What will the lasting legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission be?
As Cree youngsters in the north, we are taught the tradition of how to walk on the land and in the bush – with each footfall carefully and quietly placed so as not to disturb the food sources that have always meant the difference between thriving and starvation. It is a hard won but essential…
Healing the wounded relationships that exist between indigenous peoples and the broad population of Canada
A First Nations friend of mine recently told me a remarkable story of an elder of his community who was recovering from illness. My friend thought the elder was about to drift away to sleep, but then suddenly he spoke. “I’ve had a long life, and I’ve seen much suffering, but I’m not defeated. I…
The budget delivers on some of First Nations’ most deeply held political and economic desires
While the recent federal budget did not offer many benefits to Aboriginal peoples, there is some money that will advance First Nations communities. Much of the money in the budget earmarked for Indigenous peoples was simply a continuation of funds promised in previous budgets. The budget invests in First Nations communities that are entering the…
But only if the premier-designate lives up to her promises
The change of government in Alberta from Progressive Conservative to NDP could spell change for Alberta’s disadvantaged Aboriginal peoples, but only if the premier-designate lives up to her promises. Alberta premier-elect Rachel Notley says she is committed to a renewed relationship with Alberta’s Indigenous peoples and to consulting with and learning from them. Although Aboriginal…
We now know for certain that the collective ownership premise is false
Joseph Quesnel, in his recent column for Troy Media, has opened one of the most important discussions of our time: are property rights a salvation for First Nations or part of a sinister Conservative plot to bring them under the rule of market forces? Quesnel accurately attacks the popular myth that property rights are black…
First Nations, Canada have more in common when it comes to property rights than first thought
Opposition to the federal government’s plan to transfer title to reserve lands from the Crown to a First Nation government may be based on a misunderstanding of how property rights actually work in Canada. Under the proposed First Nations Property Ownership Act (FNPOA), once land title is transferred to a First Nation government that government…
Both provinces can learn a thing or two from Saskatchewan’s successful relationship with First Nations
By Ravina Bains and Taylor Jackson The Fraser Institute The mining industry contributes mightily to Canada’s economic prosperity, adding $54 billion to Canada’s GDP and employing roughly 383,000 Canadians at an average annual salary of more than $110,000 in 2013. But Canada has a serious problem with land-use certainty that may threaten future investment in…
Many of the potlatch masks on view were never intended to be hung on wall as objets d’art, but to be worn ceremonially
There is a good chance that if you had attended the opening of The Box of Treasures: Gifts from the Supernatural during the period 1885 to 1951, anywhere in Canada, you could have been arrested for attending an event that resembled a potlatch (literally a gift-giving feast). Potlatches were the cornerstone of the powerful Kwakwaka’wakw…
A new generation of First Nations leaders are showing us how to make the capitalist system work for the entire community
Chief Reginald Bellerose of the Muskowekwan First Nation spoke with obvious pride as he explained his vision of a new and better future for his people. I was standing with the Chief on a snowy vacant lot on the outskirts of Regina. Bellerose was taking a few of us on a tour of the Nation’s…