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Two successive Progressive Conservative governments lasted 2,949 days without calling a public judicial inquiry into the killing of First Nation activist Dudley George, despite allegations that prominent members of their party-former premier Mike Harris in particular-shared some of the blame in the events that led to Dudley's death.

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National Chief Phil Fontaine arrived in Vancouver for a special chiefs assembly with a goal of correcting what he called "an unfortunate report in the national media" that he was asking for almost $2 billion for the Assembly of First Nations. The reality, he said, is that only one per cent of that proposed funding would go to the AFN.

Getting Results is a 10-point proposal to reform the Assembly of First Nations and dramatically improve the services available to First Nations people. The 40-plus page document was leaked in early October and widely distributed.

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Opposition chiefs hijack special assembly agenda

Opponents of Bill C-19, the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act, succeeded in forcing an agenda change at the Oct. 8 and 9 special chiefs assembly that allowed them to defeat a resolution in support of the bill.

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I want to talk about the idea of Aboriginals being recognized in the Constitution under Section 35, and I'm sitting here wondering if that was a ploy to pull us out of Aboriginal cultural significance as we look at ourselves and define ourselves.

By being recognized in the Constitution, are we not being pulled into the white man's process of trying to get our answers from always having to go back to his tool.

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Dear Editor:

In the October 2003 edition of Windspeaker, comments were attributed to lawyer Jean Teillet about the effect of the Powley decision on non-status Indians, and specifically on the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP). These comments are inaccurate.

Ms. Teillet reportedly said that the Powley decision is "going to be very difficult for organizations like CAP," because CAP claims "that anybody who had any Aboriginal ancestry could claim to be Metis and could claim rights."

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This month, chiefs on both sides in the fight over such issues as Bill C-19, the fiscal institutions legislation, accused each other of sour grapes, of failing to accept the presence and legitimacy of the other's position and of failing to come to terms with political realities.

Each side accused the other of stubborn, single-minded, almost childish behavior. There's clearly a sharp divide on basic approaches among the chiefs of Canada.

We probably shouldn't be surprised. It's nothing new.

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OTTAWA-Indian Affairs and Northern Development announced this month it is allocating millions of dollars for overdue capital improvements to water and sewage systems on three reserves.

On Oct. 3 Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation learned it would receive $6 million for a new water treatment plant, raw-water intake, reservoir addition and trunk water main.

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It was two years ago when Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm brought up the subject of Native erotica among a group of Native writers who had met to talk about the stories they liked to tell.

"I kept asking why we don't write about it, because sexuality is part of being alive," said Akiwenzie-Damm, when the Honouring Words Indigenous Authors' tour stopped in Owen Sound on Sept. 30.

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Building environmentally sensitive, affordable housing was emphasized at a housing symposium and trade show held at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa at Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., from Sept. 15 to 18.

The theme of the symposium was "Housing Ourselves," and it encompassed designing, building, renovating and managing housing.

Delegates got the chance to tour the Seabird Island Sustainable Community Demonstration Project-the first on-reserve project of its kind in Canada-and saw how to apply those design principles to any housing project.