Kent Monkman's Big Four
Glenbow Museum, Calgary
May 25 - August 18, 2013

CHURN CREEK PROTECTED AREA
Near Williams Lake, BC

KLAHOWYA VILLAGE
Vancouver, BC

British Columbia paid $73,000 to a First Nation for a moose-enhancement program that included rounding up 14 wild horses to sell for meat at auction, reports the Vancouver Sun. The money was also used to train members how to trap wolves, to conduct a survey of moose kills by Native hunters, and to decommission logging roads. The Tl’etinqox First Nation at Alexis Creek said the moose-enhancement program ran from October 2012 to March 2013.

In mid-May, federal lawyers were accused of withholding documents related to a discrimination case at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Lawyer Paul Champ, representing First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, leveled the charge. “We always believed there would be ongoing disclosure because the case is ongoing and new audits come up then fine, but it appears from the letter from (Justice Canada) that basically there’s a large number of documents dating back to 2010 that have not yet been disclosed,” APTN News reports.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said the data from the 2011 National Household Survey underscores the importance of investing in the potential and opportunity of First Nations in Canada. “The results… further highlight the importance of First Nations as one of the fastest growing and youngest population, and as drivers of and partners to economic development,” said Atleo. The survey reveals that the First Nation population continues to grow at a much higher rate than the non-Aboriginal population at about 23 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent.

A survey conducted by Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) organizations, First Nations businesses and other NAN organizations in the Thunder Bay area, indicates that $51.8 million flowed into the local economy from them in the last fiscal year. The information was reported by Wawatay News. “We were amazed when we began to add up how much money is contributed to the economy by First Nations,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegamic.

A reformed neo-nazi skinhead, a UNBC masters student, said the residential school system was institutionalized white supremacy, reports the Prince George Citizen on May 16. The man was speaking to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings which held two days of testimony in the community. He talked about the cycle of violence; that the experience sometimes turned the abused into the abuser. “The reason I would beat people up was to respond to the abuses I suffered,” explained Daniel Gallant.

First Nations experts want to be included in the process when the Quebec government develops new history courses for its classrooms across the province. The Quebec government has stated it feels the sovereignty issue has had short-shrift in schools and now wants to “reinforce” its “national history.” The Quebec Native Women organization wants the courses to include a significant amount of history involving and affecting First Nations. “We want to do it to combat the racism and prejudice that we must confront every day,” said Viviane Michel, president of Quebec Native Women.

The Court of Appeal for Yukon has overturned a territorial Supreme Court land claim decision that ruled the courts don’t have the authority to enforce promises made by the Crown more than 100 years ago. The Ross River Dena Nation says documents from 140 years ago, which transferred land to the government to form Yukon, promised compensation and to protect the nation’s rights to the land. Canada argued the promises were never meant to be kept and the courts never meant to enforce them.