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All posts written by Christine McFarlane

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- Activist Report
- Indigenous
Have A Heart Day

February 14, 2013 • Christine McFarlane

Dr. Cindy Blackstock (Christine McFarlane)

Dr. Cindy Blackstock, a member of the Gitxaan Nation and Executive Director for the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society reminds us every February 14, to ‘Have a Heart’. A champion for the cause, Blackstock utilizes the day to draw attention to one of the most vulnerable sectors of society; Indigenous children.

Her vision is to have a generation of First Nations children who are given the same opportunities to succeed, celebrate their culture and be proud of who they are, just like other children in Canada.

Her “Have a Heart Day’ initiative is about supporting First Nations children to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy and be proud of their cultures. She works to bring all Canadians together to ensure First Nations children have proper services.

You can help by sending a Valentine’s Day card or letter supporting Have a Heart Day to the Prime Minister and your Member of Parliament, by hosting a Valentine’s Day party to raise awareness in your school or community, or by spreading the word through social media like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Explore the Have a Heart Day website to send an e-Valentine, or to order Have a Heart Valentine’s cards, posters, bookmarks, and buttons! (http://www.fncaringsociety.com/have-a-heart)

Most of all, please have a heart so that First Nations children don’t need to fight for services every other Canadian can enjoy.
- Activist Report
- Indigenous
Day of Action-Thousands Converged on Parliament Hill

January 28, 2013 • Christine McFarlane

Bundled up and braving the cold, thousands of First Nations peoples from across Canada converged on Parliament Hill in a national day of action on January 11, 2013. The day of action was to protest the omnibus budget Bill C-45, and bring awareness to mainstream Canadians about the wrongs our Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done to all Canadians, not just First Nations peoples.

Bill C-45 has been a huge focal point for the movement Idle No More that has swept across Canada and the international stage in the latter part of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The 457-page omnibus budget legislation bill (also known as the Jobs and Growth Act) that was introduced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government will make changes to several Canadian laws and enactments that include the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and Navigable Waters Act. When you break down Bill C-45 further, it includes the following:

Bill S-6 First Nations Election Act
Bill S-8- Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act
Bill S-2-Family Homes on Reserve and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act
Bill C-428 Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act
Bill S-207- An Act to Amend the Interpretation Act
Bill S-212- First Nations Self Government Recognition Act.

Bill C-45 will only see 97 of Canada’s approximately 32,000 major lakes protected by the stripped down act. The changes in the Fisheries Act and the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act will also allow companies behind major pipeline and interprovincial power line projects to no longer have to prove that they will not damage or destroy navigable waterways in Canada. This will not only affect our current generation but generations behind us.

First Nations peoples are upset with Stephen Harper and his government for his blatant disregard for First Nations peoples and their rights. They are upset that there has been no consultation with First Nations peoples and their leadership in regards to the amendments suggested in Bill C-45, because these amendments are outlined in our treaty rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In particular, I quote Article 8 and Article 40 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Article 8 states:

1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture, and

2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of and redress for:

(a) Any action, which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities;
(b) Any action, which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources;
(c) Any form of forced population transfer, which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;
(d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration;
(e) Any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them.

And Article 40 states:

Indigenous peoples have the right to access to and prompt decision through just and fair procedures for the resolution of conflicts and disputes with States or other parties, as well as to effective remedies for all infringements of their individual and collective rights. Such a decision shall give due consideration to the customs, traditions, rules and legal systems of the Indigenous peoples concerned and international human rights.

Harper’s refusal to negotiate means he is not considering First Nations people, their distinct nations and their ownership of what we all know as Turtle Island. The refusal is also an affront to international law, the Constitution of Canada, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

While thousands protested on January 11, a working meeting took place between Stephen Harper and various Assembly of First Nations delegates. Those in attendance included Shawn Atleo, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and other representatives from the Assembly of First Nations. Treaty Chiefs from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and elsewhere boycotted the meeting in anger. Although Governor-General David Johnston did not attend the working meeting with the Prime Minister and the AFN, Johnston held a later gathering and addressed a ceremonial meeting of Chiefs that included Chief Theresa Spence.

What will happen next is up to the people and our leaders. We all need to work together, and make sure that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government know that “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” and during this highly political time, the Canadian government needs to acknowledge the ongoing systemic nature of Canada’s colonial past and present before First Nations/Metis and Inuit Peoples see and believe that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government are sincere about paving a path forward together.

For further reading about the issues in this article please visit the following links:

www.idlenomore.com

www.rabble.ca/issues/indigenous

www.aptn.ca/pages/news/tag/idlenomore

www.ammsa.com/content/idlenomore-campaign
- Activist Report
- Indigenous
Bill C-45 Affects All Canadians, Not Just First Nations

January 16, 2013 • Christine McFarlane

Bill C-45 is a 457-page omnibus budget legislation bill (also known as the Jobs and Growth Act) that will make changes to several Canadian laws and enactments. Bill C-45 includes the following:

Bill S-6 First Nations Election Act
Bill S-8- Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act
Bill S-2-Family Homes on Reserve and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act
Bill C-428 Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act
Bill S-207- An Act to Amend the Interpretation Act
Bill S-212- First Nations Self Government Recognition Act.

This includes the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the Navigable Waters Act. These changes are detrimental to all Canadians, not just First Nations peoples.

The passing of Bill C-45 for First Nations people eliminates treaty rights. It will allow First Nations to lease out/surrender reserve lands based on votes taken at a single meeting, rather than a majority vote from an entire First Nation (community consent). It also exempts companies behind major pipeline and inter-provincial power line projects from needing to prove that they won’t damage or destroy navigable waterways in Canada.

The changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act would see just 97 of Canada’s approximately 32,000 major lakes protected by the stripped down act. Changes to the Fisheries Act and the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act will wreck havoc on our ability to maintain a sustainable environment and have clean water and healthy oceans for all Canadians.

The Government of Canada never consulted with ANY First Nations in regards to these amendments as outlined in our treaty rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Article 32 in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states:

1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands or territories and other resources.States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the Indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources and other constructive arrangements concluded with States or their successors and to have States honour and respect such treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.

2. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as diminishing or eliminating the rights of Indigenous peoples contained in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.

and lastly, Article 40 states:

Indigenous peoples have the right to access to and prompt decision through just and fair procedures for the resolution of conflicts and disputes with States or other parties, as well as to effective remedies for all infringements of their individual and collective rights. Such a decision shall give due consideration to the customs, traditions, rules and legal systems of the Indigenous peoples concerned and international human rights.

The Idle No More Movement is more than First Nations peoples protecting their rights, it is about standing up for all Canadians and protecting everybody’s future.
- Activist Report
- Indigenous
What Is It Going to Take For PM Stephen Harper to Meet With Chief Theresa Spence?

January 2, 2013 • Christine McFarlane

What will it take for Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper to sit down and speak with Chief Theresa Spence? Will it take all First Nations and allies to continue stand- ins and protests, staging blockades or will it take worse before our PM Stephen Harper finally admits to himself that what he is currently doing, (which is nothing) isn’t working.

It was December 11, 2012, that Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat First Nation began a hunger strike that has largely become a focal point for the Idle No More Movement that is currently sweeping across Canada and the international stage. It was also a year ago that Chief Theresa Spence and Attawapiskat First Nation were thrust into the limelight with their housing and infrastructure crisis, where we all saw Harper famously stepping in, removing management of the community from the Chief and council and announcing third party management, which was later ruled by the courts as “wrong to do.”

Spence says “many First Nations communities face impoverished conditions despite assurances from the government that progress is being made to alleviate poverty,” and her hunger strike is not only about putting focus on First Nations issues, supporting the Idle No More Movement, highlighting concerns about Stephen Harper and his Conservative governments omnibus Bill C-45, but also striking a national discussion with First Nations leadership, the Prime Minister and Canada’s Governor-General and getting them to agree to a sit down, to talk about Canada’s treaty relationship with First Nations peoples. (more inside…)
- Activist Report
- Indigenous
The Idle No More movement

December 30, 2012 • Christine McFarlane

The Idle No More Movement began with four women: Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam, Jessica Gordon and Sheelah McLean. It has evolved into a movement that has spread across Canada and the international stage.

Idle No More began in early October when Bill C-45 was being discussed. The movement’s focus is on grassroots voices, treaty rights and sovereignty. Bill C-45 is a 457-page omnibus budget legislation bill (also known as the Jobs and Growth Act) that will make changes to several Canadian laws and enactments that include the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the Navigable Waters Act.

For First Nations people, the passing of Bill C-45 eliminates treaty rights. It will allow First Nations to lease out/surrender reserve lands based on votes taken at a single meeting, rather than a majority vote from an entire First Nation (AKA community consent). It also exempts companies behind major pipeline and inter-provincial power line projects
from needing to prove that they won’t damage or destroy navigable waterways in Canada. This is dangerous in itself because it will interrupt First Nations peoples and their ability to continue a traditional lifestyle of hunting, trapping and fishing on their lands.

The four women who began this movement held rallies and teach-ins to generate discussion and to provide information surrounding Bill C-45 and the effects it could have on everyone if it was approved and signed into legislation. A National Day of Solidarity and Resurgence was called on for December 10, 2012 to oppose all legislation and to build solidarity. First Nations people and allies stood in solidarity across the country in more than 13 locations: Vancouver, Whitehorse, Calgary, Edmonton, Stand-Off, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Goose Bay-Happy Valley.

Idle No More action on December 22, 2012 at the Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario. (Christine McFarlane)

By passing Bill C-45, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government of Canada are ignoring First Nations rights and have literally diminished the need to consider the impacts these changes will make on First Nations water resources. Furthermore, Canada has intentionally failed to fulfill its constitutionally obligated responsibility to consult affected First Nations before the Senate passed the bill.

As opposition to Bill C-45 has continued to grow, we have become witnesses to flash mob round dances, and stands in solidarity happening all over Canada. It has been amazing to see that there has also been support from as far away as the UK, Egypt, Australia, New Mexico, Los Angeles and other parts of the US.

Idle No More action on December 22, 2012 at the Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario. (Christine McFarlane)

The Idle No More Movement has grown into a national phenomenom and demands that everyone stand up and stand together. It is time that we all say we are IDLE NO MORE to Stephen Harper and his colonist ways.

For more information regarding the Idle No More movement, please visit http://www.idlenomore.ca

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s ongoing hunger strike.