders and most Cree know L’actualité. The popular French magazine published an erroneous story on how ... read more ››

Hotels, Motels and Executive Directors

It’s been a busy time for me. First of all I went to the annual general meeting of the National Association of Friendship Centers in Vancouver. A great place, nice to visit and recommended for all. The meeting was great and at the same time the Aboriginal Youth Councils were ... read more ››

So Sorry…

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I think he spoke the truth. When you begin to ignore or not talk about what is going around you because you feel uncomfortable bringing up the matter then you ... read more ››

Crees Launch Counter-Strike in Lawsuit

Crees launched a legal counter-strike in the Mario Lord forestry lawsuit, filing an appeal of the controversial decision to remove Justice Jean-Jacques Croteau from the case. Meanwhile, due to a bureaucratic mix-up by the Quebec government, logging machines fell silent all across Quebec on April Fool’s Day. Forestry companies weren’t laughing as ... read more ››

Saskatchewan Natives Demand Public Inquiry

Vigils are being held across Saskatchewan to call for a public inquiry into how the justice system treats Native people. The outcry is over two freezing deaths of Native men left out in the bitter cold by police officers. Stories of police brutality in Saskatchewan are also emerging. About 400 people attended ... read more ››

Breaking Down Walls

Well, this will be my last editorial for a while. I am transferring over to the sales side of the business. It’s a natural progression in life to change, especially when change is required. I’ve enjoyed writing over the years but I’ve always felt that editorial copy and sales didn’t ... read more ››

Your Life as a Sundance

Every now and then you come across something that sums up the dreams and hopes you have in such a way that you know you can’t say it any plainer than that. The following passage is from Leonard Peltier’s book My Life is My Sundance. It is remarkable that after ... read more ››

Prevention: to stop (something) happening or (someone) doing something.

What do you do when someone talks to you about what happened to them? Every now and then people phone us to talk about things happening in the communities. They tend to ask us to do something. It’s a little hard to come up with concrete solutions or simply just ... read more ››

www.apocalypse.com?

Hello. Can you hear me? I am sitting here talking into a microphone. Actually, into a computer. And that computer is typing whatever I am saying. I know. I’m lazy. My punishment for sloth will probably be that I will be sitting here emailing a love letter New Year’s Eve at 11:59:59, ... read more ››

Our Sixth Anniversary

It’s been six long years since The Nation was first in the communities, and this is the seventh volume of the paper, it’s the volume that will start the new millenium, I am proud to say. It was and still is a long hard road we’re travelling. When we started out ... read more ››

It’s not too late

It’s a dirty crime when the state starts to legislate ignorant and ethnocentric laws. In short, I feel that Bill 65 is nothing short of a racist policy designed to take Native self-determination back into the dark ages. The bill is intended to centralize all Quebec government decisions involving First ... read more ››

The red path to power

Did you hear about Quebec Native Affairs Minister Guy Chevrette’s latest little gift to First Nations in Quebec? Seems this lad is trying to gather the reins of power ever closer to himself. He has introduced a little bill in Quebec’s legislature. Let me give you the low-down on that little ... read more ››

Red Power

We may have heard about the Red Power Movement through our parents, better known as the American Indian Movement (AIM), originating in the Sixties. There were many reasons for starting these groups back then that still apply to our situation as Native youth today. I think the primary reasons being ... read more ››

Thanks to Abe

It seems like the election hasn’t ended for me just yet. I’m still getting condolences but the most interesting one came from Waskaganish via fax. I thought I would Include it for everyone to see. I hope that winners and losers in the recent spate of elections read this and ... read more ››

My concession

I must admit this was one of the most interesting elections I’ve have seen in a long time. It was a little bit of a revolution of sorts with so much active campaigning. I know it was the first time any Cree politicians took out political advertisements promoting their platforms. ... read more ››

God was watching over her

On a mild winter night, my niece was brought home by two police officers. She had been drinking and was found lying in the snow. I think it was by the grace of God that the person who found her decided to smoke outside. The lady said, “She saw a person ... read more ››

The other side of the table

I was nominated for the position of Deputy Grand Chief in Mistissini for this term’s election. I decided to accept and run for this position seriously. I have done so because I care about what has happened to the Cree people. I have spoken out on many issues, as I feel ... read more ››

Permit? What permit?

First Nations across the province are largely ignoring Quebec’s bingo law, or they have found ways to get around it. In Kahnawake, the CKRK radio station has a defiant attitude toward the Quebec government’s bingo permits. “They can’t come into the territory to impose any licenses on us,” said Heather Bauersfeld, the ... read more ››

First results in

Well, with the Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual General Assembly coming up I feel I should give some preliminary results of the survey I have been running even though the deadline is July 31. Please keep them coming and don’t be afraid to add comments if you want. (The numbers ... read more ››

How quickly they forget

I would sure hate to be Lucien Bouchard right about now, especially if it was time for a check-up. “Please cough for me, Mr. Bouchard…” Not a good position to be in. Even in the best of times being a nurse is not an easy job to go into. The working ... read more ››

Looking for the other side

I was reading a book recently and a passage caught my eye. The story was about two countries that were going to go to war over a piece of land. One of the councillors asks the head honcho why people were going to this area. He said it was “because they ... read more ››

What does everybody want?

The backrooms are filled to capacity and the deal-makers, shakers and would-be kingmakers have sat down to feast on the remains of the Cree land and culture whilst battling among themselves for the choicest pieces. It’s the Valhalla of politicians and bureaucrats on Mother Earth. They don’t even have to die ... read more ››

Month of the long knives

The cries of Cree unity had barely died away before four of the nine Cree chiefs met with Minister Guy Chevrette to talk about the suspension of MOU funding (News, page 5). Chevrette was the Quebec politician who suspended essential-services funding to the Crees under the guise of “we can’t ... read more ››

Four Cree Officers Honoured

Four Cree police officers were honoured with awards at a Quebec City conference on policing by the province’s First Nations. Sam House of Chisasibi and Reggie Bobbish, who works with the CRA in Nemaska, Waskaganish’s Jim Hester and David Kakabat of Wemindji won the Aboriginal Police Community Service medals. The medal was ... read more ››