News 1. Gold fever and our water supply Joan Baxter reports that mineral exploration companies have staked claims next to the Halifax and Dartmouth lakes that are the source of our drinking water. Click here to read “Gold fever is coming to Halifax.” This article is for subscribers. Click here to subscribe. 2. Yarmouth ferry […]
Consent is key when it comes to energy development, chiefs tell AFN
by Hilary Beaumont Consent, when asked for and granted, is a beautiful thing. But as the Assembly of First Nations heard Thursday, industry and the Crown haven’t exactly been establishing consent before plowing forward with energy development on First Nations territory. When it comes to extracting gas or developing land, chiefs and delegates voiced concern...
Tsilhqot’in ruling could set precedent in land disputes, AFN hears
by Hilary Beaumont Visitors from the Tsilhqot’in First Nation in BC enjoyed a sort of celebrity status at this year’s AFN gathering in Halifax. They received pats on the back, held their heads high, and practiced telling the story of how they appeared before the highest court in Canada. “[The Elders told me] when you...
AFN renews call for national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women
by Hilary Beaumont On the heels of the brutal assault of Cree woman Marlene Bird in Prince Albert, and as Halifax prepares for the preliminary inquiry into the murder of Inuk woman Loretta Saunders next week, First Nations people are again calling for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women. “Hey Harper, wake...
Ghislain Picard named Interim National Chief
Ghislain Picard, the Regional Chief of Quebec and Labrador and the longest-serving chief on the Assembly of First Nations executive committee, has been named Interim National Chief of the AFN. Picard fills a seat that has been empty since the unprecedented resignation of National Chief Shawn Atleo in May. Picard was nominated for the interim position yesterday, but […]
Assembly of First Nations: reform and rebuilding
The Assembly of First Nations is meeting in Halifax this week, with 242 chiefs, or their proxies, present. The first order of business was dealing with the fallout from the unprecedented resignation of National Chief Shawn Atleo in May. Atleo resigned over criticism of his handling of Bill C-33, which dealt with education policy: some...
Mi’kmaq meet Europeans: First contact to burying the hatchet
by Hilary Beaumont Representatives of Canada and the Crown addressed the crowd at the Assembly of First Nations conference in Halifax, or rather K’jipuktuk, Tuesday morning. Premier Stephen McNeil, NS Lieutenant Governor John Grant, and Halifax Mayor Mike Savage opened the conference of about 1,000 delegates alongside national chiefs and elders. The AFN, a national...