Inuit rights case to be heard in Toronto
TORONTO – A Federal Court challenge to offshore seismic surveys by the Inuit of Clyde River will be held in Toronto on April 20, 2015.
In 2011, a consortium of geophysical companies submitted a proposal to the National Energy Board (NEB) to conduct seismic surveys off the coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut. The proposal was met with firm opposition by the Inuit of Baffin Island. Through petitions and statements at public meetings, residents of several communities made their opposition clear.
The Hamlet Council and Hunters and Trappers Organization of Clyde River passed motions opposing the proposal. A meeting of all mayors from Baffin Island passed a resolution opposing the surveys. Representative Inuit organizations and land claims regulatory boards urged the NEB to withhold permission for seismic surveys until further studies were carried out.
Despite this near-universal opposition, the NEB approved the surveys in June 2014. The community of Clyde River responded by holding a rally and applying for a judicial review of the NEB’s decision. In November of 2014, a meeting of all Mayors from Nunavut unanimously passed a resolution expressing moral support for Clyde River’s court challenge.
The government also failed to accommodate the seemingly reasonable request of Inuit organizations to conduct further studies before approving seismic surveys in the region.
Follow the Two Row Times for information about solidarity actions and information events in Toronto leading up to the April 20 court date.
Alberta Premier discusses important issuesmeets with Treaty 8 Chiefs
Alberta ALBERTA – On Feb. 19, Alberta Premier Jim Prentice and Treaty 8 chiefs formalized an agreement for negotiations over six issues raised by the chiefs, including education, health, environment and land use, child welfare, missing indigenous women and consultation on resource development.
Prentice said ministers from the various involved departments are set to participate in each set of talks, reports a CBC article.
The issues being discussed have been the subject of legal disputes, court cases and judicial reviews over the years. In fact, one of the main sources of conflict has been the federal government’s plan to centralize and control how companies work with First Nations on development.
Prentice has pledged to hold meetings with all the province’s treaty chiefs on March 13th as part of a process to reform several areas of concern for indigenous people. This comes at a crucial time for Alberta, as it tries to sell its energy resources abroad while the dire living conditions of indigenous peoples in Canada continues to receive international attention.
Winnipeg group pushes for new Indigenous School Division
Winnipeg WINNIPEG – A group of educators in Winnipeg have identified 29 schools that could become part of a new Indigenous School Division within the city, which would add indigenous languages, culture and traditions to the current academic curriculum.
Children of the Earth High School and Niji Mahkwa School are two schools already including an indigenous focus within the Winnipeg School Division. However, Bill Sanderson, one of the group’s educators, said Winnipeg has one of the largest indigenous populations in the country and would therefore benefit greatly from more such schools.
The initiative is being proposed at the same time as Brad Badiuk, a Winnipeg high school teacher, is being sued for posting racist remarks about First Nations people on his Facebook page.
Sanderson said the schools would be opened to indigenous and non-natives students, precisely to prevent future cases like Badiuk’s from becoming a reality.
Lakehead University suggests moving towards mandatory indigenous education
Thunder BayHUNDER BAY – Beginning in 2016, Lakehead University in Thunder Bay will incorporate indigenous education into its curriculum, effectively making it mandatory for every student to learn about native culture and issues. The idea is to inspire spirited and opened discussions about racism in order to find solutions to it.
Yolanda Wanakamik, co-ordinator of graduate and external relations with the office of aboriginal initiatives, explained that what students will learn about indigenous culture will be tailored to their main subject of expertise, according to a CBC article. This means they will learn aspects of indigenous life and culture that will not only be useful in their careers, but which will also help them understand native culture in order to coexist peacefully and respectfully.
The fact that the program is mandatory makes it unique, said Wanakamik, and according to her estimates, Lakehead might be the only university in Canada to offer such an experience.
FSIN brainstorms solutions to problem of violence against women
Saskatoon SASKATOON – On Feb. 19, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) held a meeting in Saskatoon’s Indian and Métis Friendship Centre to discuss solutions to the problem of violence against native women. Some of the solutions proposed included increased access to health and education, as well as the ever-present need to address poverty. Women who could not attend were encouraged to submit their ideas through an available survey option.
The meeting precedes the Assembly of First Nations’ national roundtable on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, which it will hold at the end of the month in Ottawa, reports the CBC.
Kimberly Jonathan, Interim Chief of the FSIN, said the point was not to undermine the AFN’s roundtable but to cooperate with its efforts to finding solutions and putting a stop to the problem. She added that any and every such discussion and meeting is a step in the right direction, and is important to help victims to not be seen as just another number, but as loved family and community members.
Ecuadorian indigenous groups seek dialogue
Ecuador ECUADOR – Representatives from various indigenous grassroots groups in Ecuador made a call on Feb. ruary 23rd to engage in direct dialogue with the national government, rejecting the confrontational approach that one of the country’s national indigenous organizations has taken over on an eviction issue dating back to December of last year.
The issue stems from the fact that the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), was evicted from a building that has been on loan to them since 1991 by the government. Rafael Correa’s leftist government had found and shown video evidence the organization was illegally using the building for political rather than organizational purposes, according to a TeleSur English article.
The indigenous grassroots representatives, some of whom are former members of CONAIE, stated that they believe dialogue will be more conducive to actual results.
Among some of the proposed discussion issues by the grassroots representatives were bilingual education, land reform, and the struggle against racial and ethnic discrimination. They also proposed more genuine inclusion of indigenous peoples in the state’s administration, as well as a native grassroots political platform to be developed in time for the 2017 presidential elections.
