The federal government has ignored proposals submitted by the Assembly of First Nations to address the issues surrounding murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls, says interim National Chief Ghislain Picard, and he’s frustrated. “We are representing over 600 communities across the country, and certainly one of our mandates is to find a way to engage the government, whatever government we have in Ottawa, and that’s what we’ve been attempting to do. If we can’t do that on an issue such as this, of course it’s frustrating,” Picard said, reports CBC News.

The Toronto Star reports that a committee tasked with getting more First Nations people on the rolls for jury duty is set to recommend that volunteers from the Aboriginal community become part of a list to hear inquests. The solution is meant to address the lack of Aboriginal people in the make-up of juries within Ontario, though it doesn’t address the imbalance on juries in civil and criminal proceedings.

Cliffs Natural Resources, the largest company hoping to develop mining in the Ring of Fire in Ontario, says it intendes to divest itself of its $3.3-billion project. Marten Falls First Nation was sent a letter by the company, under the economic pressures of high debt and low commodity prices, to say it is seeking “strategic alternatives,” including the sale of the Black Thor chromite project. The 5,000 square kilometres known as the Ring of Fire is believed to contain $50 billion in mineral deposits.

RCMP is investigating an online comment from one of their officers in a northern Saskatchewan First Nations community. It was a Facebook post about an incident at Sucker River reserve. Allegedly, the post by Constable Anthony Setlack said “all drunk uneducated animals shooting at each other” in response to a report of shots fired at the reserve. RCMP spokesperson Craig Cleary said the force is looking into the comment. But the damage is done, said a retired First Nations police officer.

Frog Lake First Nation, led by the grandmothers of the community, held a march Sept. 19 to shine the spotlight on drug and alcohol use. Each participant, about 200 in all, was provided with a purple light bulb that would illuminate outside their homes to signal the household would not tolerate drug and alcohol use in their homes, said Lourraine Hosack. “It’s marking your house as a place of safety.” Organizers chose family allowance cheque day to hold their march to encourage people to be responsible when spending the money.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says a national plan to address family violence and violent crimes against Aboriginal women and girls is not being implemented quickly enough and will lead to more untimely deaths. The federal government has announced the National Action Plan will not be implemented for another six-and-a-half months.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says a national plan to address family violence and violent crimes against Aboriginal women and girls is not being implemented quickly enough and will lead to more untimely deaths. The federal government has announced the National Action Plan will not be implemented for another six-and-a-half months.

Ontario’s new Poverty Reduction Strategy is focused on ending homelessness and providing a stable foundation to help people rise out of poverty. The strategy will invest in initiatives that are evidence-based and measurable, so that Ontario can track its progress and get the best possible results for people. Realizing Our Potential recommits to reducing child poverty by 25 per cent. It will also help in accessing jobs, education and training opportunities, while continuing to maintain income security for vulnerable Ontarians.

Carleton will be the first university in Canada to offer an Aboriginal research ethics program in 2015. Organizers recently conducted a two-day pilot that brought Aboriginal community members, researchers and representatives of granting organizations together. The result will be a 10-day institute to help academics and others implement ethical practices when working with Aboriginal communities. As well, Carleton recently established the Aboriginal Education Council.

Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence was among those First Nations leaders to appear before the Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, which is conducting a study on challenges relating to First Nations infrastructure on reserves. In October 2011, Spence declared a state of emergency in Attawapiskat in response to dropping temperatures and the health risk presented by inadequate housing. It was the third declared state of emergency in as many years.