Two years ago almost to the day, much was made of the Canadian government’s Statement of Apology to survivors of the country’s ‘Indian’ residential schools, where the only thing Indian about these grievous institutions were the children forced into them. We know the intended mission behind the schools: to systematically destroy the Indian in the […]
Today is the 2nd anniversary of the Government of Canada’s official apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools. To mark the date, Ottawa-based journalist Martha Troian sat down with one former student and heard her story of time spent at residential school, her reflections on the apology, and how she learned to forgive. She was […]
I probably first heard about the “Doctrine of Discovery” when I came upon my parents during one of their kitchen table sessions. Typically, Dad would make a point by poking a finger at the table. Mom might ponder a moment, maybe leaf through Felix Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law, or reach for a piece […]
Recently, I became a last-minute replacement for a panel discussion at a Montreal university for the “Anti-Capitalist Teach-in Against the G8/G20”. The person I replaced said he had to back out that day because of work. Later, he said he’d received a call from the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, or CSIS. Lately, a lot […]
I sent away for my “treaty money” the other day. Apparently, you can do that now. Growing up in Manitoba, treaty money was usually collected in person at “Treaty Days,” which commemorated the occasion of your First Nation signing its bilateral treaty with the Crown. Many treaty communities still host their own Days. It was […]
