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Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.
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A leaked internal Assembly of First Nations' memo reveals that about two-thirds of the organization's 2003-2004 core budget has been frozen until after the annual general assembly in July.
Dan Brant, the chief operating officer for the AFN, told Windspeaker the decision came directly from the minister of Indian Affairs. He also said he believes the minister is trying to…
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Gordon Benoit's startling Federal Court victory last year that saw the court rule that Treaty 8 members were promised tax immunity by the Crown at the time the treaty was signed, was overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal on June 11.
Treaty 8 sources say they intend to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Although the issue of taxation was not…
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The Saskatchewan Justice department announced on June 11 that former national chief David Ahenakew has been charged with spreading hate, a criminal offence. Last year, the former Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations senator made anti-Semitic statements during a public speech, allegedly breaking Section 319(2) of the Criminal Code.
Ahenakew could not be reached for…
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The admission in June by the new chief of the Saskatoon Police Service that an officer was disciplined in 1976 for taking a Native woman to the outskirts of the city and abandoning her there has increased the intensity of the spotlight on the embattled police force.
After two Saskatoon police officers were convicted forcible confinement after dropping Darrell Night…
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Just days after he sparred publicly in the press with Liberal Party leadership front-runner Paul Martin over the First Nations governance act, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Robert Nault, declared publicly that the former finance minister has his support in the leadership race.
Some observers say it was merely a smart move by Nault, who likely…
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When the House of Commons rose for the summer break on June 13, a week earlier than expected, Bill C-7, the First Nations governance legislation, died on the order paper. But it's not over till it's over. The First Nations governance act could be resurrected in the fall.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien will have a very brief window of opportunity to reintroduce legislation in…
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All three candidates said the format of the AFN needs some repair.
Fontaine said change is part of the history of the movement.
"We change when circumstances drive us to reorganize ourselves. For example, the predecessor to the National Indian Brotherhood was the National Indian Council. It was status blind. First Nations people decided that wasn't meeting their…
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Third place in race can make or break a chief
As predicted here last month, the campaign for Assembly of First Nations national chief will be a three-candidate affair involving incumbent Matthew Coon Come, former national chief Phil Fontaine and Roberta Jamieson, a recent arrival as an elected participant, but no stranger to the national political stage.
The…
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Although Toronto is told that the second cluster of SARS cases is on the decline, another tragedy has occurred. A day set aside to honor the Aboriginal people of this nation has been overshadowed by a SARS benefit, "concert for commerce" for the Greater Toronto Area.
Again First Nation's peoples are shown the disrespect by being relegated to obscurity. The priorities and…
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My main concern is what is happening with our people up in the Yukon territories. I don't know if you know, but there has been a number of people who have signed off their land claims agreement, eight of them in total.
My concern is that these people are now becoming enfranchised. I think it's the biggest enfranchisement in Canadian history and nobody seems to be taking…
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Dear Editor:
I am a Westbank Indian band member and believe there was an injustice done to my family by chief and council. I watched the video made for their promotion of the band's self-government legislation. I was appalled to see my deceased parents' pictures used, stating that they were striving for self-government.
My parents believed in sharing and living off…
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Open letter to Robert Nault:
Although words like First Nations or First Nations governance are being used in this act and by government spokespeople, especially to the media, they really mean Indian bands and council of the band(s).
However, given that this act will make spending of band funds and earned dollars more accountable and transparent-I whole-heartedly…
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Dear Editor:
I would question last month's writer of the letter entitled, Act has grassroots support.
Who is this character that claims to be speaking for the grassroots level of First Nations people? I'm a grassroots level First Nations person and I do not support the Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault's First Nations governance act, Bill C-7.
I say no to…
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David Ahenakew is a portrait of tragedy. A man who ruined a lifetime of hard work by opening his mouth and letting the world hear that he holds some monumentally stupid-and, yes, hateful-opinions.
But Mr. Ahenakew is not so foolish as to ever say anything along those lines again, especially in public and especially to a journalist. He is disgraced. Knocked out of the…
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Visitors to Manitoulin Island and the North Shore of Lake Huron will find themselves immersed in a land of visions and dreams.
A network of First Nations' cultural attractions, known as the Great Spirit Circle Trail, welcomes tourists to the territory of the region's Anishnaabe people in the ancestral home of the Council of the Three Fires Confederacy.
The Great…