SEEKING JUSTICE panel discussion: A National Call for an Public Inquiry for the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. Featuring speakers: Sharon McIvor, Maria Jacko, and Yasmin Jiwani
Held Friday Oct 29, 2010
Lamoureux Hall room 122, University of Ottawa
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Are Canadians complacent and complicit on the issue of the Indigenous Murdered and Missing women? Does Media play a role in perpetuating stereotypes about Indigenous women? Do media cultivate indifference because of the lack of critical and investigative reporting? What are the International Human Rights violations of Indigenous women? What are the challenges families, mother’s face when police do not take the investigations seriously? Are Indigenous women merely a political scapegoat by politicians because they do not believe a National public enquiry is necessary? Seeking Justice; A National Call for a Public Inquiry on the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women will be a lively discussion that will provoke you to action to support Indigenous women in their plight for a National Call for a Public Inquiry in Canada .
SHARON MCIVOR:
Sharon has devoted her life to improving the conditions of Aboriginal women, and all women in Canada. Sharon is a member of the Lower Nicola Band in British Columbia , a practicing lawyer, and a Professor of Aboriginal Law at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. She has spent over two decades fighting to end sex discrimination under the status provisions of the Indian Act. At the same time she has been tireless in her work to end violence against Aboriginal women.
MARIA JACKO:
Maria Jacko’s niece Maisy Odjick, along with Maisy’s friend Shannon Alexander went missing together on Sept 6 2008 from Kitigan Zibi, unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin territory, 135km north of Ottawa in Quebec. They were 16 and 17 years of age, respectively, at the time, and have not been since since. For more info, please see www.findmaisyandshannon.com
YASMIN JIWANI:
Yasmin Jiwani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University , Montreal . Her publications include: Discourses of Denial: Mediations of Race, Gender and Violence, as well as a co-edited collection titled: Girlhood, Redefining the Limits. Yasmin is also a co-founder of RACE, Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equity, a Canadian based organization. Her work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. Her research interests include mediations of race, gender and violence in the context of war stories, femicide reporting in the press and representations of women of colour in popular television. In 2006, she co-wrote an article tracing Aboriginal women’s representations in The Vancouver Sun. That article is available and can be accessed at: at www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/download/1825/1932 … Email: yasmin.jiwani@gmail.com … Webpage: http://coms.concordia.ca/faculty/jiwani.html
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This event was part of Indigenous Sovereignty Week 2010 in Ottawa, Oct27-Nov4 – for full details please see www.bit.ly/iswottawa
Organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network; Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sponsors: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women’s Department; CUPE Local 4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts
Throughout the colonial era and through to today, mining companies have enjoyed government sanctioned and un-fettered access to indigenous territories around the world. Canadian companies are currently at the fore of efforts to mine indigenous territories here in Canada and throughout the global south. This presentation will examine three examples of Canadian mining interests infringing on indigenous territories and how communities are reacting: the proposed mine in Tsilhqot’in Territory (Central BC) that would destroy Fish Lake; the Ring of Fire where despite their interest in potential mineral developments the rights of Cree communities are not being respected; and the Goldcorp mine in Guatemala where local communities have suffered water contamination and organized community referenda against mining in their communities.
Ramsey Hart is the Canada Program Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada. He works with mining-affected communities across Canada, participates in the environmental assessment of mining projects and works to reform outdated mining laws. http://www.miningwatch.ca/
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This event is part of Indigenous Sovereignty Week 2010 in Ottawa, Oct27-Nov4 – for full details please see www.bit.ly/iswottawa
Organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network; Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sponsors: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women’s Department; CUPE Local 4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts
Wed Oct27, 7:00pm
at the PSAC building, 233 Gilmour at Metcalfe
“Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden” A Film by Carol Black
Featuring Wade Davis, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Vandana Shiva, Manish Jain, & Dolma Tsering http://schoolingtheworld.org/
Free / by donation
Note: limited seating – please get there early!
Generations from now we’ll look back and say, ‘How could we have done this kind of thing to people?’
For centuries, missionaries have penetrated every corner of the globe with Bibles in their hands. Today’s missionaries carry algebra, chemistry, English, and computers. But what really happens when we replace a traditional culture’s system of knowledge with our own? Schooling the World takes a challenging, sometimes funny, ultimately disturbing look at the effects of modern education on the world’s last sustainable indigenous cultures.
This is the first event of Indigenous Sovereignty Week 2010 in Ottawa, Oct27-Nov4 – for full details please see www.bit.ly/iswottawa
Organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network; Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sponsors: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women’s Department; CUPE Local 4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts
Come join us for a full day of plenaries, workshops and ceremony
9:00am-5:30pm, Lamoureux Hall 1st floor, University of Ottawa (www.uottawa.ca/maps – LMX building)
9:00am – Registration and refreshments
9:30am – Opening ceremony and welcome
10:00am – plenary: Climate Justice – An Indigenous Perspective
(with Ben Powless, Bob Lovelace, and Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas)
11:45am – concurrent sessions:
* Indigenous Peoples Space: A space for Indigenous community members to
gather and talk (facilitated by Bob Lovelace and Ben Powless)
* Working as an Ally (facilitated by Corvin Russell and Pei-Ju Wang)
1:00pm – Lunch
1:45pm – concurrent sessions:
* Reclaiming Indigenous Youth Self-Determination
(Krysta Williams of Native Youth Sexual Health Network)
* An Oral History of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (Tony Wawatie)
3:15pm – plenary: Defending the Land
(with Clement Chartier, Russell Diabo, and Tony Wawatie)
5:00pm – Closing ceremony
DETAILS:
The Indigenous Sovereignty Symposium is the main focus of this year’s Indigenous Sovereignty Week. In it, we will focus on the experiences and histories of a number of Indigenous communities, and look to create a better understanding of the situation across Canada for Indigenous Peoples. Additionally, two special sessions will focus on practical actions that we can undertake. Other sessions focus on Indigenous culture, decolonization and sexuality for young people and the history of Barrierre Lake.
Climate Justice, An Indigenous Perspective (plenary): Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of climate impacts. However, they’re also at the forefront of proposing unique and progressive visions to deal with the causes of climate change. This session will feature a number of Indigenous activists who are focused on advancing the Indigenous perspective on climate change and climate justice.[with Ben Powless, Bob Lovelace, and Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas]
Defending the Land (plenary): Across the land called Canada, many Native communities have been forced to act recently to protect their traditional lands and resources. From mining, oil and gas, to forestry and housing developments, this session focuses on the experience of many communities in asserting their sovereignty. There will also be a presentation on the direction the government is taking towards privatizing Native communities, and recent initiatives to respond to the government. [with Russell Diabo, Clement Chartier, and Tony Wawatie]
Indigenous Peoples Space (session): We will be creating a space for Indigenous community members to have a facilitated discussion about the role of (urban) Indigenous Peoples in re-asserting our voices and visions with regards to Indigenous sovereignty and other issues. We will explore the history of Indigenous social change in Ottawa and relationships to the rest of society. Note: Out of respect, we are asking that only Indigenous community members attend this session. [with Bob Lovelace and Ben Powless]
Working As An Ally (session): “But what can I do?” is one of the most-often heard questions when discussing Indigenous issues. This session will focus on how we can engage in relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous communities that are respectful and useful. We hope that everyone will come with an open mind and be ready to answer some challenging questions about our own roles as allies with Indigenous communities. This session is open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants alike. [with Corvin Russell and Pei-Ju Wang]
Reclaiming Indigenous Youth Self-Determination (session): This workshop will discuss the relation between sovereignty, self-determination and indigenous sexualities in a youth context. Reclaiming indigenous sexualities, in all of their diversity, is a key element of decolonization in a world that continues to recolonize Indigenous people. [with Krysta Williams]
The Oral History of Mitchikanibikok Inik (The Algonquins of Barriere Lake) (session): The Algonquins of Barriere Lake (ABL) have lived on their traditional territory for thousands of years, teachings, knowledge and respect are passed down from generation to generation. The Barriere Lake community is among the few Indigenous communities across Turtle Island who still speak their own language, maintain their custom and carry out their traditional way of life. The traditional territory of Mitchikanibikok Inik is located north of Ottawa in north-western Quebec. In 1991, Barriere Lake signed a sustainable resource co-management agreement over 10.000 sq km of their land with Quebec and Canada after years of resistance to protect the wild life from over exploitation and the forest from clear-cutting. This Trilateral agreement asserts Barriere Lake’s sovereignty, Aboriginal Title to their land and uphold their commitment to co-exist with the English and French documented in the 3-figure Wampum belt dated back to around 1760. However, to this date, neither Canada nor Quebec has honoured the agreement. The struggle to defend Barriere Lake’s sovereignty continues- The latest attempt of the Canadian government is to forcibly assimilate Barriere Lake’s customary governance system using an archaic and rarely invoked piece of Indian Act legislation – Section 74. Tony Wawatie, a community spokesperson from the Algonquin community of Barriere Lake, will be here to share the oral history of his people, their treaty relationship with Canada and their strength to protect their land and culture in the midst of Canada’s assimilation policy.
BIOS:
Ben Powless is a Mohawk citizen and recent graduate from Carleton University in Human Rights, Indigenous and Environmental Studies. He currently works with the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Defenders of the Land Network with Indigenous communities across Canada and the Americas on issues related to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice and climate change. He has travelled to communities across Turtle Island and other parts of the world to work with Indigenous communities.
Robert (Bob) Lovelace is an adjunct Professor at Queen’s University in the Department of Global Development Studies. In 2008, Robert spent 3 ½ months as a political prisoner for his part in defending the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation homeland from uranium exploration and mining. Robert was released on appeal after a groundbreaking decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal found that Aboriginal law is an essential part of Canadian law. He has traveled in Ecuador and Bolivia, speaking with indigenous peoples about the rights of mother earth. Robert is a retired Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. He lives in the Algonquin highlands at Eel Lake in the traditional Ardoch territory where he continues to offer traditional teaching and ceremony. He was also a founding member of the Defenders of the Land network.
Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas is currently National Coordinator of the Bolivia Action Solidarity Network (www.grupoapoyo.org), President of the Group of Support for the Peoples of the Americas (GAPA), advisor to the Federation of Peasant Workers Tupaj Katari and the National Council of Ayllus and Markas of the Qullasuyo (CONAMAQ), member of the Council of Andean First Nations (CANO, www.pusinsuyu.com). and prior advisor to the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of El Ecuador (CONAIE – www.conaie.org). Marcelo is currently a Professor for the Program of Aboriginal Studies, University of Ottawa and previously a researcher for the North-South Institute’s “Indigenous Perspectives” project.
Corvin Russell is an activist and writer living in Toronto. The major focus of his work the last several years has been Indigenous solidarity. He is one of the organizers of Defenders of the Land. Corvin is also one of the founders and organizers of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.
Krysta Williams is the Lead Youth Advocate for the Native Youth Sexual Health Network and is an Indigenous Feminist and Turtle clan from Moravian of the Thames First Nation. She is a traditional singer and drummer, learning songs and teachings from the many amazing women in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. She has a degree in Psychology and Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Waterloo. She is currently a member of the Canadians for Choice Toronto Action Committee. She is passionate about food justice, Indigenous self-determination and healing our relationship with the land.
Russell Diabo is a member of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake, Quebec, and also works as an Advisor to the Algonquins of Barrier Lake. He was a founding member of the Defenders of the Land Network, also bringing his experience as editor of the First Nations Strategic Bulletin.
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Indigenous Sovereignty Week is organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network; Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sponsored by: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women’s Department; CUPE Local 4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts
Please join us as we celebrate the 2nd annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week in Ottawa, Oct27 – Nov4, 2010
The week is a part of a national grassroots initiative to build relationships and raise awareness about the issues and struggles of indigenous people that are often marginalized in Canadian society.
Friday Oct 29, 7:00pm Seeking Justice: A National Call for an Public Enquiry for the Murdered and Missing Women
featuring speakers:
* Sharon McIvor, successful challenger of sex discrimination in the Indian Act
* Laurie Odjig, mother of Maisy (missing since Sept 2008)
* Yasmin Jiwani, Concordia University
… at Lamoureux Hall room 122, University of Ottawa
Saturday Oct 30, 9:00am-5:30pm Indigenous Sovereignty Symposium
featuring: Clement Chartier, Clayton Thomas-Muller, Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas, Ben Powless, representatives from the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Native Youth Sexual Health Network, National Association of Friendship Centres, and more…
* opening and closing ceremonies
* plenaries: Climate Justice, Defending the Land
* concurrent sessions: Indigenous Peoples Space, Working as an Ally, Indigenous Sovereignty in an Urban Context, Reclaiming Indigenous Youth Self-Determination, Land Conservation and Indigenous Sovereignty
… at Lamoureux Hall (1st floor), University of Ottawa
Wednesday Nov 3, 11:30am-2:00pm The Oka Crisis – 20 Years Later: Is Reconciliation Possible?
featuring speakers: (note this is a bilingual event)
* Ellen Gabriel, Présidente, Femmes autochtones du Québec
* Francine Lemay, Traductrice agréée, “À l’orée des bois” | “At the Wood’s Edge”
* Pierre Trudel, Chercheur, Peuples autochtones et gouvernance, CRDP Université de Montréal\CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
* Jessica Yee, Chair, National Aboriginal Youth Council, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network
… at Desmarais Building room 3120, University of Ottawa presented by Forum for Aboriginal Studies and Research at University of Ottawa
Wednesday Nov 3, 7:00pm Film – Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian
English with French subtitles
Followed by discussion with filmmaker Neil Diamond
… at Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier Street, Gatineau presented by the National Film Board in collaboration with Canadian Museum of Civilization
Thursday Nov 4, 7:00pm Film – A Windigo Tale
Ottawa premiere, with director Armand Garnet Ruffo in attendance
… at National Library and Archives auditorium, 395 Wellington St
Please join us for a public event with Grahame Russell, co-director of Rights Action – a grassroots organization working together with indigenous grassroots communities in Central America in resistance to human rights violations and in support of struggles for democracy, justice and Mother Earth:
CRACKS IN THE WALLS OF IMPUNITY & CORRUPTION IN GUATEMALA & HONDURAS, & WITH GLOBAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION COMPANIES
6:30 pm Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 Agora, Ground Floor of Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa (map)
In this event, we will present the documentary “THE BUSINESS OF GOLD in Guatemala: Tale of a Conflict Foretold” followed by a Q&A session by Grahame Russell.
“The Business of Gold in Guatemala”, a 50-minute film, documents one struggle – the resistance of the Mayan-Mam people of San Miguel Ixtahuacan (in Guatemala) against the Canadian company Goldcorp Inc.
In May 2007, former chairman of the Vancouver-based mining company Goldcorp Inc – Ian Telfer – donated $25 million to the School of Management of the University of Ottawa. In honour of his donation, the School of Management was renamed the Telfer School of Management, ignoring environmental and health harms, and other human rights violations, caused by the mines operated by Goldcorp in Guatemala, Honduras and else-where in the world.
During the presentation, Grahame will focus particular attention on:
How “northern actors” – the USA and Canadian governments, businesses, investors, the World Bank, etc. – contribute to and benefit from the unjust economic model and resultant exploitation and poverty, environmental harms, and repression; and, from there, how North Americans, from all walks of life, can get more involved in these and other struggles to help achieve “another world is possible and necessary”.
Related article:
GUATEMALA – GOLDCORP Inc. ALERT: Threat of more mining related tension & violence in Mayan Mam community of Sacmuj, near Goldcorp’s “Marlin” mine
With tax charitable status in Canada and the USA, Rights Action funds and works to eliminate poverty and the underlying causes of poverty. RA supports community-based development, environmental, disaster relief and human rights projects and organizations in Guatemala and Honduras, as well as in Chiapas [Mexico], El Salvador and Haiti. RA educates about and is involved in other work aimed at critically understanding unjust north-south relations and global development, environmental and human rights issues and the challenges of poverty eradication.
GRAHAME RUSSELL
Grahame – a Canadian – lives in Connecticut with his two children. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph (Latin American studies) and the Faculty of Law, Ottawa University. From 1984-1995, Grahame worked with a range of development, environmental and human rights solidarity and NGO groups in Mexico and Central America, living for 8 years in the region. With Rights Action since 1995, Grahame has led Rights Action’s work in the USA and Canada. Grahame’s work has taken him throughout Guatemala, Honduras, Chiapas and Oaxaca, as well as to El Salvador and Haiti. Grahame speaks and publishes regularly about the wide range of issues referred to above. He is the author of: “The Never Ending” (1992) and “Code Z59.5: There is Only One People Here” (2010).
THE BUSINESS OF GOLD in Guatemala: Tale of a Conflict Foretold
Even as the government of Guatemala was signing the 1996 “Peace Accords”, it was – unbeknownst to the Guatemala population – giving out hundreds of mining concessions to international (mainly Canadian) mining companies. Since the early 2000s, serious conflicts have broken out in Guatemala – as well as else-where in Central America – due to the environmental and health harms and other violations of human and indigenous rights being caused by mainly Canadian mining companies.
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* This event is brought to you by Indigenous Peoples’ Solidarity Movement – Ottawa, Mining Watch Canada, Public Service Alliance of Canada – Social Justice Fund, and Territorio Libre
* Admission is free, donations are welcome. All donations will go to support the community groups Rights Action works with in Guatemala & Honduras.
Oct 27 – Nov 4, 2010 – Ottawa / unceded Algonquin Territory
Please share this information!
This is the 2nd annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week, a cross-Canada event intended to solidify relationships among and with Indigenous Peoples. We will hold a number of events in Ottawa on unsurrendered Algonquin territory. These events will localize our struggles, deepen our understanding, address issues and help us to strategize with unified strength and vision.
Please come join us and explore ways in working together to resolve our colonial history and work for a feasible world for our future generations.
Film – Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden
… at PSAC building JK Wylie boardoom, 233 Gilmour (at Metcalfe)
Click here for: ~~ film website ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link
Friday Oct 29, 7:00pm
Seeking Justice: A National Call for an Public Enquiry for the Murdered and Missing Women
featuring speakers:
* Sharon McIvor, successful challenger of sex discrimination in the Indian Act
* Laurie Odjig, mother of Maisy (missing since Sept 2008)
* Yasmin Jiwani, Concordia University
… at Lamoureux Hall room 122, University of Ottawa
Click here for: ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link ~~ map of UOttawa: LMX building
Saturday Oct 30, 9:00am-5:30pm
Indigenous Sovereignty Symposium
featuring: Clement Chartier, Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas, Bob Lovelace, Ben Powless, Russel Diabo, Krysta Williams of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, representatives from the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, and more…
* opening and closing ceremonies
* plenaries: Climate Justice, Defending the Land
* concurrent sessions: Indigenous Peoples Space, Working as an Ally, Reclaiming Indigenous Youth Self-Determination, An Oral History of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake
… at Lamoureux Hall (1st floor), University of Ottawa
Click here for: ~~ full schedule for the day ~~ Facebook link ~~ map of UOttawa: LMX building
Tuesday Nov 2, 5:30pm
Undermining Indigenous Rights: Conflicts with Mining Companies in Canada and Guatemala
with Ramsey Hart of MiningWatch
… University Centre room 378, Carleton University
Click here for: ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link ~~ map of Carleton U (‘UC’ bldg)
Wednesday Nov 3, 11:30am-2:00pm
The Oka Crisis – 20 Years Later: Is Reconciliation Possible?
featuring speakers: (note this is a bilingual event)
* Ellen Gabriel, Présidente, Femmes autochtones du Québec
* Francine Lemay, Traductrice agréée, “À l’orée des bois” | “At the Wood’s Edge”
* Pierre Trudel, Chercheur, Peuples autochtones et gouvernance, CRDP Université de Montréal\CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
* Jessica Yee, Chair, National Aboriginal Youth Council, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network
… at Desmarais Building room 3120, University of Ottawa presented by Forum for Aboriginal Studies and Research at University of Ottawa
Click here for: ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link ~~ map of UOttawa: DMS building
Wednesday Nov 3, 7:00pm
Film – Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian
English with French subtitles
Followed by discussion with filmmaker Neil Diamond
… at Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier Street, Gatineau presented by the National Film Board in collaboration with Canadian Museum of Civilization
Click here for: ~~ film website ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link
Thursday Nov 4, 7:00pm
Film – A Windigo Tale
Ottawa premiere, with director Armand Garnet Ruffo in attendance
… at National Library and Archives auditorium, 395 Wellington St (at Bay)
Click here for: ~~ film website ~~ detailed description ~~ Facebook link
For more info on ISW 2010 (nationally), please see this call from Defenders of the Land, the cross-Canada network of Indigenous activists who initiated ISW. (Note that in Ottawa, we are holding our ISW earlier than the official dates of late November).
And click here to go to IPSMO’s VIDEO ARCHIVES page, with footage from some of last year’s ISW events as well as other videos.
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Organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network; Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sponsors: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women’s Department; CUPE Local 4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts
A Public Lecture by Cindy Blackstock, the Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Exhibition of the Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit:
Is This Our Canada?
How racial discrimination in children’s services undermines the potential of this generation of First Nations children and what you can do to help
with an opening ceremony by Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin Elder and introduction by Georges Sioui, the coordinator of Aboriginal Study of University of Ottawa in the beginning of the lecture
Lecture will begin at 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010 @ Alumni Theatre, Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa (map)
Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit Photography by Liam Sharp will be open all day, from 11 am to 9 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010 @ Agora, Ground Floor of Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa (map)
** Admission is free, everyone is welcome. Donation is appreciated.
As of May of 2005, the Wen:de study found that 0.67% of non Aboriginal children were in child welfare care in three sample provinces in Canada as compared to 10.23% of status Indian children.
According to federal government figures the number of status Indian children entering child welfare care rose 71.5% nationally between 1995-2001.
Is this our Canada?
The Canadian Incidence Study on Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) has found that First Nations children come to the attention of child welfare authorities for different reasons than non Aboriginal children. First Nations are not more likely to experience abuse than non-Aboriginal children. First Nations children are more likely to be reported for neglect which is driven by poverty, poor housing and caregiver substance misuse.
Based on an audit conducted by the Auditor General of Canada, the percentages of children in care on reserves ranged from 0 to 28% in 2007.
Is this our Canada?
Provincial child welfare laws apply both on and off reserves. The provinces fund child welfare for children off reserve but expect the federal government to fund it on reserve. If the federal government does not fund the services or funds them inadequately, the provinces typically do not top up the funding levels. This results in a two tiered child welfare system where First Nations children on reserves get less funding for child welfare than other children.
Repeated reports, including by the Auditor General of Canada (2008) and Standing Committee on Public Accounts (2009) confirm that federal government funding for child welfare services on reserves is inadequate and must be changed in order to ensure First Nations children and families on reserves receive a comparable and culturally based child welfare services.
Although the federal government has been aware of the shortfalls in its child welfare funding for over nine years, it has implemented only modest improvements in three provinces.
Overall there are more First Nations children in child welfare care in Canada than at the height of residential schools. Canada ranked 3rd on the United Nations Human Development index however; the First Nations communities in Canada ranked 72nd.
Is This Our Canada?
Please join us in this lecture to learn about the reality of child welfare services in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (a.k.a. Canada) and ways you can make difference for the First Nations children.
For comprehensive background information, research and publications on First Nations Child Welfare, please visit http://www.fncaringsociety.com/.
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Caring Across Boundaries is an exhibition about the importance of reconciliation between First Nations and the rest of Canada for the wellbeing of children and youth. Reconciliation opens the doors for all Canadians to have a new relationship with First Nations based on mutual respect and friendship.
In this exhibition, three First Nations communities share their daily experiences with a view to inviting every Canadian to make a positive difference for First Nations children and their families.
It is a collaboration between renowned photographer Liam Sharp, Aboriginal child rights advocate Cindy Blackstock and the First Nations communities of Attawapiskat, Ontario; Carrier-Sekani Family Services: a branch society of the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council, British Columbia; and, Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick.
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Bios
Liam Sharp is an internationally renowned photographer who specializes in storytelling conceptual photography. For over twenty years, Liam has worked in settings ranging from diamond vaults to impoverished neighbourhoods, museums, sky scrapers and theme parks. He was the recipient of the Silver Award of the Art Directors Club of Canada in 2009 and was nominated for a National Magazine Award. His work has been featured in Graphis, Applied Arts and PDN magazines, Report on Business, The London Times Magazine, among others publications. Go to liamsharp.com for a glance of his work.
Cindy Blackstock is one of Canada’s leading and most passionate spokespersons for the promotion and strengthening of First Nations cultures, knowledge and rights. A member of the Gitksan First Nation, and the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS), she has worked in the field of child and family services for over 20 years.
ATTAWAPISKAT FIRST NATION is home to the Mushkego or Omushkego James Bay Cree located along the Attawapiskat River near James Bay, Ontario. The community takes great pride in its Cree culture and language and most children are fluent in Cree despite the devastating impacts of colonization. Daily life for families in the community is difficult. The school sits on a site contaminated by over 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel, sanitation systems are grossly inadequate, food costs are high, and there are severe housing shortages. The community leadership has worked hard with federal and provincial governments to deal with the problems but progress is slow.
CARRIER SEKANI NATIONS people historically have resided in a vast territory, of over 76,000 kilometers, primarily located in North Central British Columbia. Today there are approximately 10,000 individuals represented by 22 Indian Bands or First Nations, as recognized by the Department of Indian Affairs that identify as being Carrier or Sekani societies. Families are challenged by the inter-generational impacts of colonization, poverty and unresolved land claims. Carrier Sekani peoples have developed institutions such as Carrier Sekani Family Services to help community members but they need more resources to meet all of the needs. Go to www.csfs.org for more information.
TOBIQUE FIRST NATION is a Maliseet community located in a rural area along the St. John River in New Brunswick. A hydro electric dam was built on their lands but the community receives very little benefit from the dam. They pay some of the highest electric power bills in the province, have seen their traditional foods and medicines eroded due to the dam and many community members are living in poverty. Federal and Provincial government funding for essential government services such as education and child welfare fall far below what other children in the province receive. This community is working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children but they need access to the resources other communities take for granted.
Native women ‘disappear’ in Canada
On the International Day of the Displaced, activists say fate of hundreds of missing indigenous women must be examined. By Chris Arsenault on Sep 01, 2010
SEEKING JUSTICE panel discussion: A National Call for an Public Inquiry for the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. Featuring speakers: Sharon McIvor, Maria Jacko, and Yasmin Jiwani
Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa 