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Canada Endorses the UN Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples

Date: 11/13/2010

On November 12th the government of Canada finally formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The government's official statement falls far short of actual endorsement, however, emphasizing that the declaration "does not reflect customary international law nor change Canadian laws" and further emphasizing Canada's objection to most of the major rights spelled out in the declaration.

Campaign Update – USA: Hundreds Arrested in Tar Sands Protest in Ottawa

Date: 09/27/2011

On September 26, 2011 over 200 people protesting Canadian government's support for Alberta's Tar Sands and the Keystone pipeline XL were arrested trying to carry out a sit-in in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Lift Each Other Up: An Interview with Chief Wilton Littlechild, commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

In 1976, Chief Wilton Littlechild had the distinction of being the first Treaty First Nation person to acquire his law degree from the University of Alberta. He also received his master’s degree in physical education in 1975. In addition to running his own law firm from the Ermineskin Reserve, Chief Littlechild is a strong advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. He was the chairperson for the Commission on First Nations and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform, and served as a member of Parliament from 1988–1993 for the riding of Wetaskiwin-Rimby.

Resolution: An Interview with Elder Joseph Williams

The Canadian Truth Commission process includes a group of elder Aboriginal advisors, to help guide the commission. One of those advisors is Joseph Williams Jr. (Taa-eee-sim-chilth), who is Nuu-chah-nulth and a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations in Meares Island, British Columbia. An elder and survivor of Indian Residential Schools, he is fluent in the Nuu-chah-nulth language.

Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Beginning in the 1880s, Aboriginal children across Canada were removed, often forcibly, from their homes and placed in Indian Residential Schools. At the schools, students were forbidden to speak Native languages and practice their culture. Testimony from surviving former students presents overwhelming evidence of widespread neglect, starvation, extensive physical and sexual abuse, and many student deaths related to these crimes.

Camouflage

My thoughts are like a thousand startled bats looking for a way out of a cave. Their wings are frantically flapping as they move in a thousand different directions all at once. I saw this on one of those nature shows on TV, the shows you only watch when there is nothing else on.

Negotiating a Nation, Limiting Suicide

The Inuit of Nunavik in Northern Quebec are no strangers to tragedy. With a population of slightly less than 12,000 in a region slightly larger than California, the Inuit of Nunavik have a suicide rate that is seven times higher than in the rest of Quebec.

Joint Statement in Response to Canada’s Endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Date: 12/13/2010

On November 12th the Canadian government endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We urge the government to move ahead with the implementation of its provisions in a principled manner that fully respects their spirit and intent.

Prime Minister Harper Endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
CANADA

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

I write to urge you to immediately endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration is a set of principles that would provide First Nations with greater security regarding their basic human rights, including their rights to equality and non-discrimination.

Around the world, 147 countries have endorsed the declaration. Since it is not a treaty it does not require the advice and consent of the Parliament for Canada to endorse it. The declaration fortifies much of what is already a part of Canadian law. But it goes a step further and recommends that States adopt a number of principles that would ensure that Indigenous Peoples can exercise their right to free, prior, and informed consent before governments approve projects such as hydroelectric dams, mines, logging, etc., or military activities on their lands. It also affirmatively supports Indigenous Peoples' rights to teach their languages to their children, and to manifest, practice, and develop, and teach their spiritual and religious traditions to their children. While the declaration is not a self-executing treaty with the full force of law, it comprises the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date statement of the rights that all Indigenous Peoples -- individually and collectively -- should possess, and articulates the standards that States should strive to attain to ensure that their rights are protected.

Most of the world's national governments have endorsed the Declaration. Only two "no" votes remain: Canada and the United States. Let's not be the last country to endorse an internationally negotiated Declaration that begins to amend historic wrongs against Indigenous Peoples here and around the globe.

Sincerely yours,

Young, Aboriginal, Missing

The city was teeming with wasps that year. The hum of their wings seemed to pulsate through the city, words of a different language, it seemed, that none of us could hear. The beauty of the city seemed to wane when you heard the hum of approaching wasps. They gathered around garbage cans, attracted by the scent of sweet, discarded soda or enticed by wasted meat. When you sat down with a meal outside, hoping to enjoy the short Saskatchewan summer, you sensed the nearby din of hungry wasps. Was this, in fact, a warning that something terrible was to come?

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