FIVE STORIES ON TURTLE ISLAND
1. It’s now less than two weeks until a Oct. 19 referendum vote on the issue of Alberta separation and First Nations from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 are actively giving workshops on how to vote and are mobilizing efforts to encourage Indigenous voters to participate.
In fact, the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations is warning “silence could be consent.”
2. For a long time, the issue of the Haldimond Tract in southwestern Ontario has been divisive and unsolved. The Six Nations are arguing with Canadian officials that under the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation the Crown set aside about 384,451 hectares of land along the Grand River in Ontario in exchange for their allyship in the Revolutionary War.
This week, a potential decade-long trial begins to try to settle the issue. The legal proceedings are divided into two primary phases with Phase 1 determining whether the governments of Canada and Ontario are liable for the loss of land and — if successful — Phase 2 will determine financial damages.
3. There was an awkward — and notable — scene during the announcement of the Pacific Link pipeline last week: standing beside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney was Grand Chief of Treaty 8 Trevor Mercredi.
It’s not odd Mercredi was there — he is a member of the National Advisory Circle for Carney’s major projects office. But he went out of his way to tell media: “I want to be clear that our presence should not be interpreted as support for the project…. Leadership was there to ensure our nations are not left behind. There are significant concerns that must be addressed, and it does not mean the pipeline is a done deal.”
That’s a moment in which Mercredi may not have been speaking to Canadians, but to First Nations who are not exactly thrilled at the prospect of another western pipeline to the B.C. coast.
4. Overlooked in all of the politics surrounding the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is the fact there are more Indigenous-produced TV shows, movies and other media than ever before.
CBC circulated this great list on their streaming platform, but here’s another list of other platforms.
5. Speaking of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, readers have been asking where they can view my co-anchoring of the national coverage of event on Parliament Hill for CBC, so here it is. By the way: the shirt I’m wearing was created by designer Joan Frame out of Hamilton, Ont.
IN PICTURES
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone and Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett remove a star blanket to unveil a sign at the Brandon Residential School Cemetery at the former Turtle Crossing Campground, on Sept. 30. (Tim Smith / The Brandon Sun files)
RECONCILI-ACTION OF THE WEEK
Every week I highlight an action, moment, or milestone forwarding reconciliation, illustrating how far Canada has come — and how far the country has yet to go.
The reconciliaction of the week is to everyone who spent Oct. 4 doing walks, events, or held information sessions that recognized the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Gender-Diverse People, or what is also known as Sisters in Spirit Day or Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day in Manitoba.
In downtown Winnipeg, hundreds held a walk and round dance at Portage and Main to remember Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and gender-diverse individuals who have gone missing or lost their lives to violence, as well as recognize the passing of local MMIWG2s+ activist Alaya McIvor.
As of right now, only two of the 231 Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls have been implemented. Let’s hope there is more to come.
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