Pam Palmater: The Indian Act is used as a target to deflect blame for racist decisions made by the federal government; a clever guise to force the surrender of all First Nations’ rights
The prime minister made speeding the path to self-government a personal priority, but the initiative has met with skepticism and resistance
Opinion: As the Indian Act comes under scrutiny, treaties could serve as a reminder of what we could achieve—or a mark of our collective failure
Opinion: And it might not be much of a solution to the issues that plague “Indians” in Canada, anyway
Jeffrey Ansloos: Decolonization through abolition of the Indian Act is not ‘modernization’—it’s political revolution. Does Ottawa have the stomach for it?
Opinion: Perry Bellegarde on why he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the Trudeau government’s split of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
Nicole Robertson on her firsthand experiences of the unique challenges of starting a small business as an Indigenous woman
Aboriginal peoples of Canada deserve justice, says Barbara Amiel, but negotiations will be complicated
A senior government source tells the Star that the Prime Minister understands the importance of Friday’s meeting with aboriginal leaders, but the Globe wonders if the meeting will happen at all—some chiefs apparently agreeing with Theresa Spence that the Governor General must be present. Or, as one chief explained to APTN, “If there is any honour in this Crown the governor general better get his ass there.” (I believe the proper phrasing is “his right honourable ass.”)
The House had two reasons this past fall to debate repealing and replacing the Indian Act: a private member’s bill from Conservative MP Rob Clarke and a motion from interim Liberal leader Bob Rae.
Chelsea Vowel considers #IdleNoMore and what needs to change.
The way to read yesterday’s decision by Federal Court Judge Michael Phelan—if you want to get a feel for his ruling that the federal government must extend legal recognition as “Indians” to Métis and so-called “non-status Indians”—is out loud.