[Image-1] Being First Nations, I am very conflicted in how to participate in the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday—a year long celebration that is costing Canadians over half a billion dollars. On one side, I am a proud Canadian, eager to participate in the celebration of our great nation; a nation that was founded on […]
First Nations
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School closure leaves the most vulnerable at greatest risk
[Image-1] On Monday morning a recalled Nova Scotia legislature will begin the first steps to forcing a new collective agreement on teachers and taking away their right to strike. At the same time, outside Province House, angry crowds will join in a protest against the Liberal government’s battle with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU). […]
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Not everyone is accepting Stephen McNeil’s apology
Premier Stephen McNeil has apologized for a legal brief referring to the Mi’kmaq as conquered peoples, but some feel he needs to back up his words with actions. On Thursday, McNeil started off his meeting with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs by apologizing for a brief filed in the court case over Alton […]
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Colonization over reconciliation in Alton Gas fight
[Image-1] Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? These are senator Murray Sinclair’s four fundamental questions for understanding ourselves and finding meaning in our lives. Last week I saw senator Sinclair, Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, speak […]
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Naiomi Metallic is the future that Canada’s legal system needs
[Image-1] On her path to a prestigious clerkship with the Supreme Court of Canada, Naiomi Metallic overcame many obstacles, including two fussy babies. Born near the Listuguj, Quebec reserve to a French-Canadian mother and a Mi’kmaq father, Metallic boarded a red-eye flight from Halifax to Ottawa for an early morning round of clerkship interviews in […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Confronting the crisis of violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada
[Image-1] In late September, Inuit artist Annie Pootoogook died tragically in Ottawa. Pootoogook was an award-winning illustrator from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. Her ink-and-crayon depictions of everyday life in the north—families sitting to eat a meal of seal meat or shopping at the Arctic co-op—received international acclaim. In contrast to the idealized vision many Canadians have […]
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Brexit and England’s ugly history of colonialism
[Image-1] Really, your Majesty, I thought you were made of bigger tiaras than that! Your people voted out of the European Union with a near-four percent difference—a tiny margin but significant in action. Are you doing so for the right reasons? The sterling silver is taking a beating, which may foreshadow economic slams and employment […]
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Halifax votes to keep honouring Edward Cornwallis
[Image-1] A vigorous debate on whether to examine the naming of public assets after Edward Cornwallis ended Tuesday night with HRM Regional Council boldly deciding to maintain the status quo. At hand was a request from Halifax South Downtown councillor Waye Mason for a staff report on a public engagement process to advise council on […]
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What’s the First Nations economy worth?
The performance of Atlantic Canada’s Indigenous economy is worth $1.14 billion, according to a new study released Wednesday. The pan-provincial assessment, completed by the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, aims to shift stereotypes about Indigenous communities and their contribution to the economy, says secretariat executive director and study co-chair John G. Paul. […]
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New data registry aims to improve health care in First Nations
[Image-1] Mi’kmaw people aged 20-39 are five times more likely to get diabetes than other Nova Scotians, according to a newly-created health care data-sharing registry for Indigenous communities. The First Nations Client Linkage Registry is a joint project of First Nations chiefs, the provincial government and Health Canada. The new registry was announced Thursday at […]
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SCIENCE MATTERS: Environmental deficit tarnishes Canada’s rights record
[Image-1] Many Canadians see our country as a human rights leader, but a United Nations committee says we should do better. In early March, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concluded that Canada’s lack of environmental protection and climate action mars our rights record. The committee’s periodic review of Canada put our country’s […]
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Meet Nova Scotia’s first Mi’kmaw child welfare specialist
[Image-1] These days, Natalie Doucette has been on the road more than she’s used to. With 24 years of experience working with Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services under her belt, Doucette recently became the province’s first Mi’kmaw child welfare specialist. Doucette’s work includes a regular commute between offices in Sydney and the Mi’kmaq community of […]