Current Problems: Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation
Exploring Stakeholder: "Government of Canada"
Updates on this page: 92
(Filtered by Indigenous Group "Métis")
May 2, 2024
AMC Calls Bill C-29 Redundant to Reconciliation
NationTalk: Winnipeg, Treaty One Territory – May 1:The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) says the exclusion of First Nations representation from the development of Bill C-29 is a continuation of the federal government’s suppression of legitimate First Nations involvement in legislation that is intended to hold the government accountable for the implementation of the Truth...
April 25, 2024
Is Métis governance dream dead?
Group’s withdrawal of support puts process in jeopardy The Toronto Star: The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan’s announcement last week that they were withdrawing their support for Bill C-53 — legislation aimed at recognizing Métis self-governance by creating a path for treaties with some Métis governments — has created uncertainty about the bill’s future. The bill has been...
April 25, 2024
With future of Bill C-53 in doubt, Métis Nation of Ontario exploring all options
APTN News: The president of the Métis Nation of Ontario says the organization will continue to pursue self-government legislation regardless of what happens with Bill C-53. “In fact, there is a commitment to reintroducing a bill identical to Bill C-53 if it ultimately doesn’t pass,” Margaret Froh said. “We have the same option to pursue...
April 19, 2024
The Five Canada-wide Cultural Heritage Organizations Are Disappointed by Federal Budget 2024
NationTalk: In a federal budget appropriately focused on creating new housing, advancing Indigenous self-determination, combatting hate, and creating a clean economy, there is an unfortunate lack of recognition of the role cultural heritage places and existing buildings play in creating housing, wellbeing, and supporting a green economy. The five Canada-wide cultural heritage organizations – Canadian...
April 19, 2024
UN puts spotlight on attacks against Indigenous land defenders, journalists
Indigenous peoples around the world are harassed and killed at alarming rates. Will the world act? Tear gas is deployed by police during a Maasai rights demonstration outside the Tanzanian High Commission in Nairobi in 2022. Ben Curtis / AP Photo APTN News: When around 70,000 Indigenous Maasai were expelled from their lands in northern Tanzania in 2022,...
April 18, 2024
Feds mull options as Métis self-government bill threatens to collapse
Métis Nation-Saskatchewan withdraws support for Bill C-53 CBC Indigenous: The federal government is mulling a path forward after the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan dropped support for its own proposed self-government legislation, another blow to the controversial Bill C-53. If passed, the bill would recognize Métis political associations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario as Indigenous governments, but it faces...
April 18, 2024
‘We get pennies’: NDP Idlout denounces federal budget for lack of commitment to Indigenous Peoples
APTN News: Indigenous leaders responded to Tuesday’s federal budget with frustration and disappointment. According to NDP MP Lori Idlout it doesn’t come close to erasing the inequities for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. “We know that for too many decades there’s not been enough investments to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples,” Idlout, the...
April 17, 2024
Métis in Saskatchewan withdraw support for Bill C-53
APTN News: The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and the Provincial Métis Council say they’re withdrawing their support for Bill C-53 – federal legislation that if passed, will provide recognition of certain Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The bill, if passed, also provides a framework for the implementation of treaties entered into by those Métis governments...
April 17, 2024
Omission of reconciliation ‘glaring’ and ‘alarming’ in budget speech, First Nations leaders say
Assembly of First Nations to renew calls for a first ministers meeting this year CBC Indigenous: First Nations leaders are panning this year’s federal budget and demanding a renewed commitment from the Liberal government, after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland failed to mention reconciliation in Tuesday’s budget speech. “It’s alarming,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, head...
April 17, 2024
Economic reconciliation means no green strings attached
Grand Chief Abram Benedict addressing reporters at the Chiefs of Ontario First Nations Community Wellness Conference, March 19, 2024. Photo courtesy of Declan Keogh / Chiefs of Ontario Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: The Indigenous loan guarantee program will have no green strings attached, opening opportunities for controversial development like oil, gas and nuclear projects....
April 16, 2024
Federal budget’s $918M for Indigenous housing and infrastructure falls far short of what advocates say is needed
Tuesday’s federal budget committed more than $9 billion in new funding for Indigenous initiatives, focusing on education and youth, on-reserve supports and economic opportunities. Toronto Star: OTTAWA — Tuesday’s federal budget committed more than $9 billion in new funding for Indigenous initiatives, focusing on education and youth, on-reserve supports and economic opportunities. Of the funding...
April 16, 2024
Indigenous infrastructure gap estimated at more than $425B
National organizations estimate immense needs in advance of 2024 federal budget CBC Indigenous: As the Trudeau government prepares to release this year’s federal budget, Indigenous organizations estimate it would take more than $425 billion to close the infrastructure gap in their communities by the government’s 2030 goal. While the bulk of that staggering sum comes...
April 16, 2024
Small businesses will get a carbon levy rebate, federal budget announces — but nothing yet for Indigenous groups who were promised the same
The federal government will create a new carbon price rebate for small businesses, using $2.5 billion in revenues that have built up in recent years to funnel money through a new tax credit for roughly 600,000 companies, Tuesday’s budget announced. Toronto Star: OTTAWA — The federal government will create a new carbon price rebate for...
April 16, 2024
Idlout warns federal budget will cut funding for Indigenous supports
Nunavut NDP MP says it’s ‘frustrating’ and warns it will hurt effort to provide better housing Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, seen earlier this month at a government announcement in Iqaluit, is calling on the federal government to reverse planned spending cuts to Indigenous services in 2024’s federal budget. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier) NationTalk: Nunatsiaq...
April 1, 2024
Métis Nation of Alberta Statement on the Federal Court Decisions on Canada-Métis Nation of Alberta Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement
NationTalk: Today, the Federal Court released two decisions on legal challenges made by the Métis Settlements General Council and a group called the “Fort McKay Métis Nation Association” against the Canada-Métis Nation of Alberta Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement that was signed between the Métis Nation of Alberta (“MNA”) and the Government of Canada (“Canada”)...
April 1, 2024
Federal court rules Ottawa must change Metis Nation of Alberta self-government agreement
The Métis Nation of Alberta president says she will ‘continue on the path of self government that we have been advancing for over 200 years’ A Federal Court ruling says Ottawa must make changes to a self-government agreement it signed with the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA). APTN News: The ruling, released March 28, says...
March 14, 2024
Indigenous Services, Crown-Indigenous Relations table plans to cut spending
‘This is not reconciliation,’ says Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick CBC Indigenous: A Manitoba First Nations leader is demanding answers from the federal Indigenous affairs ministers after their departments tabled plans this month to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, while forecasting a multi-billion-dollar decrease over three years. Cathy Merrick, grand chief of...
March 9, 2024
Brian Mulroney’s complicated relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada
From laying the foundations of Nunavut to the Oka crisis, the former PM’s legacy was one of contradictions CBC News: The late Brian Mulroney’s legacy with Indigenous peoples in Canada is marked by its contradictions — failures remembered for their good intentions, successes accompanied by catastrophic disappointments. The former prime minister is praised by some Indigenous leaders for creating a...
March 4, 2024
Why did Indigenous-led conservation funding set off furious backlash from First Nations?
Canada gave $1.33 million to the Métis Nation of Ontario to protect land. But not everyone agrees the group should be the one protecting it. Ontario First Nations, including Temagami First Nation, are voicing opposition to conservation funding granted to the Métis Nation of Ontario who, they argue, do not have a founded claim to...
February 15, 2024
What does the duty to consult First Nations, Inuit and Métis mean?
And why some advocates say Canada needs to move from consultation to consent CBC Indigenous: You’ve probably heard the phrase duty to consult, or failure to consult, when it comes to governments and their relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. But what does it actually mean? Stemming from three Supreme Court of Canada decisions in 2004...
February 14, 2024
First Nations, Jim Balsillie slam government over lack of consultation on AI bill
The Globe and Mail: The Canadian Press, OTTAWA – The Assembly of First Nations is warning it could take the Liberal government to court over its proposed privacy and artificial intelligence bill. And former tech executive Jim Balsillie told MPs studying the bill that he considers the legislation “anti-democratic.” The government has already been criticized...
February 8, 2024
One substantial amendment accompanies Bill C-53 to Parliament for third reading
Ron Quintal, president of the Fort McKay Métis Nation, and Nishawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. Windspeaker.com: Ron Quintal, president of the Fort McKay Métis Nation, is pleased with what could arguably be called the only substantial amendment from INAN, the all-party Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee, on Bill C-53. Today,...
February 2, 2024
Métis National Council president airs frustrations after Liberal ministers meeting
‘We can’t be relying on the same promises from back in 2017 around reconciliation,’ says Cassidy Caron CBC Indigenous: The president of the Métis National Council says the council is “frustrated” with the lack of progress on some priorities, following a meeting with Liberal cabinet ministers earlier this week. Despite emerging generally happy from a summit between Métis leaders and...
January 31, 2024
Funding for environmental project stokes more friction between Métis Nation Ontario and Ontario chiefs
“This is simply just the latest example of the MNO further attempting to claim a land base that historically has never existed in Ontario.” — Chiefs of Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Chiefs of Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and Métis Nation of Ontario President Margaret Froh. Clarification made Feb. 2 on the small area...
January 25, 2024
Reconciliation at federal, provincial levels moving slowly: Lemay
APTN News: Hill Times columnist Rose LeMay says when it comes to reconciliation, nothing has really happened at either the federal or provincial levels. “My fear is that the governments, federal government included, provinces and territories haven’t really put this reconciliation as a priority,” Lemay said on the latest edition of Nation to Nation. “Funding...
January 21, 2024
Anishinabek Nation leadership confirms position on the Métis Nation of Ontario
ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE (January 19, 2024) – The Anishinabek Nation wishes to make it unequivocally clear that the recent meeting involving former Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief John Beaucage, his former Chief of Staff Bob Goulais, and a former Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) leader did not involve the Anishinabek Nation nor represents the current...
January 18, 2024
Chrétien-era effort to soften UN’s Indigenous language a ‘stain’ on Canada: Hajdu
‘Indigenous, First Nations people deserve so much more than that,’ says Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu. Photo: APTN. APTN News: The Canadian Press – The current federal Liberal government tried to distance itself Tuesday from the Jean Chrétien-led one that reportedly conspired with Australia to weaken United Nations language on Indigenous Peoples in the early...
January 4, 2024
Bill recognizing Métis self-government remains in limbo. Here’s what you need to know
Métis Nation of Ontario President Margaret Froh takes part in a press conference following a Métis National Council meeting in Ottawa on Thursday, June 1, 2023. File photo by The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TAKES MANY HANDS, AND ALL OF US ARE BETTER EQUIPPED WHEN WE’RE INFORMED. Goal: $125k $98,930 Donate...
December 21, 2023
Yellowhead Institute to no longer report on TRC calls to action
Justice Murray Sinclair takes his seat at the release of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada on the history of Canada’s residential school system, in Ottawa on Dec. 15, 2015. File photo by The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld CLIMATE JOURNALISM IS URGENT. HELP US RAISE $125,000 BY DECEMBER’S END. Goal: $125k...
December 14, 2023
Federal liabilities ‘likely’ owed to Indigenous people grow to $76B under Trudeau
‘It is a bit concerning that they have increased so much,’ parliamentary budget officer says Brett Forester · CBC News · Posted: Dec 14, 2023 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours ago CBC News: The Canadian government likely owes Indigenous people almost $76 billion for currently filed land claims and lawsuits, recent official reporting says — a sum that’s...
December 13, 2023
Chiefs say pan-Indigenous approach leaves Ottawa taking too much away from First Nations
“I don’t think we should be buying into this Indigenous label that they’re trying to homogenize all of our rights into a common group. I think in the long run, we will be short changed.” —Chief R. Donald Maracle Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte at the Assembly of...
December 10, 2023
Ottawa eyes change to border rules for Indigenous communities. ‘It is an injustice that continues to divide our people’
Indigenous people are hopeful that changes will respect their rights to move freely on traditional lands that cross international borders. Toronto Star: The territory where Tim Argetsinger’s ancestors once moved freely and hunted in the Arctic spanned 2.5 million square kilometres of land — about a quarter of the size of Canada. Today, that same...
November 30, 2023
Women and Indigenous Peoples left ‘out in the cold’ by Ottawa, say critics
NDP MP Lori Idlout rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Canada’s National Observer: NDP members are voting against Ottawa’s fall economic statement to protest gaps in funding for Indigenous Services in the midst of an infrastructure crisis. On Thursday, Lori...
November 30, 2023
Minister blames ‘misconceptions’ for concerns over Métis self-government bill
Assembly of First Nations latest to express concerns about Bill C-53 CBC Indigenous: The backlash against the Trudeau government’s proposed Métis self-government legislation is “largely based on misconceptions,” the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said Thursday, as he appeared unmoved by a recent call for its withdrawal. “This is an opportunity to set right a long-standing wrong, when...
November 23, 2023
Métis National Council president tells MPs self-government bill must pass
Cassidy Caron speaks against ‘misinformation’ concerning Bill C-53 CBC Indigenous: The Canadian government must fulfil its long-standing promise of self-government for the Métis Nation by passing Bill C-53, the president of the Métis National Council told members of Parliament Thursday. “Simply put, it’s time,” Cassidy Caron said in prepared remarks before the House of Commons Indigenous affairs committee...
November 16, 2023
MKO Calls on Canada’s Justice Minister to Investigate the Indian Residential Schools System as a Crime Against Humanity
NationTalk: Thompson, Manitoba – The Grand Chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Inc. has reiterated MKO’s earlier call for Canada to commence an investigation of the Indian Residential School system as a crime against humanity under the laws of Canada. MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee presented MKO’s renewed call for action during a meeting...
November 15, 2023
‘We’ve been accused of being Métis deniers’: Trudeau government’s proposed law pits First Nations against Ontario Métis
A new bill recognizing Métis rights in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec is being met with outrage from First Nations and Métis groups. By Joy SpearChief Morris Ottawa Bureau The Toronto Star: A new bill recognizing Métis rights in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec is being met with outrage from First Nations and Métis groups, who say the proposed...
November 8, 2023
Report claims to disprove evidence of Métis community in the Sault
‘But what’s the definition of a Métis?’: New study commissioned by Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin claims Métis Nation of Ontario fabricated narrative of historic Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie; MNO takes issue with ‘deeply offensive’ report First Peoples Law Report: SOOTODAY.COM – As the Métis Nation of Ontario winds down a conference in Sault Ste....
November 8, 2023
Manitoba Métis leaders warn MPs against legislation recognizing Métis Nation of Ontario
‘This is about the attempted theft of the identity of a nation,’ Will Goodon tells committee CBC Indigenous: Proposed legislation recognizing Métis self-government in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta would set a troubling precedent, if passed, by giving cabinet the power to approve future, still-unwritten treaties with Métis associations in those provinces, Manitoba Métis leaders warned...
November 7, 2023
Bill to recognize certain Métis governments, ‘not controversial’ says MN-S president
APTN News: Proposed federal legislation that has drawn the ire of First Nations in Ontario, the Manitoba Métis Federation and others is not that controversial says Métis Nation-Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum. Bill C-53, an act “respecting the recognition of certain Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan and provides a framework for the implementation of...
November 6, 2023
Indigenous Services won’t say if feds are on track to meet 2030 infrastructure pledge
Minister’s office stands by target but her department, citing $349B estimate, seems less sure CBC Indigenous: Canada’s Indigenous Services minister is standing by the Trudeau government’s pledge to close the infrastructure gap in Indigenous communities by 2030, even as her own department — citing a nearly $350-billion cost estimate — seems a little less sure....
October 27, 2023
Métis presidents urge standing committee to pass Bill C-53 without amendments
“Failing to pass C-53 will hurt all Métis people and the advancement of all Indigenous people in Canada.” —Métis Nation of Alberta President Andrea Sandmaier Métis Nation of Alberta President Andrea Sandmaier, Métis Nation of Ontario President Margaret Froh and Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Vice President Michelle LeClair. Windspeaker.com: It’s not at this stage in the process...
October 12, 2023
A need for action on reconciliation
NationTalk: Winnipeg Free Press – Each year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation prompts us to take stock of the progress we are making, as a country, on the journey towards reconciliation. Often this progress — or the lack of it — is measured by counting how many of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s...
October 3, 2023
Trudeau Government Touted ‘Reconciliation,’ Then Lobbied To Arm States Repressing Indigenous Peoples
‘We have minister Anand platforming Canadian weapons manufacturers just a year after there was huge repression on major protests.’ The Maple: Former defence minister Anita Anand was instructed to offer her counterparts advice about “reconciliation” before encouraging Latin American governments that violently suppress Indigenous-led protests to buy more Canadian-made weapons last year. In particular, Anand’s...
September 29, 2023
Aboriginal Rights as a Tool of Colonialism: Part Four: First Peoples Law report
This week I’m sharing my thoughts on how Aboriginal rights have become a tool of colonialism and why. I’ve posted an essay each day leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is the final installment of the four-part essay which can be found on our website here.I hope you enjoy reading it.Best,Bruce Aboriginal Rights as a...
September 22, 2023
Indigenous Services should be spared from spending cuts, say New Democrat MPs
Minister says no cuts proposed to programs or services CBC Indigenous: Indigenous Services Canada should be spared from proposed federal spending cuts aimed at saving a government-wide $15.4 billion over the next five years, say two New Democrat MPs. “Not only should Indigenous Services not be cut, but we need to see further investments,” said...
September 20, 2023
The Canadian Parliament must Reject Bill C-53 of the Trudeau Government
NationTalk: WENDAKE, QC – The AFNQL denounces the self-proclaimed “Métis” groups and the federal government’s intention to recognize to grant them rights. Only the First Nations are holders of Aboriginal rights and titles. The AFNQL strongly supports the resolution adopted during the AFN Annual General Assembly that was held last week in Halifax, under the...
September 20, 2023
‘Kill the bill on the hill’: First Nations in Ontario voice their opposition to Métis self government bill
APTN News: Algonquin Elder Claudette Commanda wasted no time letting the small gathering know what she thought about Bill C-53. “Kill the bill on the hill,” said Commanda, an Elder from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg north of Ottawa. First Nations in Ontario are united in their opposition to a new piece of federal legislation that formally...
September 11, 2023
RCMP Spent Record Amount to Protect CGL Pipeline Last Year
Tyee exclusive: The force spent $11 million to patrol a remote road in Wet’suwet’en territory. Amanda Follett Hosgood is The Tyee’s northern B.C. reporter. She lives in Wet’suwet’en territory. Find her on Twitter @amandajfollett. The Tyee: The RCMP’s costs for patrolling a remote resource road on Wet’suwet’en territory to protect a pipeline project rose almost 60...
September 8, 2023
Marc Miller touts progress on reconciliation, has harsh words for Poilievre
Miller reflects on leaving Indigenous portfolios after 5 years Warning: This story contains language that some readers might find offensive CBC News: Marc Miller — who held two Indigenous affairs cabinet portfolios before he was shuffled over the summer — says he believes the Liberal government has made substantial and “irreversible” progress on reconciliation, despite what he described...
August 25, 2023
Proposed Indigenous Services spending cuts spark concern
‘The status quo … is discrimination in a lot of cases,’ says Cindy Blackstock CBC News: Advocates are concerned after the Indigenous Services minister confirmed her department is eyeing spending cuts, telling reporters in Charlottetown she plans to target bureaucratic bloat, not direct service delivery. Minister Patty Hajdu was initially vague when asked at a cabinet retreat in P.E.I. earlier...
August 22, 2023
Hajdu pledges to maintain Indigenous Services programs despite requested cuts
Minister says she will recommend no cuts that impact the quality of life for First Nations people Patty Hajdu is the minister of Indigenous Services and Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North (TBnewswatch file) NationTalk: TBnewswatch.com – CHARLOTTETOWN — Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu plans to ensure programs directly impacting First Nations people are unaffected by spending...
August 18, 2023
Algonquins get green light to sue over recognition of Ontario Métis groups
Province in ‘open water’ on competing First Nations-Métis claims, appeal court holds CBC News: The Algonquin Nation is free to sue the Ontario government over the 2017 recognition of Métis communities on unceded Algonquin territory, the province’s top court has ruled. In a unanimous decision rendered Thursday, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected a bid...
July 28, 2023
National Indigenous agenda impacted by Trudeau’s sweeping Cabinet shuffle
(Screenshot of newly appointed Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree. Courtesy of CPAC) National Talk: MBC News – Reaction to a wholesale Cabinet shuffle yesterday by Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which included the removal of two ministers integral to the national Indigenous agenda, demonstrates a divide of perspectives between First Nations and Métis in Ontario....
July 27, 2023
National Indigenous agenda impacted by Trudeau’s sweeping Cabinet shuffle
“I think he’s got a very good way about him, extremely approachable and obviously very aware and informed. I found him very thoughtful.” — Margaret Froh, president of the Métis Nation of Ontario on the appointment of new Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree At left is Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and at right is...
July 7, 2023
Joint Statement From ITK And MNC On The Meeting Of National Indigenous Leaders And Premiers
NationTalk: Ottawa – President Natan Obed of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and President Cassidy Caron of the Métis National Council (MNC), together issue the following joint statement on the meeting of National Indigenous Leaders and Premiers happening in Winnipeg, Manitoba, July 10. “ITK generally welcomes any opportunity to share Inuit priorities with territorial and provincial...
June 20, 2023
Deputy minister left government weeks after Indigenous group privately called for his resignation, documents show
The Globe and Mail: A deputy minister’s recent departure from the federal public service occurred just weeks after a national Indigenous organization privately called for his resignation over an e-mail dismissing their description of colonialism as “a gross misreading of history.” Timothy Sargent’s nearly three-decade career in the federal public service – which included representing...
June 19, 2023
Ontario First Nations chiefs protest federal Métis self-government bill
Métis Nation of Ontario responds by accusing chiefs of ‘Métis denialism’ CBC News: Ontario First Nations leaders held a protest Monday on Parliament Hill against proposed federal legislation to implement a self-government agreement between Canada and the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), which is expected to be tabled this week. The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) ramped up a...
June 15, 2023
Senate committee urges Cannabis Act overhaul to address exclusion of First Nations
Committee chair says situation ‘yet another example of how Indigenous Peoples are being let down by Canada’ CBC News: The federal health minister should amend the 2018 Cannabis Act to recognize First Nations’ right to govern the possession, sale and distribution of cannabis on their lands, a Senate committee says. In a report tabled Wednesday...
June 15, 2023
Métis Nation British Columbia Committed to Positive and Respectful Relations with First Nations
NationTalk: June 14, 2023 (Surrey, British Columbia) Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) is committed to positive and respectful relations with First Nations and acknowledges, upholds, and respects the rights and title of First Nations in British Columbia. MNBC recognizes that Métis rights in British Columbia are different from the rights of First Nations. We acknowledge,...
June 1, 2023
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson requests that the Canada Revenue Agency improve the information it provides to Indigenous Peoples
NationTalk: From: Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson – OTTAWA – The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, Mr. François Boileau, has sent a service improvement request to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), asking it to update its information for Indigenous Peoples on Canada.ca. Right before the CRA began the 2023 tax-filing season, the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson (OTO) reviewed the CRA’s web pages...
May 20, 2023
Court dispute between First Nations and Métis Nation of Ontario highlights longstanding issues
‘We need structures that allow us to have those disputes aired’ that aren’t the courts, says Daniel Voth CBC News: An ongoing court battle between the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and several First Nations is highlighting longstanding conflict over recognition of Métis communities and rights. After the MNO signed a self-government agreement with the federal government in February, several First...
May 9, 2023
Canada accused of stonewalling in court challenge to Métis Nation of Ontario self-government deal
Federal government withholds documents, MNO wants to have case dismissed CBC News: The Canadian government is being accused of stonewalling in a court challenge by the First Nations of the Wabun Tribal Council against a recently signed Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) self-government agreement. Lawyers for Crown-Indigenous Relations are refusing to release internal documents tied to the deal,...
May 8, 2023
To achieve reconciliation, Canada needs to recognize the Métis as a self-governing nation
The Globe and Mail: OPINION: MARGARET FROH AND AUDREY POITRAS Margaret Froh is the president of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Audrey Poitras is the president of the Métis Nation of Alberta. The Métis story is one of resistance and resilience. In recent years, we have been writing a new chapter to our story with Canada based...
May 4, 2023
Opposition from First Nations mounts over Métis Nation of Ontario self-government deal
Denying the existence of Métis communities in Ontario is ‘deeply offensive,’ says MNO First Nations opposition to a Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) self-government agreement is mounting as chiefs throughout the province urge the Canadian government to freeze implementation of the deal until their concerns are addressed. The leaders are speaking out after the Wabun Tribal Council...
April 24, 2023
CRA must tackle trust issues, discrimination against Indigenous clients, report says
CBC News: The Canada Revenue Agency must do more to build trust and prevent discrimination when interacting with Indigenous clients, according to a report that became publicly available last week. The report, prepared by Earnscliffe Strategy Group, sought to gather data on Indigenous Peoples’ experience when engaging with CRA tax services and accessing benefits and credits. Its...
April 19, 2023
First Nations high-speed internet access lagging behind Canadian average
Less than 43 per cent of households on reserve had access to high-speed internet in 2021 CBC News: High-speed internet access on First Nations continues to lag well behind the Canadian average, according to a recent report, prompting calls for more government subsidization of internet access. “Ideally, it would be something similar to our highways...
April 11, 2023
Western premiers blast Lametti for suggesting Ottawa might ‘look at’ provinces’ power over natural resources
Lametti told an AFN meeting he would examine calls to rescind Natural Resources Transfer Act CBC News: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and three western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to disassociate his government from comments made by his justice minister — who promised last week to “look at” a decades-old law that...
March 28, 2023
Budget 2023 continues ‘repetitive injustice’ of underfunding First Nations, says national chief
RoseAnne Archibald welcomes money for MMIWG supports despite frustrations CBC News: The Assembly of First Nations national chief is calling the prime minister a “performative reconciliationist” and wants an economic new deal for First Nations following the delivery of a 2023 federal budget that she says continues a long-standing pattern of underfunding First Nations. RoseAnne...
March 27, 2023
Indigenous groups hope for infrastructure dollars and economic development in budget
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami looking for 35-year, $75B commitment for community infrastructure CBC News – The Canadian Press – Prominent Indigenous organizations are making major requests of the federal government in its upcoming budget, seeking billions in investments for infrastructure and economic development. But with affordability issues at the top of the agenda and Finance Minister...
March 27, 2023
Amnesty International report pans Canada’s record on Indigenous rights
Canada is ‘significantly failing’ on multiple fronts, says official with NGO in Canada CBC News: Global non-governmental organization Amnesty International is denouncing Canada’s record on Indigenous rights as it releases its latest annual analysis on the state of human rights worldwide. In the report released on Monday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization expresses concern that Indigenous people in Canada...
March 8, 2023
Governor General shares abusive comments she received through social media
Mary Simon’s office shut down comments on her official social media accounts last month after a wave of abuse WARNING: This story cites racist, sexist and abusive comments directed at the Governor General. CBC News: Nearly a month after turning off comments on her official social media accounts, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is sharing some of...
March 7, 2023
Métis Nation B.C. in court after feds say it doesn’t qualify as ‘Indigenous governing body’
Canada sparked dispute by rejecting MNBC bid to opt into Indigenous child-welfare law CBC News: The Canadian government is blocking a bid by the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) to opt into federal Indigenous child-welfare law on the grounds MNBC doesn’t qualify as an “Indigenous governing body,” Federal Court files show. The decision sparked an ongoing...
February 26, 2023
Long overdue for federal government to recognize Ontario Métis
NationTalk: The Métis story in Ontario is one of resistance and resilience. In recent years, we have been writing a new chapter to our story with Canada based on reconciliation. This spring, we hope to solidify the progress we have made as a people with the passage of federal recognition legislation by Parliament. In order...
February 24, 2023
Métis Nation of Alberta mounts court challenge to Manitoba Métis self-government deal
Judicial review against Manitoba Métis Federation and Canada was launched fall 2021 CBC News: The Alberta branch of the Métis Nation has signed an updated self-government deal with Canada, even as it is in court challenging a similar agreement between the Manitoba Métis and Canada. In a Federal Court judicial review filed in 2021, the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA)...
January 12, 2023
Rights group releases scathing report on Canada’s violations of Indigenous rights
NationTalk: CTV News, NEW YORK — A prominent human-rights group says Canada is failing to address long-standing abuses, delivering a rebuke of what it calls the federal government’s inadequate climate policy and violations of the rights of Indigenous people and immigration detainees. Human Rights Watch says more than two dozen First Nations remain under long-term drinking...
December 15, 2022
At this rate, Canada won’t meet Truth and Reconciliation calls until 2065, report suggests
Seven years after the TRC released its final report, Canada has much work to do, Yellowhead Institute says. The Toronto Star: Canada has completed only 13 of 94 calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, seven years after its final report, a new update shows. “Survivors (of residential schools) are ageing, and many...
November 9, 2022
BCAFN Honours Important Contributions by Indigenous Veterans
(Lheidli T’enneh Territory – Prince George, BC) – The BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) is grateful and honours the many First Nations in British Columbia who made significant and important contributions to Canada’s military service. Over the years, First Nations displayed incredible strength, determination, generosity, resilience and courage, and are a source of immense...
October 31, 2022
Canada’s attempts to change the Indian Act without adequate consultation must stop!
NationTalk: On October 21, 2022, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs (Assembly) was made aware that the Government of Canada is intending to make changes to the Indian Act. This information was brought to their attention by a third-party, not by the Department of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The Assembly is frustrated and angered,...
October 5, 2022
Justice Department Shuts NWAC Out of FPT Meeting with Indigenous Leaders; Ignores Expertise on Critical Gender-based Issues
NationTalk: OTTAWA – The federal Justice department has closed the door on Canada’s largest national Indigenous women’s organization when it meets with provincial and territorial ministers next week, effectively opting not to address Indigenous gender-based issues in any meaningful way. Though Canada recognizes five National Indigenous Organizations (NIOs), including the Native Women’s Association of Canada...
August 9, 2022
A damning Parliamentary Budget Office report reveals a gaping disconnect between money spent and successful outcomes
Canada’s paternalistic mindset toward supporting Indigenous communities just doesn’t work. A damning Parliamentary Budget Office report revealed a gaping disconnect between the government’s aspirations and the amount of money spent on the one hand, and the actual consequences on the other. Globe & Mail: Ken Coates – McDonald-Laurier Institute Despite a decade of dramatic increases...
November 21, 2021
25th Anniversay of the RCAP Final Report
Prime Minister’s Office – “25th anniversary of the final report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples”. The five-volume landmark document outlined 440 recommendations on Indigenous governance, nation rebuilding, lands and resources, treaties, economic development, and social policy, and called for the renewal of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and all orders of...
June 15, 2021
AFN/Canada Race Race Relations Foundation poll
Assembly of First Nations – Thirteen years after the Government of Canada offered a formal apology to the survivors of the residential school system and families, 68 percent of Canadians polled still say they were either unaware of the severity of abuses at residential schools or completely shocked by it. A poll conducted by the...
December 15, 2020
TRC Commissioners comments about pace of Reconciliation
APTN – The three commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Senator Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson, are issuing a public statement expressing their concern about the slow and uneven pace of implementation of the Calls to Action released by the TRC five years ago today… While they acknowledge important and...
January 7, 2020
8 Ways to champion Human Rights
Toronto Star – Toronto Star identified eight ways that Canada can champion human rights in the 2020s, including the following: First step is to adopt overdue legislation making the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Canada’s framework for rights and reconciliation. And to show we truly mean it: address mercury poisoning at...
July 11, 2019
The Council of The Federation, bi-annual meetings of the Federal, Provincial and Territory Premiers
Refusal to allow leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, the Inuit Tapariit Kanatami and the Native Woman’s Association of Canada to participate in the main body of meetings with a primary focus on climate change within each jurisdiction. As has been noted by numerous media, Indigenous peoples are on the...
July 9, 2019
Towards Justice: Tackling Indigenous Child Poverty in Canada
Upstream – Failure to reduce the level of poverty among Indigenous children. Tracking Indigenous child poverty and non-Indigenous child poverty trends between Census 2006 and Census 2016, it’s clear that these differences have not markedly changed over that 10-year period. “Towards Justice: Tackling Indigenous Child Poverty in Canada” co-authored by the Assembly of First Nations...
March 19, 2019
Funding for National Council for Reconciliation
Deferring the budget decision to fund the National Council for Reconciliation until AFTER the next election. The Interim Board of Directors appointed in Dec. 2017 submitted their interim report to Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs on June 12, 2018. The 2020 fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020 will be almost five...
February 28, 2019
Firing of Jody Wilson-Raybould over SNC-Lavalin
Firing Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould for refusing to grant SNC-Lavalin a “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”. As she stated in her testimony to the Justice Committee: “I was taught to always hold true to your core values, principles and to act with integrity…I am a truth teller in accordance with the laws...
February 16, 2018
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Collectively, NWAC represents a multitude of Nations of Indigenous women who are First Nations, Métis, Inuit. These women represent non-status women and girls and rights holders with Treaty rights, inherent rights, Métis rights, human rights and gender-based rights. As a representative of Indigenous women, NWAC will provide the required gender-based perspective. In order to achieve...
July 20, 2017
NWAC excluded from Council of the Federation discussions
Native Woman’s Association of Canada requested the Council of Federation to include NWAC in all Nation-to-Nation discussions, the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (National Inquiry) in the scope of improving the socio-economic status of Indigenous women, and the need for a community-based prevention model to drive the...
July 17, 2017
Indigenous leaders boycott Council of Federation meetings
National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) President Natan Obed and President Clément Chartier of the Métis Nation of Canada (MNC) held a press conference today in a show of unity over their concerns regarding the full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples in intergovernmental forums, including the Council of the Federation meeting taking...
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