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Cindy Blackstock is “just overwhelmed” by the decision delivered Tuesday April 26 by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

“The tribunal is really putting the needs of First Nations children first and reminding the government of the real meaning of Jordan’s Principle and the necessity of taking action now to relieve the suffering of these children who are in child welfare care or whose…

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The Council of Mothers has declared victory after occupying the Vancouver office of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada for six days.

The grassroots protest was part of the national Occupy INAC movement that was launched following a rash of youth suicides in Attawapiskat, according to Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union B.C. Indian Chiefs.
“Essentially, a group of…

On Wednesday April 20, a class action lawsuit was filed in Winnipeg for Priscilla Meeches and Stewart Garnett against Canada. It’s the first step in what could be a lengthy legal process.

Meeches and Garnett represent Indian, non-status Indian and Métis children taken from their families in Manitoba and placed in non-Indigenous homes as part of the Sixties Scoop.

“I want to see…

Canada is looking for a woman’s image to grace one of a series of bank notes to come out in 2018 and has called for nominations. The decision that faced the Native Women’s Association of Canada wasn’t who to nominate, but whether to participate at all.

A monument commemorating Shannen Koostachin, a young Cree activist from Attawapiskat First Nation, was unveiled on Oct. 24,…

Following a stellar hockey season in Austria, Colton Yellow Horn has signed on to compete in an even higher calibre overseas circuit next year.

Yellow Horn, a Blackfoot from Alberta’s Piikani Nation, spent the 2015-2016 season with a squad called Znojmo Orli in Austria’s pro circuit.

Yellow Horn finished third in league scoring, registering 55 points in 52 regular-season matches…

Off the hook

It’s the Catholic Entities—again—that have thrown a wrench into the reconciliation part of Truth and Reconciliation, walking away from a third of its legal responsibility under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, approved ��by a government lawyer with a “miscommunication” that got the Catholics off the hook for $25 million.

The Globe and Mail…

Downtown Winnipeg BIZ's Aboriginal Peoples’ Advisory Committee launched an initiative April 18 that invites downtown businesses to install decals that welcome people in Indigenous languages. The initiative is symbolic and celebrates Indigenous arts and languages, reads a press statement.

It is also a challenge to downtown businesses to work towards greater reconciliation with the…

The Government of Ontario announced April 18 funding for three research projects to support a more appropriate response from law enforcement authorities when dealing with incidents of sexual violence and harassment against Indigenous women, and to encourage more survivors to report sexual violence. The announcement was made at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres.

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Gustafsen Lake warrior showed bravery under fire

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The key figure in the 1995 Gustafsen Lake standoff – which saw more gunfire than 1990’s Oka crisis – was a warrior who liked nothing better than to grow squash, beans and corn in his organic garden in later life.

“It was a lot of hard work for an Elder to do, but he would get out there into the field…

After a year of operating on the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, the monthly diabetes clinic has a steadily growing number of patients. That success, says Enoch Cree member Joanne McDonald, who also serves as community health representative at the local health centre, is due to the visiting physician’s no-nonsense attitude and understanding.

Dr. Jeff Winterstein, who makes the regular…

What’s in a name, really? Nothing most of the time, unless you’re talking about Gladue Reports in Canada.

For some people, the name alone sparks controversy and mixed emotions, and it’s sometimes even misinterpreted as a “get out of jail free card” by people who don’t understand, or just don’t agree with, their purpose.

While judges can choose a rehabilitative option over jail…

A gathering of First Nations families and non-Aboriginal activists occupied the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada office in Vancouver on Monday morning April 18.

The Vancouver protest was part of a series of actions nationwide. The immediate goal was to demand action on the ongoing suicide crisis in Attawapiskat, but the conditions that have sparked the crisis are systemic across…

“Reckoning”, the latest production by Indigenous theatre-company Article 11, offers an intense experience with their offering of three 30-minute plays dealing with residential schools.

In a post on social media, veteran actor Monique Mojica called it a “Kick ass show. Skillfully crafted & performed. This is what our stories told by us looks like.”

Playwright Tara Beagan, co-…

The only Métis body that enjoys a nation-to-nation relationship with the federal and provincial governments is the Métis National Council, and as such, in wake of the Daniels’ decision, it is the MNC that will be conducting negotiations with the other two levels of government on behalf of the Métis people, says MNC President Clement Chartier.

“We’ve made this point, and I believe we’ve…

A highly-anticipated decision from the Supreme Court of Canada has produced a solid win for the country’s 600,000 Métis and non-status Indians.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today in the Daniels’ case that Métis and non-status Indians are a federal responsibility and would no longer be in a “jurisdictional wasteland with significant and obvious disadvantaging consequences.”

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