Does the war against Aboriginal women begin at home?

Events of recent weeks have repeatedly reminded me of some long-standing questions I’ve had surrounding the obligations of Aboriginal communities to their members, in particular, to their female members. These reminders have come as a series of three news stories, published separately but seemingly tied together by one underlying theme, one I am loath to […]

Reported cases of missing / murdered Aboriginal women “just the tip of the iceberg”

Indian Country Today recently put out its first in a four-part series about the fight to “prevent the widespread violence against First Nations women and girls” in Canada. “Trafficking our children” begins with the harrowing description of how one 11-year-old was forced into the sex trade on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, an all-too-familiar example of how […]

Mapping the Missing and Murdered

In an attempt to both raise awareness and possibly assist with the investigation of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in this country, I have drawn on the power of Google Maps. It is simply scandalous that, as of July 2009, the past three decades have seen over 520 indigenous women disappear or die violently in […]

Throne Speech Pledges “Steps to Endorse” UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights

Well, that was certainly unexpected.. In her much anticipated Speech from the Throne, Canada’s Governor General Michaelle Jean stated the following: “We are a country with an Aboriginal heritage. A growing number of states have given qualified recognition to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Our Government will take steps to […]