First Nations News

30 June 2009

 

[23 miles off the coast of Gaza, 15:30pm] - Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (see below for a complete list of passengers). The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

 

"This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip," said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate. "President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that's exactly what we tried to do. We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey."

Because land on reserves in Canada is owned by band councils, not by individuals, banks have been reluctant to issue mortgages to potential homeowners.

The federal government hopes to deal with the problem with its $300 million First Nations Market Housing Fund, which will be used as collateral to offset the risk to financial institutions of a homeowner defaulting on a mortgage.

On Tuesday, April 8, the House of Commons passed a resolution that officially endorses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and which calls on the Federal Government Canada to “fully implement the standards contained therein.”

Below you will find a joint statement on the House of Commons' decision by Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers), the First Nations Summit, and the Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada), among others.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations signed the agreement Tuesday with Calgary's Encanto Resources Ltd. to determine whether it's economically viable to build a potash mine on aboriginal land.

Under the agreement, the Seton Lake Indian Band will receive $600,000 from Canada and 31.6 acres of land from the Province which Minister Strahl will recommend be added to the reserve under the department's Additions to Reserve Policy.

Mar 17, 2008 16:51 ET
Canada, Seton Lake Indian Band and Province of British Columbia Reach Final Agreement on Settlement

SETON LAKE INDIAN BAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 17, 2008) - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, Chief Larry Casper Jr. of the Seton Lake Indian Band and the Honourable Michael de Jong, British Columbia Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation are pleased to announce a final agreement on a longstanding claim dating back to the early 1900s.

"Settlement agreements not only promote reconciliation and respect, but they bring hope, certainty and new economic opportunities to First Nations," stated Minister Strahl. "I am pleased to announce the completion of this final agreement with the Seton Lake Indian Band and the Province of British Columbia. By working together through respectful negotiation, we have achieved a balanced solution of a very longstanding claim."

Hydro deals give first nations in B.C. a path to self-sufficiency WENDY STUECK From Tuesday's Globe and Mail February 19, 2008 at 5:45 AM EST VANCOUVER — On a sunny day last fall, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Energy Minister Richard Neufeld donned traditional blankets and cedar headbands to take part in a native blessing ceremony for East Toba/Montrose, a $660-million hydroelectricity project just north of Powell River on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast. They looked slightly stiff in the Coast Salish regalia, but the symbolism was clear: The province welcomes aboriginal participation in such projects, which some bands are seizing as a rare economic opportunity for remote communities.

Australia's stolen generation: 'To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, we say sorry' Today marks a historic apology by the Australian government to its Aboriginal community for years of estrangement, lies and abuse. But while the official admission of guilt is welcomed, the question of compensation still remains. By Andy McSmith and Christopher Finn Wednesday, 13 February 2008 It has been a long time coming, but at last Australia has said the word its Aboriginal population wanted to hear. It was uttered three times, early this morning, when the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, addressed the Australian Parliament. That word was "sorry".

We don't `get' native despair Conditions that led to the deaths of two little girls will persist until mainstream society acts Feb 10, 2008 04:30 AM Marie Wadden The two children, Kaydance and Santana Pauchay, who froze to death on the Yellow Quill reserve in Saskatchewan are not the first to die this horrible way on a First Nation reserve, Métis or Inuit community. Every winter, someone dies in aboriginal communities from the same deadly combination: extreme cold and excessive alcohol consumption. It happens when a drinker loses consciousness on the way to or from a party and is not missed until it is too late. I witnessed such a death once in Natuashish, Newfoundland and Labrador, when a woman in her 20s, named Deborah Rich, died this way.

AFN plans to invite 'visionary' Chavez to visit Canada Jorge Barrera , For Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, February 07, 2008 OTTAWA - The Assembly of First Nations plans to invite Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales to visit Canada this year as part of its campaign to pressure the Conservative government into signing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The AFN passed a resolution during a special, mid-December chiefs assembly in Ottawa directing AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine to work with Foreign Affairs to get Chavez and Morales to Canada. The resolution came as part of a batch addressing the UN declaration that also included calls that Canada be removed from the UN Human Rights Council. The Venezuelan and Bolivian Embassies said Thursday they were not aware of any invitations from the AFN.

Alberta signs first environmental accord with 11 First Nations bands THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Wednesday January 23rd, 2008 EDMONTON - The Alberta government has signed its first agreement to work with 11 aboriginal communities on issues affecting the environment. The agreement allows Treaty Six First Nations to have input on environmental decisions that affect their land. There are no details on what future projects would be affected on reserves, but a detailed workplan is to be created and remain in effect for five years. The new deal also allows elders to have their traditional views taken into account. Premier Ed Stelmach says the deal is the first of its kind in Alberta.

Parliamentary Secretary Fletcher Announces More Than $15 Million for the Creation of an Aboriginal Health Research Network 2008-01 WINNIPEG (January 22, 2008) - Today the Government of Canada announced an investment of $15.8 million over three years through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to create the Network Environments for Aboriginal Health Research (NEAHR). The announcement was made at the University of Manitoba by Steven Fletcher, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health. "The Government of Canada is prepared to take the steps necessary to improve the overall health of Aboriginal people and their access to health care services, which is why I am proud today to support this new research program which will translate into better health care in Aboriginal communities," said Mr. Fletcher. "Our Government believes that Canada's Aboriginal people should get the health care they need, when they need it. Since 2006, we continue to collaborate with our partners to develop initiatives that will work, including initiatives like Patient Wait Times Guarantees."

Inuit lifespan stagnates while Canada’s rises Jonathan Spicer, Reuters Published: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 TORONTO -- The Inuit in Canada's far north have lifespans 12 to 15 years shorter than the average Canadian's, government data showed Wednesday, putting the aboriginal people on a par with developing countries such as Guatemala and Mongolia. At 64 to 67 years, Inuit life expectancy "appears to have stagnated" between 1991 and 2001, and falls well short of Canada's average of 79.5 years, which has steadily risen, Statistics Canada said. "A lot of people see life in the Arctic as pristine, where Inuit live problem-free, but in reality people are trying to raise families and live a better life in difficult conditions," said Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization.

Urban Indians in Sask., Man. have low literacy: StatsCan Mon Jan 7, 5:54 PM WINNIPEG (CBC) - About 70 per cent of First Nations people living in urban areas in Saskatchewan and Manitoba don't have the literacy skills to function effectively in today's society, a new Statistics Canada study says. That's considerably higher than the comparable rates for non-aboriginal urban dwellers, the federal agency reported Monday. The study was based on the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey, which looked at literacy skills of Canadians aged 16 and over. The researchers focused on Saskatchewan and Manitoba because they are the provinces whose populations have the highest percentage of aboriginal people.

I only now received word of this, and garbbled, too, it was. The person telling me was gushing with the idea of how wonderful the media is for reporting it Foul play suspected in death of native activist Halifax Daily News Published: Friday, December 28, 2007 TRURO, N.S. -- Family members at first thought a heart attack or stroke was to blame, but on Friday police confirmed they suspect foul play in the death of groundbreaking activist Nora Bernard. Ms. Bernard played a leading role in winning the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history for abuses committed at residential schools. She attended the Shubenacadie, N.S., residential school for five years, and argued residential schools were abusive institutions that perpetuated cultural genocide.

This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been authorized. Such material is provided for educational and research purposes only, is distributed without profit, and constitutes 'fair use' as per Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Lakota Sioux - The Bravest Americans Now let's think this through: five days have elapsed and if any major First Nations spokesperson or group or tribal council is standing against the Lakotah secession, they remain unheard. This is extremely auspicious inofitself. I don't think I am off base when I say that there are responsible individuals and groups amongst First Nations tribes and that, therefore, were this not something everyone concerned really wanted to work then we would have heard something by now. I have personally sent messages to John Trudell and Honor the Earth and this was two days ago. Still nothing. To my knowledge, each and every of the accumulating mound of objections from many online (any from native leadership remain an exception) cite Russel Means' personal problems as reason to ignore this and, consistently, what is deliberately ignored by these unverifiable sources is that there are three others that will have to be discredited to debunk all of this and, to tell you the truth, now that we can see than nearly everyone (with the exception of some heads of state and some of the world's best known news services) is silent on this all then any sudden proclamation of invalidity would indicate, in all likelihood, that someone sensed a turning of the tide.