Leon Jourdain says he is the candidate who has been given the nod by the grassroots.

“My grandchildren, everybody’s grandchildren, those people I look to on the ground level, are saying, ‘You need to run. You’re on the ground all the time. We tell you about our issues,’” said Jourdain. “All the information I have is shaped by the people on the ground.”

He adds that he was nominated by chiefs and Elders.

The former two-term Treaty 3 grand chief says he comes to the position with a unique perspective, presently serving as a counsellor and therapist in Lac La Croix.

A verdict delivered by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal within the next six months could find Canada in a unique position: the first country to be held liable for contemporary mistreatment of children.

THE URBANE INDIAN

Once again, an august row of educated, privileged white men and women are sitting in judgement on the fate of Canada’s Native people. I am talking about the Supreme Court of this country. The question being debated, should a row of educated, privileged white men and women sit in judgement on the fate of Canada’s Native people?

Guest Column

By Senator Sandra Lovelace Nicholas

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing about the ongoing tragedy of murdered and missing Aboriginal women, a national epidemic of violence that persists in devastating ever more families each year.

The dreadful cases of Bernice Rich, Loretta Saunders and Tina Fontaine – to name a few innocent victims murdered this year – have personalized the horrendous nature of the problem and prompted Aboriginal women to ask:  “Am I next?” 

We’d like to take this space to send our thoughts and prayers out to Rinelle Harper and her family. Many of us at Windspeaker have children, grandchildren Rinelle’s age and our hearts exploded in pain when we heard of the assault on her. We can only imagine the nightmare she is living. The brutality endured by this 16-year-old child should make the blood boil in every Canadian. Let us say clearly, no child, no woman, no man should ever have to experience such violation.

Continuation of funding for band constables was on the agenda when provincial and territorial justice ministers met with the federal government in Banff in mid-October. Funding for the program expires March 31, 2015. Federal Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the program fell short of its goals and money will be reallocated into the First Nations Policing Program. The 45-year-old program allows First Nations officers to help police their own communities and is particularly important for reserves that don’t have an RCMP detachment.

Alberta Auditor General Merwan Saher singled out the joint Canada–Alberta plan for oil sands monitoring when he stated a need for “improved results analysis reporting.”  Says The Report of the Auditor General of Alberta – October 2014 about the oil sands monitoring program, “The plan describes projects the two governments agreed to carry out over three years starting in 2012. The purpose is to understand the cumulative effects of oil sands development and determine whether the development is environmentally responsible.

Saddle Lake Cree Nation has been joined by Hupcasasath First Nation in sending letters to the Premier of China condemning the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. Saddle Lake Chief Leonard Jackson concludes his letter by stating, “Finally, this agreement faces extreme opposition by Indigenous Nations of these lands, and many Canadians alike; therefore The Peoples Republic of China, you must have certainty to enact an agreement like this.

The need to strengthen relationships with Aboriginal people was among the topics discussed when Premier Jim Prentice met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the first time. Prentice holds the portfolio of Aboriginal Relations in his Cabinet. The two leaders also focused on Alberta’s economy, energy and the need for skilled labour in the province, according to a news release. The meeting took place in Calgary on Oct. 10. In related news, Prentice told The Canadian Press that he would revisit policies that have resulted in court action by First Nations.