Manitoba Pipestone - January 2016

New legislation gives Indigenous people more say

Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross has proposed legislation under the Child and Family Services Act that would benefit Indigenous children in need of protection while maintaining cultural ties with their home community. The proposed legislation calls for an increased focus on prevention and supporting families to prevent children from coming into the care of Manitoba Child and Family Services. Indigenous communities, in collaboration with CFS agencies, would be directly involved in developing care plans, in arranging and planning supports and services for children and families. Parents would maintain guardianship of their children in customary care arrangements. There would be an understanding that family healing takes time, and there would be collaborative planning for healing, family reunification and permanency opportunities for CFS-involved families. Irvin-Ross said these proposed changes would support recommendations made and concerns raised by key stakeholders, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs’ report entitled Bring Our Children Home, and the Hughes’ report on the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry. The plan was first promised in last month's Throne Speech.

CEDF to expand to include Indigenous entrepreneurs

Indigenous entrepreneurs living in Winnipeg would benefit from new proposed legislation that would allow the highly-successful Communities Economic Development Fund to include First Nation, Métis and Inuit entrepreneurs residing in the city. The province helped to create and sponsor the very successful Métis Economic Development Fund and the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund, both of which have been creating jobs and opportunities for Indigenous people inside and outside of Winnipeg. CEDF has partnered on some of these projects, but has not been able to work in Winnipeg. Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson said CEDF’s expanded mandate would complement, not compete against, existing programs geared towards Indigenous financing. “In our view, expanding CEDF to allow it to work directly in Winnipeg would be an important step forward in addressing reconciliation with the Indigenous people of this country,” said Robinson. 

Elders, Grand Chief speak at hearing opening

A group of First Nations Elders, as well as Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak, spoke at the National Energy Board meeting in Winnipeg on Nov. 30. They voiced concerns over Enbridge Pipelines Inc.’s planned $7.5-billion replacement and expansion of its pipeline, which runs from Hardisty, Alta., across Saskatchewan and through Brandon and Gretna in Manitoba. The line continues into the U.S., running from Neche, North Dakota to Superior, Wisconsin. Nepinak said he hopes concerned First Nations will see a "favourable outcome" after the new Liberal government reviews the company's plans. "A favourable outcome doesn't mean for us necessarily that the application is approved or not. It represents a more inclusive process or an opportunity for reconciliation to exist within these types of spaces," he said. Darin Barter, a spokesperson for the NEB, said the consultation and information from Elders is vital in the process. The NEB is about two weeks away from hearing final arguments.

All-season road to Shoal Lake 40 another step closer

Families living on the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation are another step closer to gaining all-season road access. Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson has introduced legislation, which would expand the mandate of the Manitoba East Side Road Authority to include building Freedom Road. “It has been a long struggle for our First Nation. Our imposed ‘isolation’ has finally become an internationally-recognized issue,” said Shoal Lake 40 First Nation Chief Erwin Redsky in a statement. “It’s deeply satisfying that the government of Manitoba is committing funding and enabling the delivery agency to bring our road into reality.” Freedom Road is a proposed, 28-kilometre all-season road connecting the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation to the Trans-Canada Highway for a total estimated investment of $30 million. Robinson said the province’s share of funding is conditional on matching dollars from both the government of Canada and the City of Winnipeg.

Awards recognize reconciliation, advancement of human rights

The Annual Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba was presented to Meet Me at the Bell Tower (MM@BT), a group that worked towards reconciliation between Indigenous people and others within Manitoba. This annual award recognizes those who have promoted respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and have advanced the rights of Manitobans.

The 2015 recipient of the Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award was Christie McLeod, active on both the local and national human rights scene working in areas that range from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, to sex trafficking, to women’s rights. She is also the founder and managing director of the Human Rights Hub, an innovative website that just launched providing Winnipeggers with a portal to important human rights events and information. The Annual Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award recognizes the work of a person or group of people, 25 years old and under, that has had an impact on the advancement of human rights as guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and human rights legislation in Manitoba.

Compiled by Shari Narine