Category: indigenous

There’s No Evidence Residential School Children Were Murdered and Tossed Into Unmarked Graves

Commentary Since the media release by the Kamloops Indian Band on May 27, 2021, about “the confirmation of the remains of 215 children [buried in unmarked graves] who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School,” similar announcements across the country have come fast and furious. The news stories and unabated attention devoted to unmarked graves…


Feds Spent Over $177,000 in Search of Minority Appointees to Fill Deputy Minister Roles: Documents

The central department of the federal government spent nearly $180,000 searching for black and indigenous appointees to fill roles as deputy ministers, yet the process resulted in few interested candidates, according to government records. The records, obtained through Access to Information by Blacklock’s Reporter, noted that the Privy Council Office had paid corporate headhunters a…


Australian PM Unveils Draft Indigenous Recognition Referendum Question

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday unveiled the wording of a draft referendum question as part of moves to enshrine an Indigenous voice in parliament. The government is seeking a referendum, which is necessary to make changes to the constitution, on recognising Indigenous minorities in the constitution and requiring governments to consult Aboriginal people…


National Chief’s Suspension Overshadows AFN Annual Assembly

Controversy overshadows the Assembly of First Nations’ annual gathering this week as it seeks the continued suspension of its national chief. From July 5–7, the AFN is holding its 43rd Annual General Assembly both virtually and at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The organization’s executive committee has drafted a resolution that asks the chiefs to ratify and continue…


At Indian Pueblo Kitchen, a Story Told in Feast Day Stew and Frybread

What is indigenous food, exactly? Monique Fragua is an expert on that question, a topic that delights her both personally and professionally. Born and raised in northern New Mexico’s Jemez Pueblo—where the rest of her extended family still lives—Fragua is the chief operating officer of commercial operations at Albuquerque’s Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC). That…


Barbara Kay: The Governor General Is Supposed to Be Above the Political Fray

Commentary The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was both joyous and poignant. At 96, though still in general good health, the occasion’s honouree was herself unable to partake in some of the formal celebrations. But the continuing strength of the British monarchy was embodied in the constant presence of Prince Charles, the heir apparent, and his two…


Opposition Wants ‘Practical’ Actions Rather Than ‘Symbolism’ to Solve Indigenous Issues

Newly elected Liberal leader Peter Dutton said he wants to shift the focus from “symbolism” to practical actions to improve the living condition in vulnerable Indigenous communities. The Queensland conservative has previously come under fire on indigenous issues after he refused to support the former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Indigenous children who…


Reform the Indian Act to Boost First Nations’ Entrepreneurship, Says Study

First Nations entrepreneurship can be improved if Ottawa removes further barriers to property rights within the Indian Act, a new study suggests. “Indigenous people in Canada face many barriers to entrepreneurship that other Canadians do not, so Ottawa has a responsibility to right this wrong,” said study author Tom Flanagan, a senior fellow at the…


The Knowns and Unknowns About the Kamloops Burials

Commentary The announcement by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc indigenous band of Kamloops, B.C. on May 27, 2021, about finding remains of 215 children on the grounds of an Indian Residential School instantly became headline news worldwide, even though the band’s press release said that “At this time we have more questions than answers.” Across Canada, the meagre…


Justice Minister Committed to Repealing Minimum Sentences, Says Will Lower Canada’s Indigenous Imprisonment

Justice Minister David Lametti says his government’s Bill C-5 will reverse the rate of indigenous imprisonment in Canada. Lametti told The Globe and Mail he expects the incarceration rate to fall once the federal government implements the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and passes Bill C-5. Introduced by Lametti last December,…