Category: News

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 ››

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 ››

Diamond Jubilee medals rejected

Ellen Gabriel, former president of the Quebec Native Women association, and Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee of the Anishinabek Nation both rejected the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The medal is meant to “honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians” for the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the ... read more ››

Chief Spence ends hunger strike

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence ended her 44-day hunger strike January 24. The same day, Elder Raymond Robinson, of the Cree Cross Lake Indian Reserve in Manitoba, ended his own hunger strike. Robinson had joined Spence two days into her protest in December. The circumstances of Spence’s decision to end her strike ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash appointed Deputy Critic

Two days after returning from a three-month medical leave January 17, NDP MP Romeo Saganash was appointed Deputy Critic for Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs for his party. Saganash wasted no time making an impact by signing the declaration to carry on the struggle for Indigenous rights. NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said ... read more ››

Lots of shiny chrome

By Amy German by Iulian Boz This year’s Montreal International Auto Show (January 18-27) had a lot to offer. Aside from presenting upcoming models, new concepts and the latest technologies, there were lots of activities for the entire family. Honda gave Montreal a gift by premiiering its new concept of Honda Gear at the ... read more ››

Addressing the issue

Stemming from a resolution signed by the Grand Chief at the 2012 Annual General Assembly of the Crees as a commitment to work on the issue of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Eeyou Istchee, six months later the issue got its own forum. Congregating at the Delta Hotel in downtown ... read more ››

Intimate escapes

While St. Valentine’s Day may be just around the corner, when it comes to booking a few days for a sweet couple’s escape or a playful getaway with the immediate family, just about any time is a good time to hit the road, particularly with the frigid temperatures of late. A ... read more ››

Reviewing last year

It has been quite a year for the Eeyou Eenou Police Force, which is completing its second year as a unified police force. With many successful arrests and the start of a new training program, the EEPF has established its reputation and made the force more professional. There are many facets ... read more ››

Protecting the herd

The Cree Regional Authority (CRA) and the Cree Trappers Association (CTA) have launched an initiative to raise awareness of the fast-diminishing woodland caribou herd. According to an independent study commissioned by the CRA, the woodland caribou population is falling sharply, especially among the eastern Temiscamie herd, whose territory has seen a ... read more ››

Strateco tries to sideline Cree opposition

Strateco Resources is asking Quebec Superior Court to declare that Cree opposition to uranium development in Eeyou Istchee cannot be an impediment to provincial approval of their Matoush project in the Otish Mountains. The company filed a motion for mandamus and declaratory judgment in Quebec Superior Court January 17. In a ... read more ››

Booming trade

An independent study by AECOM, commissioned by the Secretariat to the Cree Nation Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance (SAENCAT), shows that the Secretariat’s signature event, the Business Exchange Day held annually in Val-d’Or, has led to a significant number of contracts. An organization founded to encourage “harmonious development of the Cree Nation and ... read more ››

Facts and messages

An recent Ipsos-Reid poll for Global Television and Postmedia News purported to show that two-thirds of Canadians believe First Nations are well treated by the federal government. They also believe First Nations receive too much funding from the feds, but still feel that Natives’ quality of life should be improved. ... read more ››

Record breaker

The 32nd Annual Cree Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament took place in Val-d’Or, Senneterre and Barraute December 6-9, and this year it was a record breaker. An all-time high of 83 teams took part, competing in five hockey categories and two broomball categories for prize money totalling over $100,000. In the ... read more ››

Increasing business

The first week of December saw the 10th edition of Business Exchange Day return to Val-d’Or. The event, organized by the Cree Nation Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance in collaboration with ComaxAT/ComaxNord, brought together over 165 companies and organizations, including representatives from every one of the nations of Eeyou Istchee as well ... read more ››