Category: Editorials

It’s a pandemic

It’s really quite amazing how Quebec was freaking out over diabetes a few years ago when the Quebec population hit a diabetes infection rate of 3 per cent. Quebec, the other provinces and the federal government had been quietly ignoring the diabetes pandemic for ages. The stopgap measures show their assistance ... read more ››

Hungry? Eat the rich

Fans of Xavier Kataquapit’s column – Under the Northern Sky – at the back of our biweekly book might be a tad surprised by the passion he uses this week to take to task those who always jump on stories of supposedly overpaid Indian fat cats, like the recent case ... read more ››

That time of year is upon us

I remember this story from my youth. I thought it a sad story. Like any young person I felt that people should never pass by someone in need. Of course, this was re-enforced by the Cree way of life. I remember the village Mistissini was back in the ’60s and ... read more ››

Back to the bunkers

Public. It’s a simple word, only two syllables, but sometimes people have a hard time understanding what it means. Consider the term “public corporation.” Used in this way, it means that a company is owned by the citizens of a particular jurisdiction. Say, Hydro-Québec, for example. The owners of that corporation ... read more ››

Newly Wed

On October 3 at 6 pm I stole Amy German from the ranks of the single women and made her my wife in a ceremony officiated by Joe Jolly. It was a difficult wedding to plan and a lot of the invitations didn’t make it out to many people we would ... read more ››

From the colonized

Then: “Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question.” – Duncan Campbell Scott, Head of the Department of Indian Affairs in the 1920s. Now: “We also have no history of colonialism.” – ... read more ››

Remembering Albert

It was with a great sense of loss when I heard of Albert Diamond passing on. Albert was more than just a wonderful person; he was always so kind and considerate to all that we always welcomed seeing him at every opportunity. His passing will not only leave a void in ... read more ››

Doctorate for Philip Awashish

I can’t think of a single Indigenous person in Canada who more deserves the accolade of an honourary doctorate bestowed on him by McMaster University than Philip Awashish. It has always amazed me that he has never been honoured by the Aboriginal Awards program, because without any doubt he has been ... read more ››

Election 2009: missed opportunities, new hopes

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. That hackneyed refrain could be the slogan for the recently concluded election for Grand Chief of the Crees that returned Matthew Coon Come to power after a 10-year absence from active Cree politics. There has been a lot of water flow under ... read more ››

Who does the Assembly of First Nations represent?

The Assembly of First Nations held another “election” last month; one that does not represent the voice of the 700,000-plus Native people who call Canada home, which just reminds us that a major change is needed. The faulty way the AFN is run fails to represent our interests and issues. It ... read more ››

On the campaign trail

It was a long debate in Chisasibi that ended at 5 am. It was a good test both of endurance and the willingness of the Cree population to really get to know the candidates. It also points out a problem in the Cree world concerning the electoral process. It is simply ... read more ››

Nisga’a matriarch fearful of Indigenous people’s disappearance

Nisga’a matriarch Mercy Thomas, also known as Nisibilada, has issued a remarkable statement warning against the sale of Nisga’a lands, held in fee simple ownership under provisions of the Nisga’a treaty. This idea of putting Aboriginal lands into a status which will enable them to be bought and sold freely on ... read more ››

Election 2009

Here we are again. The fight for the most powerful office in all of Creedom begins. The names and faces are all familiar from campaigns past, albeit with a few more lines on their faces. But what’s important is that they’ve gained wisdom. Or have they? Your candidates, in no particular ... read more ››

Dear Mr. Robert Kanatewat

This is in response to your letter sent to me and included in this issue. I will say at this moment we have no record of you attempting to contact the editorial board or myself regarding the editorial by Boyce Richardson published in the Nation (Vol 16, Issue 10) on March 27, ... read more ››

Cree Grand Council not fulfilling one of its mandates by hiring non-Cree filmmakers

I’m kind of sorry that the Cree filmmakers from Rezolution Pictures were not chosen to make a four-part history of the Crees that is being financed by the Grand Council of the Crees. It’s not so long ago that the Grand Council was a revolutionary organization fighting like tigers to defend ... read more ››

Breaking the ice

If you thought the Manifest Destiny era of colonization was over, think again. The now former President George W. Bush, during his last days in office, declared Canada’s claims of sovereignty over Arctic waters to be moot. “Freedom of the seas is a great priority,” stated a White House directive issued ... read more ››

Barriere Lake: Out in the Cold

Remember a number of years back when Canada was shocked to learn of the charming Saskatoon tradition called the starlight tours? This practice, you might recall, was favourite of that city’s police officers, who would arrest Aboriginal men and drop them off outside city limits. In the middle of winter. After ... read more ››

Have you seen my sister?

When I was growing up I thought it was hard being someone of mixed heritage, I thought no one understands how hard it is to grow up off rez. For years I thought like that, the us-versus-them mentality, never realizing that folks had it much harder. Being a young man ... read more ››

Who let out the parents?

It’s hard growing up. It never stops and some days it doesn’t seem to get any easier as you go along. After the none-too-carefree days of childhood you gather more and more responsibilities. It starts with school and when that ends you must look for some way of making a ... read more ››

There’s black gold in them white fields

I love places like Whapmagoustui. It is so far North that many of the traditional Cree ways are still intact and practiced. People are friendly and welcoming and there is not as much suspicion of the outsiders. Generosity and sharing are practiced on great scales. A recent Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual ... read more ››

The times are a’changing

The Cree days of darkness imposed on us by Hydro-Quebec appear to be sliding into the past. Their electricity has made our homes and, now, some Cree lives brighter. A number of years ago I wrote an article entitled “Inside The Evil Empire,” a tongue-in-cheek attempt at being the Cree version ... read more ››

One way or another?

They say in government the left hand often doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. The analogy describes situations in which one part of the government will do something that contradicts another department’s policies or statements. This is the case with permanent placement orders authorized under the Youth Protection Act ... read more ››

The meaning of bullshit

I know I will get more than one comment on this editorial but it seems to me there is a lot of B.S. in and around the Cree territory. Some of it is noticed and commented on while other forms seem to go unnoticed as the bullsh*t works its magic. So ... read more ››

Rabbit Hole

Shortly after midnight on June 15, a loud explosion woke up many Nemaska residents. The blast came from a house at 4 Rabbit Trail. As you can see by the photos the damage was extensive. The cause turned out to be a propane explosion. Five teenagers, between the ages of 13 ... read more ››

Criminal acts must be punished

Barriere Lake Chief Casey Ratt’s house was recently burned to the ground in a dispute over power and control of the tiny Algonquin community. It is a method that is not only criminal and stupid, it seems to be the new way to voice displeasure within Aboriginal communities – and ... read more ››

Reasonable accommodation

Quebec Native Women is disappointed to see that the Bouchard-Taylor Commission report and the leaders of Quebec’s political parties did not acknowledge the place of Aboriginal culture, values and language in Quebec. The Bouchard-Taylor Commission had a mandate to take stock of accommodation practices in Quebec and to analyze related issues. ... read more ››