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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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Lyle Donald and Brenda Blyan Calliou are trying to force a recount in the election that saw Audrey Poitras returned as president of the Metis Nation of Alberta.
The two were unsuccessful candidates in the most recent election. Bylan Calliou was the MNA vice-president in the last administration. She ran against Poitras, the MNA incumbent, for the top job and was defeated.…
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Fourteen exceptional people will be honored in Ottawa March 28, as the tenth annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are handed out at the National Arts Centre.
This year, two awards will be given out in the arts and culture category, with both Metis fiddler John Arcand and writer Tom King receiving the honor.
Arcand has worked to preserve Metis music from the…
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Gerald Morin, then president of the Metis National Council (MNC), was charged with assault and mischief by Ottawa police after a complaint was filed on Dec. 11, 2002.
But that's just the beginning of a long and complex story that ended with Metis Nation of Alberta President Audrey Poitras succeeding Morin as national Metis leader, at least in the interim.
It was 20…
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The team of academics that conducted the highly-respected Harvard University study of Native American governance and economic development has examined the First Nations governance act (FNGA) and found it lacking.
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development produced conclusions about what works-and what doesn't-in Native American communities in regards to…
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Paul LeMay works inside the system and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, but that hasn't stopped him from coming to the conclusion that the party is in need of serious reforms.
The bureaucrat lobbied hard against the government position on Bill C-12, which seeks to modernize the legislation governing Sport Canada, because he sees it ignoring the constitutional…
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Federal legislation that is within days of being passed into law does not protect the equality rights of Aboriginal, female or disabled athletes.
That's what a Liberal Party member who works in the federal bureaucracy has told Windspeaker. Paul LeMay broke the unwritten rule of bureaucratic silence to speak out on a government position that he says violates Canada's…
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Elder recalls colorful past and sees sad changes from hospital bed
When I first met Elder Pierre Auger, late in the evening of Sept. 29 he was in a hospital bed at St. Theresa Hospital in Fort Vermilion. Through a friend, Roy Randolf, we had contacted an interpreter, Iola Ducharme, to accompany us because Pierre only spoke Cree.
Pierre tried to sit up when we…
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EDITORIAL
This week Bill McKnight came to Calgary, apparently to announce a new negotiator for the Lubicon Lake claim, but in fact to deliver a long diatribe on the government's new western diversification scheme.
The minister spent approximately three to four minutes on the Lubicon announcement before regaling Calgary businessman with a long and laborious speech on…
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In a small wooden church, on Sept. 25, Robert and Philomen Aulotte were married in the autumn of 1936. Although they both lived in Fishing Lake, they drove a team and wagon to Onion Lake, Saskatchewan for the ceremony.
"There was no church here," said 68-year-old Philomen, from her home on the Fishing Lake Metis Settlement.
"We had just a little celebration with my…
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A new film directed by Metis filmmaker Gil Cardinal premieres in Edmonton this week.
The premiere of 'Foster Child' will be held at the National Film Board Theatre Oct. 14 and launches a Canada-wide tour for Cardinal who will present screenings of his film in major centres across the country.
The 43-minute documentary tells Cardinal's story of his search for his…
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AT his inauguration as new University of Alberta president on Oct. 3, 1987, Howard Tennant identified the university's Native component as one of three priorities. In particular, he acknowledged the achievements and important roles played by the Native American Studies Department, the BESS program (Business Enterprizes and Self-Governing Systems of Indian, Inuit, and Metis…
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It was a sad day for many who mourned the sudden death of Joseph Cardinal who passed away Sept. 16 at the age of 79. A funeral service was held at St. Bernard Mission, Grouard, Sept. 19 with Rev. Garry La Boucane presiding.
Elmer Cardinal was the cross bearer and the pallbearers were: Larry Cardinal, Melvin Cardinal, Mark Anderson, Larry L'Hirondelle, Charlie L'Hirondelle…
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Concern over the new proposed Metis Settlements Act coupled with claims of a lack of democratic procedures, financial mismanagement and poor leadership have forced a number of settlement members to consider an ad hoc committee to deal with these issues.
Approximately 40 disgruntled settlement members from the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement met at the Friendship Centre in…
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The Indian Resource Council (IRC) is making progress in assisting bands in resource management and ownership on their land.
But, the group must first persuade Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) minister Bill McKnight that they are an authority on resource handling ? not just an advisory committee. If the council is to have a real influence on Indian resource…
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Canadian gov't not painting pretty picture at Meech Lake
What do the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP really think about Native people and the Constitution? The answer is in this week's report of the parliamentary committee that studied the Meech Lake Accord. It's not a pretty picture.
But first, think back to March 27; the last day of the constitutional…