For standing up for ourselves, our beliefs, and folks we love, women are often called a bitch.
When we demand social justice, women are often called a crazy bitch.
Just goes to show you conservative men lack both imagination and decent comeback lines.
I had the misfortune/fortune this morning to have a discussion with a person (I'll call "creepy dude") who had been hired by my contractor to help build an extension on my house. I’ll skip the preliminary discussion and jump to the comment I made that I hoped would defuse an earlier situation but led to another.
I said: “Marc Emery will accept extradition and can expect to spend FIVE YEARS in prison for selling seeds to grow pot to US citizens, Roman Polanski drugs a US child of 13 years, has sexual relations with her, accepts in the US court of law that this was an offence, runs from the sentencing, offers the girl HUGE amounts of cash (that she accepts) and wants the world to condone his activities because she took the cash settlement. If the world accepts this then what is the value statement being made about women and children?
Creepy Dude said: Woawh! It’s not the same; in some places it’s ok to have sex with prostitutes AND she said it was ok, she even took money!
I said (with gritted teeth): So you would condone a 33 year old man having a sexual encounter with your daughter after he drugged her? (He has two daughters, an older one who left home at age 13 and lives with his wife’s parents and a young one still at home)
Creepy Dude: Hey I’m not into kids, I don’t personally think its ok but who am I to judge? (Me now thinks there is a reason why his daughter left home)
I said: If you are not able to judge that plying a child of 13 years with drugs so you or a friend of yours can stick your penis into the child is wrong then you are part of the problem.
Post what you want. It’s NEVER acceptable. That sleaze tried to tell ME that because I was transitioning careers (from a social researcher who has spent a great number of years examining this issue to another career – that quite frankly offers me less heartbreak and more rewards) that I PROVED his point – “see you can’t win.” To which I responded: It’s not a hockey game. I didn’t start the advocacy work and I’m not the solution but hundreds and thousands of women and men led the way and millions more the world over will agree with me: SEXUAL EXPOITATION IS WRONG and I will not let anyone take back a single step forward we have taken.
He left the job site before I could fire him. He said: “I don’t have to put up with aggressive, domineering, and condescending women; My wife is a CRA - I’m taking my tools and going home.”
And that’s why this site exists because I am a crazy bitch to think its wrong to drug and sexually exploit children and youth. Wild eh?
I just had to get this off my mind. Tomorrow I will link to the Polanski and Emery story. And sure tomorrow I might clean up some details but first I had to off-load the disgust I was feeling.
According to Reuters the normally "wooden" (apt description) Stephen Harper became inexplicably giddy at a G-20 press conference, declaring Canada the envy of the world, stable politics, stable banks, economy rebounding nicely, and ABSOLUTELY NO HISTORY OF COLONIALISM: "We also have no history of colonialism. So we have all of the things that many people admire about the great powers but none of the things that threaten or bother them," he said. (full article below) Ahem. Allow me 50 words or less to refute this.
I could mention too, that a few years ago when Stockwell Day was leading the party his bodyguards (aka thugs) decided to shove native protestors. Video
Only a year and a half ago in his apology to Indian Residential school survivors Harper said: "We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you. Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry. The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a government, and as a country. There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian residential schools system to ever again prevail."
So if he wasn't talking about colonialism, what did he think he was apologizing for?
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, appearing to forget that his countrymen are generally known for their modesty, declared on Friday that his nation was the envy of the world.
Harper, usually a fairly wooden performer, seized on a routine question at a news conference and used it to deliver an impassioned defense of his 33-million strong nation and how well it has coped with the global economic crisis.
"Canada remains in a very special place in the world. ... We are the one major developed country that no one thinks has any responsibility for this crisis," he said to laughter.
"In fact, on the contrary, they look at our policies as a solution to the crisis. We're the one country in the room everybody would like to be," he said at the end of the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and developing nations in Pittsburgh.
Canada, which was running a budget surplus before the recession and avoided major banking problems, has been less affected by the crisis than many of its partners.
Harper said the other G20 nations "would like to be an advanced developed economy with all the benefits that conveys to its citizens and at the same time not have been the source, or have any of the domestic problems, that created this crisis".
By this stage of his comments, the initial premise of the question had long since vanished and Harper -- who leads the right-leaning Conservative Party -- was focusing on several other factors that in his mind make Canada so irresistible.
"We're so self-effacing as Canadians that we sometimes forget the assets we do have that other people see," he said, speaking with a rare passion.
"We are one of the most stable regimes in history. ... We are unique in that regard," he added, noting Canada had enjoyed more than 150 years of untroubled Parliamentary democracy.
Just in case that was not enough to persuade doubters, Harper threw in some more facts about the geographically second-largest nation in the world.
"We also have no history of colonialism. So we have all of the things that many people admire about the great powers but none of the things that threaten or bother them," he said.
And his final verdict?
"Canada is big enough to make a difference but not big enough to threaten anybody. And that is a huge asset if it's properly used."
Dedicated to the causes of Native women for more than a quarter of a century, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell is a courageous woman who fought to improve their plight and proved that one person's voice can make a difference.
Jeannette Vivian Corbiere was born on June 21, 1942, on the Wikwemikong Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Belonging to the Nishnawbe people, she spoke Ojibway. Her mother was educated at the Residential School and Teacher's College, while her father was illiterate, never having attended school. Jeannette attended the elementary school, which was run by the Catholic Church and completed up to Grade 10 in the community before leaving for North Bay, Ontario, where she completed high school and business college.
After graduating, she moved to Toronto where she worked as an executive secretary. She also worked for the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto in many capacities, including social, court and youth worker. Later, while working for the Company of Young Canadians, she travelled across the country working with Native communities. In 1965, she was chosen as Indian Princess of Canada.
In 1970, Jeannette married David Lavell, a non-Native, who was a journalism student at Ryerson Institute in Toronto. Shortly after her marriage, she received a notice from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development stating that she was no longer considered an Indian according to section 12 (1) (b) of the Indian Act. It stated "12 (1) The following persons are not entitled to be registered, namely ... (b) a woman who married a person who is not an Indian, unless that woman is subsequently the wife or widow of a person described in section 11." (The Indian Act, 1970).
This section had grave consequences for enfranchised Native women. They lost their Indian status as did any children of the marriage; they could no longer live on the reserve and lost the right to own land or inherit family property; they could not receive treaty benefits or participate in band councils and political or social affairs in the community, and they lost the right to be buried in cemeteries with their ancestors. On the other hand, Native men who married non-Native women were not deprived of these rights and their wives and children were given Indian status.
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell decided to challenge the Indian Act on the basis that section 12 (1) (b) was discriminatory and should be repealed, according to the 1960 Bill of Rights. It was the first case dealing with discrimination by reason of sex. In June 1971, Judge Grossberg ruled against Jeannette Corbiere Lavell in County Court. Not easily deterred, on October 9, 1971, the Lavell case was heard in the Federal Court of Appeal, which ruled unanimously for Lavell. Unfortunately, under pressure from the federal government and Native organizations, this decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
In February of 1973, the Lavell and Bedard cases were heard together. Yvonne Bedard was another woman who had lost her Indian status by marrying a non-Native. On August 27, 1973, the Supreme Court, in a majority of 5-4, held that the Bill of Rights did not apply to that section of the Indian Act. Therefore, many Indian women were cut off from their heritage, not by choice, but by an archaic law. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women stated in an earlier report that approximately 4 605 Indian women were enfranchised by marrying white men between the years 1958 and 1968. Years later, Sandra Lovelace, following in Lavell's footsteps, brought the case of status removal to the United Nations International Human Rights Commission, which ruled in her favour. In 1985, section 12 of the Indian Act was repealed.
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell continued her work as one of the founding members of the Ontario Native Women's Association: she was vice-chairwoman from 1972 to 1973 and president from 1974 to 1975. She was also elected one of the vice-presidents of the Native Women's Association of Canada. She also held the position of president of both the Nishnawbe Institute (an organization promoting Native culture) and Anduhyaun Inc. (a residence for Native women in Toronto). She later received her teaching degree from the University of Western Ontario, eventually becoming a school principal. She was also a cabinet appointee to the Commission on the Native Justice System, as well as an education/employment counsellor, and a consultant to the community for the Ontario government.
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell is a woman who has worked tirelessly for change against unfairness and injustice. In a fitting tribute, the Ontario Native Women's Association established the Jeannette Corbiere Lavell Award in 1987 "to be presented annually to a deserving Native Woman demonstrating the same qualities and dedication as Jeannette". (Ontario Native Women's Association. Information, Policy and Administration Manual, 1987, p. 11)
Former National Chief Phil Fontaine and Senator Partick Brazeau, together? I hope someone with a cell phone took video.
YK Dene Chief skeptical about mining rare earth metals
- An exploration company is renaming a deposit southeast of Yellowknife today, in a traditional ceremony with the Dene First Nations.
But the proposed mining project may be too close for comfort for some.
Yellowknives Dene Chief, Ed Sangris, says the rare earth metal deposit at Thor Lake is close to traditional hunting and ancestral burial grounds.
He says although Avalon Rare Metals, Inc. has been consulting the First Nations about the drilling operation, the Dene still have to decide whether mining that close to home is worth the economic benefits.
“You gotta find the balance… do we do away with traditional culture… or do we keep our traditions?”
The deposit at Thor Lake is being renamed as Nechalacho, which Sangris says, in the Dene language means “the wind is always blowing”.
The company is flying the former Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, along with Canadian Senator Patrick Brazeau and the NWT Premier to the renaming ceremony southeast of Yellowknife. Sangris adds he’s not sure what Fontaine is doing on the company’s board of directors.
“I don’t know what they’re trying to pull. Maybe they’re just trying to garner First Nations support behind the project, you know, get someone in there, like Phil Fontaine, to convince us, ‘yeah, it’s okay’, but we have to make our own decision.”
Sangris says he plans to discuss the mining project with the Dene membership, while Avalon is conducting a pre-feasibility study at the Nechalacho site, expected to be finished by early 2010.
Police may not get it, feds may not get it, but at least a Toronto punk group called ``Fucked up`` understand that a systematic abuse of human rights is at play in the issue of missing and murdered native women. And I am not being anything but sincere when I thank Fucked Up for their support.
Police have dragged their heels on cases of missing aboriginal girls and women. For example in the case of missing teens Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander, police initially assumed (despite strong evidence to the contrary) that the girls had run away, and used this as an excuse to stall an investigation of even the the most obvious of clues, for example searching through the the girls emails.(full story)They also let inane jurisdictional issues interfere with the investigation. (More here).
Similarly when Hilary Bonnell went missing only a few weeks ago, police delayed issuing a news release on her disappearance, failed to organize a search team and failed to issue cross-Canada bulletins or alerts until days after the teen went missing. (Story)Compare this to police reaction in the equally tragic disappearance of Brendan Crisp, a Caucasian boy who police suspected of running away following an argument with his parents. Within days police organized massive aerial, marine and ground searches.(Story.) Tragically, Brendan was found dead a few weeks later.
I am not trying to compare heartaches. Every child, woman, or family member gone missing is heart-rending. My point is police consistently fail to respond as they could or should to aboriginal families and this should no longer be ignored.
Support on this point came from an unlikely place today. Upon winning a Polaris music prize a hardcore punk band, known as Fucked Up said they would use a $20,000 cash reward to host a fund raiser to help support families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. (Full Story Below).
While there may be irony in the mental image this conjures up, (Bad boy canuck musicians standing up for aboriginal women) there is certainly no irony in the gratitude I want to express to Fucked Up: Sincere thanks guys, for using your moment in the sun to shine light on this issue.
The real F*ck-ups here are the police and RCMP. Clearly there is need for a national inquiry to slap the police into doing their jobs.
Fucked Up. That Would Be the Winner of the 2009 Polaris Music Prize Leah Collins September 22, 2009
The Toronto harcore band's current album, The Chemistry of Common Life, was honoured as the best Canadian album of the year, and awarded a $20,000 prize.
That news, however, didn't immediately register with the band's frontman, Damian Abraham -- though his slow-take apparently had nothing to do with the fact he was growling, drenched in Red Bull and wearing nothing but bunched up ginch and a belt (tightened around his forehead) while chomping through a two-song set moments before the prize's announcement.
"I was like, did they say Joel Plaskett?" joked the singer at a press conference immediately following Monday night's private gala. "The whole time I was like K'naan, Joel Plaskett, K'naan, Joel Plaskett and I was like 'oh man, I can't believe we won, that's insane.'"
"This to me is like the best moment because for the longest time I really felt like we were outside the community and music scene," said Abraham. "And now it's like if we're outside we stole the biggest prize in Canada."
As for that prize -- a nice, even $20,000 -- Abraham told reporters that the band intends to put it towards a benefit record they plan to release in time for Christmas. "There are over 500 missing aboriginal women in Canada and we're going to put out a record to try and draw some attention to it and raise some money for these people," he explained.
In addition to Fucked Up's gala-closing performance -- which featured members of Lullabye Arkestra and first ever Polaris winner Final Fantasy (how's that for a spoiler?) -- all artists on Polaris' shortlist performed live for the 400 guests packed into Toronto's Masonic Hall.
And while only Fucked Up managed to inspire a food (and chair) fight post-set (or, to be fair, maybe we should only lay the blame on Malajube and Patrick Watson's tables), the audience took in shows from Hey Rosetta!, Elliott Brood, Great Lake Swimmers, K'naan, Malajube, Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaalen, Patrick Watson and Metric.
The Polaris Music Prize honours the best Canadian album put out between June 1 and May 31, 2009 and is selected by an 11-member Grand Jury the night of the gala. It is judged based on artistic merit alone.
The cheap clichés always win: It’s not about you; it’s about what you do
It’s unfortunate when poor leadership drags down organizations. The labour performed by dedicated and passionate people is lost or forgotten in the shower or accusations and finger pointing that is the inevitable fallout from greed and inexperience. We post CAP stories that hit the news about the fallout from poor leadership because we believe (crazy bitches that we are) that we deserve good governance – corporate, political, and economic. It just happens that all bad governance CAP stories lead back to Pat.
It’s not like CAP in the past did not have relevancy. Dwight Dorey, former national leader of CAP, ensured CAPS position at the table during discussions of the governance initiative to change the Indian Act. Pat the (sorry choice but) Conservative Senator sat as CAP’s lackey at the table back then. CAP was the force behind the Corbierre decision and the vote rights for off-reserve First Nations people. CAP can be a force again (and must) but must first rise from and leave behind the useless baubles, bits, and shiny beads left behind by the former model (who dreamed of bigger glitter and bigger baubles) and focus on issues that are meaningful. (Come on nobody actually expects world peace and nobody expects every First Nation person living on a reserve to give up their life, community, and family, land, culture, and history to haul-ass and move to the city – get real.)
Ward knows I don’t mind being vocal when I think the people who would call themselves “leader” behave in ways that look and resemble the behaviour of sheep. I want our organizations to demand answers to right wrongs and defend our positions – NOT be a mouth piece for assimilation. Why should my tax-paying dollars go to defend the assimilation views from an organization that is supposed to protect or advance my rights? If CAP wants us to assimilate then they should simply close their office doors and cancel their lease.
Otherwise sit down Patrick Brazeau – your time in the sun came and left. Your legacy as a sponge is forever solidified in our history. Now let’s cross our fingers and pray that the newly elected leader finds and issue of relevance to the people and sticks to it.
You don't often see newspapers doing this, offering a forum where First Nations youth can express their thoughts/concerns on questions that so many of our non-native brothers and sisters are curious about, but are also very often afraid to ask: How do First Nations understand the challenges that face us? Is there hope? What needs to happen/change, with the media, with Canadian/First Nations leadership, and ourselves as grassroots people? A good read, originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press. I just wanted to share.
In The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway, Anishinaabe elder Edward Benton-Banai writes about the Seven Fires prophecy of his people. It's a story that predates Canada's existence.
Each prophecy -- called a fire -- is a prediction for the future.
The fires predicted great migrations, sickness and struggles over thousands of years. But it was the final, seventh fire that predicted a new generation would rise up and try to turn things around.
Many believe the seventh fire is this generation; searching out traditions and striving to make the world better for everyone.
Winnipeg is home to one of the highest aboriginal youth populations in Canada. In coming years, as baby boomers retire, aboriginal people are poised to become integral to our province's economic well-being.
The Winnipeg Free Press sat down with a group of young, determined and outspoken aboriginal people -- part of this Seventh Fire generation. What do they see as the challenges faced by aboriginal people and what are some solutions?
Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ABORIGINAL PEOPLE FACE?
Jackie Black: One of the challenges I see in my own family -- my family not only in the city but also on the reserve because I have a lot of cousins and family under 25 -- is education.
Not so much academic education, but also just knowledge and being able to be creative and express yourself and have the resources to be able to do that. When you don't have that, you lose hope.
After high school -- if you get through high school on the reserve -- then what? Maybe five people in my family out of 100 have come to the city.
But the challenge is, in the community they live, they just don't see that.
There are only so many jobs. There's only so far you can go, and you get stuck in the cycle of poverty and drugs and alcohol and suicide. That's one of the biggest challenges that I see.
Julie Lafreniere: The challenges our aboriginal people face are complacency within our own people to accept the cards we are dealt. That maybe if we're dealt an unfortunate hand, that we just accept it, 'okay this is our life.'
With the Brian Sinclair issue at the Health Sciences Centre, when he was left to die there, I wasn't surprised that sort of thing happens. It's happened in my family. When we heard about Brian Sinclair, before anything was reported, we knew right away, he's either aboriginal or he's disabled. It turned out he was both.
Michael Champagne: I have the perspective of being an urban aboriginal youth, somebody from a remote reserve where there's a high rate of substance abuse, teen suicide, a community that lives in poverty, deals with discrimination. I'm a product of the child welfare system. I think it's important to provide tangible opportunities not only to youth but to all aboriginal people, legitimate opportunities, not only to educate themselves but to self-motivate.
I've only gone to three years of university, but my three years at the U of W were terrible. It was absolutely ridiculous that there's zero accommodation for aboriginal youth who are transitioning from a life of low expectations, a life of stereotypes that have been put upon them. There's no hope of succeeding.
There are no positive relationships being modelled within the aboriginal community.
It can't even be solely related to poor media, but that's a big thing. The media is always on board to paint aboriginal people with one brush and a negative image.
Niigonwedom Sinclair: The one thing that keeps coming up is the notion of sovereignty. That's what I think I've heard running through the strands of all of this. How do you achieve self determination?
How do you take your life by the reins and become a self-sustaining individual who leads to healthy communities and a healthy nation?
I'm very interested in getting away from the deficit model that's plagued native people for centuries.
The deficit model is seeing ourselves as singular representations of the stereotypes we swallow, the economic situations that we are in and also the political situations that we are in.
But what I see in our youth, what I see in everyone actually, from my two-year-old and beyond, I see aboriginal people more vibrant, more beautiful, stronger than they ever have been.
And that doesn't mean we don't have our struggles.
I see the biggest challenge as recognizing our intellectual selfhood, our intellectual sovereignty. That means seeing ourselves as beautiful and as capable as we ever have been.
YOU SPEAK ABOUT LEADERSHIP, THE MEDIA...
Julie Lafreniere: In terms of leadership, I think every single one of us has the strength within us to become a leader. I think we lack role models, whether that be someone within the family or within the community.
In terms of the media, I'm not a fan of the media at all.
We're either protesting or being arrested or stealing cars or dead. It's not a legitimate view of our community. It's not what's actually happening.
Personally, I write letters to the editor. I think it's important to have our own voices heard as aboriginal people within the media.
In terms of education, we talked about the [myth] of natives getting free money. Everyone thinks that I'm an aboriginal person. I'm Métis, therefore I don't get any money for my education. I had to get student loans.
We have to educate ourselves in our own communities obviously, but we have to educate the non-aboriginal people in Canada as well.
I think we have to acknowledge the gap, acknowledge that there are stereotypes and there is racism still today. Then we can move toward making it better.
Jacquie Black: As far as leadership goes, I think we all have that within ourselves and in each one of our own little corners of the world.
I worked at Stony Mountain Institution and Headingley for five years, and I believe in people being responsible for what they do and being accountable. But I don't like thinking of people as lost or forgotten or worthless.
When I talk about that I get very passionate because even though these people made mistakes and they're in jail, all you hear is negative. What we tried to do was work with the Aboriginal community to help the Aboriginal inmates not forget their traditions.
As long as we hold on to our traditions and we educate our young people and that continues, hopefully one day 85 per cent of the people in prison won't be Aboriginal.
I've had the opportunity to work with "Eagle Vision, the Legacy of Hope," to interview residential school survivors. One of the things when you talk about solutions is healing right, and you need to talk about ways to heal. It makes me mad when all you hear in the paper is it's all about the money, 'What can we give them to shut them up?'
When you sit down with these people and they tell you these stories, it's a privilege to me because they're releasing something that's going to heal them and their family. We're at a solution now because we're talking about it, and we just need to continue to do that.
Niigonwedom: My daughter is the first member of her family to not have to deal with the legacy of the residential school system. She has to deal with the legacy, but she's going to deal with the legacy in a different way than I do and in a different way from my parents and in a different way than my partner's parents who are residential school survivors. That gives me more hope than anything in the universe.
That legacy is beginning to be healed.
Not to say that some people haven't had a rough time of it and continue to because we definitely see the abuse cycles still continuing, but I think those will end with time and strength.
With media, I see native people writing and engaging in struggles, the struggles that we take up not just in journalism but in literature.
If you ask 100 native people a question, you get 100 different answers. And that's the beauty of what media provides.
I get sick and tired of seeing the more mainstream conceptions of indigenous people. The 19th century 'warriors in the wilderness' have now become the 'warriors at the barricade.' All that's changed is the decoration.
I don't believe Aboriginal leaders ever get into it for bad reasons, but I believe there are systemic forces that lead them down some destructive paths.
Julie Lafreniere: I'm disappointed in the Aboriginal leaders of today. I don't think they step forward and take the opportunity to make statements when certain things are in the forefront of Canadian media.
I think we lack leadership on a political level.
Niigonwedom: I agree they can only represent themselves ultimately as we all do, of course, but they do make decisions.
I think youth see their leaders not listening to them. Don't think the youth aren't speaking up. All you have to do is look at the gang situation. That is youth speaking up. That's youth saying, "we're not going to take this crap anymore. We're not going to take the legacy of residential schools anymore."
Those unelected leaders that we've always had, that have always been part of our communities, we've always had clan leaders, we've always had them on hunting, on berry picking.
That's what community and nationhood is all about. The solutions are by those people as much as by any elected Assembly of First Nations leader, any Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs leader.
Michael Champagne: If you look at the urban centres, specifically the North End -- I grew up there, that's my perspective -- if you look at the North End, we have families that are debilitated. They are completely debilitated, and it's not that the families are unsuccessful in being a family. It's that they have to exist inside a society where they aren't supported, where their voices aren't heard; their inquiries aren't acknowledged or addressed in any way.
We have parents that have no accountability. We have parents that don't take responsibility for their youth and so what happens from there it becomes the whole family's problem.
And then we have grannies burning themselves out because these grannies have to take care of not only their kids who are suffering with addictions, suffering from the long-lasting effects of colonization, we have the kids, grandchildren who not only have the absence of a strong male and female figure in their lives, they lack belonging to a family.
There's only so much that granny can do to save the day.
And I do agree that we do have leadership in place, and we do have things that are going on right now that are great things, that are happening, that are addressing these issues that are helping. But it's not enough, and that's why leadership is so important.
A leader is a warrior, and we've always had that, and it's something that we need to hold onto. A leader is somebody people will follow into battle. This is a struggle, this is a fight, we are fighting for our sovereignty, we are fighting for our cultural identity, we are fighting for our kids, and that is a fight I take very seriously.
Leaders need to be innovative. They need to understand the systems currently in place aren't working.
We, as a people, need to make our leaders accountable to us.
And we need to harvest those grassroots leaders and empower them, enable them to provide those tangible opportunities and build a strong healthy community.
HOW CAN WE SOLVE SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES?
Julie Lafreniere: Making intro to native studies a requirement for all students, not just Aboriginal students, but for all students, should be enforced at the university as much as a writing requirement or a math requirement. Because people graduating as teachers are going on to teach our Aboriginal youth, and they don't know the history of our people.
I went to a graduation at the faculty of education, and we were talking about residential schools. And one of the recent graduates asked 'what's a residential school?'
It blew my mind. It's unbelievable people don't know and they are graduating university without knowing general knowledge of our history.
Jackie Black: I'm focusing more on the communities outside of Winnipeg because I have a lot of young cousins there who I know have so much potential. Everyone has a gift, and if you're not given the opportunity to explore that gift or even realize you have a gift or feel bad that you might have this gift, you feel foolish. When you're young and you're just finding your way, you feel kind of goofy sometimes; you just don't feel you fit in.
My mother did leave her community, and she took the step to come to the city and was one of the first Aboriginal women in Canada to get her degree in education. That made a big difference for me and my family, for me and my brother, too, growing up in Winnipeg and having a strong role model like she was. Some people aren't that fortunate, and that's where other people need to step in and be responsible.
I try to encourage my younger cousins to try this and that, but it's hard to pull them away from... they're in a cycle of having children. They're staying home and that's great, but then they never get the opportunity to leave the community or to see what's outside.
I don't know what the solution is other than everyone trying to take some responsibility in trying to help.
Michael Champagne: We need to ensure that these solutions are actually legitimate solutions because it's happened in the past where there have been "solutions," and they haven't actually helped - residential schools.
We need to revamp the child welfare system, and devolution I think is a great step towards that.
It's an attempt to give the power back to Aboriginal people in communities so we actually have a say in what's happening with our own children. I think that's a great example and other systems need to follow suit, specifically the health care system, the education system, through all levels early, middle, high school, post secondary.
It's very important especially in urban centres and remote reserves to ensure there are more accessible recreational opportunities. They need to be done by the community for the community, by the youth for the youth.
We need to show not only the people around us but also show ourselves that we have the ability and the capacity and the potential to make change in our communities.
Niigonwedom Sinclair: The solution is here, precisely what we are doing right now, the same activity that we've done for tens of thousands of years on this land.
One of the most important things we did in the winter time is teaching. It wasn't just teaching our own children, but it was also the community, and it was from the elders down to the children.
And so for me the solution is not that we need to do something new but the recognition that we are already doing it.
I'm 33, and I think about the changes I've seen in my own life, and I can only imagine the changes other people have seen who are much older than I am. And I see tremendous hope.
Health Canada has decided they should speak to First Nations about H1N1 concerns and is hoping it will stop the F*** ups. What a revolutionary thought. They are so excited about this ingenious new idea, that they will hold a Press Conference all about it tommorrow. Well, it's not much, but it's a start. Hopefully the government will follow up with other super smart and clever ideas - like access to clean water, safe housing, schools, doctors and nurses, economic development.... Now that would be worthy of a news conference. The one bizarre twist in this story is INAC flack Ted Yeomans' insistance that the body bag incident had nothing to do with this announcement. Uh-huh. Christ Ted, just say your sorry and stop being an ass.
Full story below.
Tories reach out to First Nations after body bag blunder By Sue Bailey (CP) – 1 hour ago
OTTAWA — The Harper government is reaching out to First Nations with a flu communications strategy after this week's body-bag fiasco was blamed on a misunderstanding.
Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, will join Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl for an unusual weekend news conference here Saturday.
Sources say chiefs of some of the most vulnerable communities across Canada will soon have a conduit to raise flu concerns with Ottawa health officials.
The ministers are expected to outline a plan for regular meetings between assembly and government staff. Federal willingness to ease the exchange of such information is seen by some as an olive branch to outraged chiefs.
Ted Yeomans, a spokesman for Strahl, said that's going too far.
"Tomorrow's announcement is not a result of what issues were dealt with this week in regards to H1N1. What will be announced has been worked on for a number of weeks and has been planned for some time."
There is also talk of a virtual summit to allow First Nations with online access to ask questions of flu experts.
Not all communities will be able to take part, said one source close to the planning. But it's a start.
Atleo has expressed frustration with how Ottawa deals with far-flung, often remote First Nations.
He reacted with "disbelief" when Manitoba reserves hard hit by the H1N1 flu received several body bags from Health Canada this week.
A department spokesman said the shipment was part of "routine restocking" - not linked solely to a potential new wave of flu.
Atleo said the badly timed blunder shows why native leaders have been calling since last spring for a new approach.
"This incident demonstrates the urgent need to ensure pandemic planning is developed in partnership with First Nations," he said in a statement.
"I am urging the responsible federal ministers to work with First Nations leadership nationally, regionally and locally to ensure effective communication, clear planning and full engagement and attention on this matter."
Aglukkaq has vowed to get to the bottom of the body bag deliveries as native reserves brace for a second outbreak of H1N1 this fall.
Starting last spring, the flu pandemic disproportionately hit native reserves grappling with lack of running water and overcrowded houses.
Chiefs from some of the most stricken Manitoba reserves accused Ottawa of abandoning them. Some leaders travelled to the nearest cities to buy hand sanitizer and other supplies in bulk after federal shipments were delayed over concerns residents would drink alcohol-based cleanser.
Aglukkaq has repeatedly insisted that the federal government has a pandemic response plan to help all communities should the flu return in force.
At least 76 Canadians across the country have died from H1N1, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
October will be Women's History month. While the official theme is "women and sports," aboriginal women, and NGO's like Amnesty International will be raising awareness about missing and murdered aboriginal women during the first week. Some 520 aboriginal women have been murdered or have gone missing in Canada since 1970. More than half of the cases have occurred since 2000. More than two-thirds of the total number of women have been found dead, while 25 per cent are still missing. Here are three cases I have been following. Several opposition MP's and aboriginal groups have called for a national inquiry asking why cases remain unsolved and why aboriginal women are targeted. It's a good time to put some pressure on government to have a full inquiry.
Hillary Bonnell’s Mom: “Whoever has her, please don't hurt her; that little girl is my world."
16 year old Hillary Bonnell spent part of the summer in the Mi’kmaw community of Burnt Church, in New Brunswick. On September 5th 2009 she attended a late night party in the community. A friend gave Hilary a lift to a main highway, the well-travelled Route 11, about two kilometres from her aunt's house where she planned to spend the night. It was around 3 am, as she walked down the highway to her aunt’s when Bonnell telephoned her mother, Pam Fillier, who was in nearby Miramichi, reminding her they were to go shopping for new school clothes the next day. Hilary never made it to her aunt's house. Surveillance video taken from 4D's convenience store on the corner of Micmac Road and the well-travelled Route 11 showed the missing girl was there at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday and appeared to be alone. The last known communication with Hilary took place later Saturday morning when she sent a text message to her cousin, which indicated she was scared and wanted to “get away” but did not say where she was. Since that message was sent, Hilary’s cellphone has either been disconnected or drained of batteries, since all attempts to reach her have been unsuccessful. She had no purse, makeup, change of clothes, or cash Hilary is aboriginal, has dark eyes and black, shoulder-length hair. She is 5-5 and weighs about 134 pounds. She was last seen wearing a purple T-shirt, a black sweater, jean shorts and sandals. Her community is offering a $15,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to her discovery. http://www.helpfindmychild.net/hilary-bonnell
Claudette's family: :"She is a mother of 4 beautiful children who need her to tuck them in at night and tell them she loves them. Claudette is a good mother and they need her home."
21-year old Claudette 'Penny Tyo.' Osbourne, mother of four, disappeared 14 days after giving birth to her baby girl. Shortly before she disappeared, Claudette called her boyfriend and indicated to us that she was hemorrhaging. She has been missing since July 24, 2008 and was last seen near Selkirk Avenue and Charles Street in Winnipeg. Osborne is 5'7", 145 lbs, and was wearing black pin striped pants, black v-necked t-shirt with a ruffled collar. There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to her discovery. If you have any information please call: Police Missing Persons Unit at 986-6250 Crimestoppers at 786-8477 Manitoba Search and Rescue: George Leonard 777-0553
Maisy's Grandmother: "Not knowing if she's alive or dead, that's the hardest thing"
(Kitigan Zibi, Quebec) Maisy Odjick’s treasures, her flute, her camera and treasured photos are still where she left them at the home of her grandparents, where she usually stayed. There is still a pillow on the arm of the brown fold-out couch where Maisy slept, and her clothes are still in the white cupboard in the corner. Her family got a cake for her last birthday and put gifts under the tree for her at Christmas in case she came home. Maisy Odjick was last seen with her friend Shannon Alexander, who is also missing on Sept. 6, 2008. At the time, Odjick was 16 and Alexander was 17. Shannon’s father Bryan said he has been waiting by the phone for months, hoping someone who knows the girls' whereabouts will call. The two girls were heading to a dance, on a Saturday night, and planned a sleepover at Bryan’s home. Bryan had left for the weekend to help his Son paint his home. When her returned he found the doors to his house locked, while inside, the girls had left their purses, their wallets, their identification, their backpacks — even Shannon's medication. But the girls themselves where nowhere to be found.
There is a 13,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of the girls. Maisy Odjick, now 17, is six-feet tall, 125 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Maisy has two piercings on her bottom lip and one in her nose. Shannon Alexander, now 18, is five feet nine inches, 145 pounds and also has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information should contact the Kitigan Zibi Police at 819-449-6000.
,It is almost Women's History month. While the official theme this year is "women and Sport" Aboriginal women will be drawing attention to missing and murdered women the first week of October.Some 520 aboriginal women have been murdered or have gone missing in Canada since 1970. More than half of the cases have occurred since 2000. More than two-thirds of the total number of women have been found dead, while 25 per cent are still missing. The number is growing. Here are a few cases which have gotten a little media attention in the past few weeks.
Hillary Bonnell’s Mom pleas: “Whoever has her, please don't hurt her; that little girl is my world."
16 year old Hillary Bonnell spent part of the summer in the Mi’kmaw community of Burnt Church, in New Brunswick. On September 5th she attended a late night party in the community. A friend gave Hilary a lift to a main highway, the well-travelled Route 11, about two kilometres from her aunt's house where she planned to spend the night. It was around 3 am, as she walked down the highway to her aunt’s when Bonnell telephoned her mother, Pam Fillier, who was in nearby Miramichi, reminding her they were to go shopping for new school clothes the next day. Hilary never made it to her aunt's house. Surveillance video taken from 4D's convenience store on the corner of Micmac Road and the well-travelled Route 11 showed the missing girl was there at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday and appeared to be alone. The last known communication with Hilary took place later Saturday morning when she sent a text message to her cousin, which indicated she was scared and wanted to “get away” but did not say where she was. Since that message was sent, Hilary’s cellphone has either been disconnected or drained of batteries, since all attempts to reach her have been unsuccessful. She had no purse, makeup, change of clothes, or cash Hilary is aboriginal, has dark eyes and black, shoulder-length hair. She is 5-5 and weighs about 134 pounds. She was last seen wearing a purple T-shirt, a black sweater, jean shorts and sandals. Her community is offering a $15,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to her discovery. http://www.helpfindmychild.net/hilary-bonnell
"Claudette'd family: She is a mother of 4 beautiful children who need her to tuck them in at night and tell them she loves them. Claudette is a good mother and they need her home."
21-year old Claudette 'Penny Tyo.' Osbourne, mother of four, disappeared 14 days after giving birth to her baby girl. Shortly before she disappeared, Claudette called her boyfriend and indicated to us that she was haemorrhaging. She has been missing since July 24, 2008 and was last seen near Selkirk Avenue and Charles Street in Winnipeg. Osborne is 5'7", 145 lbs, and was wearing black pin striped pants, black v-necked t-shirt with a ruffled collar. There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to her discovery., If you have any information please call: Police Missing Persons Unit at 986-6250 Crimestoppers at 786-8477 Manitoba Search and Rescue: George Leonard 777-0553
Maisy's Grandmother: "Not knowing if she's alive or dead, that's the hardest thing."
(Kitigan Zibi, Quebec) Maisy Odjick’s treasures, her flute, her camera and treasured photos are still where she left them at the home of her grandparents, where she usually stayed. There is still a pillow on the arm of the brown fold-out couch where Maisy slept, and her clothes are still in the white cupboard in the corner. Her family got a cake for her last birthday and put gifts under the tree for her at Christmas in case she came home. Maisy Odjick was last seen with her friend Shannon Alexander, who is also missing on Sept. 6, 2008. At the time, Odjick was 16 and Alexander was 17. Shannon’s father Bryan said he has been waiting by the phone for months, hoping someone who knows the girls' whereabouts will call. The two girls were heading to a dance, on a Saturday night, and planned a sleepover at Bryan’s home. Bryan had left for the weekend to help his sone paint his home. When her returned he found the doors to his house locked, while inside, the girls had left their purses, their wallets, their identification, their backpacks — even Shannon's medication. But the girls themselves where nowhere to be found. There is a 13,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of the girls. Maisy Odjick, now 17, is six-feet tall, 125 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Maisy has two piercings on her bottom lip and one in her nose. Shannon Alexander, now 18, is five feet nine inches, 145 pounds and also has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information should contact the Kitigan Zibi Police at 819-449-6000.
This has been a disaster, from Day 1. It's not so much the fact that the government sent body bags. Clearly these are necessary as part of a pandemic plan. However, the fact that it took months to get basic safety supplies up to northern First Nations communities coupled with the fact that it took no time to get a supply of body bags up, well... need I say more? The one good thing I can say is that at least federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq didn't duck and buck this time. In the past the Health Minister refused to address the problems, maintained everything is fine. Finally she stepped up took some responsibility and ordered an investigation. Too bad it took so long. The whole shameful mismanagement of H1N1 in First Nations in Manitoba should have been investigated long ago. Full article below.
Toronto — From Thursday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2009 09:57PM EDT
They asked for help and got body bags.
Aboriginal leaders said they were outraged and confused when dozens of body bags were delivered to remote Manitoba reserves after native communities demanded federal resources to fight a second wave of the H1N1 flu outbreak.
Chiefs interpreted the grim shipments as a dire prediction of what Ottawa expects will happen during this flu season to natives, who were hardest hit by swine flu in the spring.
Some communities didn't hold on to them for long. In a symbolic protest Wednesday evening, northern First Nations leaders returned a box of the bags to a Health Canada office in Winnipeg. Tossing more than a dozen of the polyethylene bags on the floor outside the building's lobby, Garden Hill First Nation chief David Harper called the deliveries “an insult.”
The federal government was left scrambling late Wednesday to explain the shipments, which also included hand sanitizer, masks and gloves.
Each bag contained full post-mortem kits that included a chin strap, five tie-straps and three identification tags.
The news of the unexpected supplies rippled through remote communities of less than 1,000 people, shocking residents and adding to native leaders' distrust of the federal government's efforts to help them prepare for a resurgence of the virus.
About 30 body bags were delivered in recent days to the nursing station at Wasagamack First Nation, 20 to God's Lake First Nation, and Red Sucker Lake First Nation was expecting a shipment. The communities are in the lake-studded Island Lake region near the Ontario border, about midway between Winnipeg and the Hudson Bay.
Mr. Harper was joined at the Winnipeg protest last night by Wasagamack Chief Jerry Knott.
“Is Canada giving up on the first nations?” Mr. Harper asked in an interview. “We're very offended. It looks like Canada is giving up on us. Or is this the flu preparedness that Canada talks about?”
In many First Nations cultures, to prepare for death is to invite death, he said.
“We have been waiting for medical supplies and here all we receive is body bags,” he said. “The government has to do better.”
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said she was “disturbed” when she learned about the shipments Wednesday morning.
“I have ordered my deputy minister to conduct a thorough and immediate inquiry into the situation and I will continue to work with first nations, provinces and territories to ensure all Canadians are informed and protected against H1N1,” she said at a news briefing.
She declined to comment on who sent the body bags or who may have requested them.
The shipment is another blow to native leaders, who fear they are among the least prepared for another wave of the flu and that the federal government isn't properly responding to their needs.
The mild flu outbreak in the spring erupted into a full-blown crisis on several of Manitoba's remote reserves. At one point, aboriginals comprised two-thirds of Manitoba flu patients on respirators. Health Canada came under fire for hesitating to send hand sanitizer to native towns because of concerns that people would ingest the alcohol-based gel.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs took it upon itself recently to solicit donations for 15,000 flu kits for northern communities. And even though aboriginal affairs is a federal responsibility, the Manitoba government stepped up to cover the rest of the cost.
Ms. Aglukkaq said nursing stations on reserves are being stocked with medical supplies, and the kits are likely not necessary.
Rod Harper, a spokesman for the band council of the Wasagamack First Nation, 600 kilometres north of Winnipeg, said body bags are not the supplies needed at nursing stations.
“It's not the proper thing to do to all our communities. It's very shocking,” he said.
He said he had seen a box of 10 bags that had been brought to the band council office and was explicitly labelled.
“What we had asked for stockpiling were Advil, Tylenol, vaccine, not body bags. It's the easy way out for the government… It's not right to do that.”
Further north, at the Red Sucker Lake First Nation, the band council heard at a meeting with the staff of the nursing station that body bags would be sent to their community. The council questioned the head nurse after it heard that other native communities had received the bags.
“We asked her about the body bags and she said: ‘They're coming,'” said council member Clifford Harper. “I feel kind of angry. They should send more medications, they should send more personnel … rather than body bags. Why are they doing this?”
By the end of the day, the outrage had rippled to Winnipeg. “First Nations and all Canadians need to know the whole story behind this bizarre shipment and they deserve a full accounting,” Grand Chief Ron Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said in a statement. “The First Nations of northern Manitoba have already been traumatized in the first wave of the H1N1 outbreak; they do not need to be panicked.”
The parliamentary health committee has requested the minister share details of the inquiry at or around its next meeting later this month.
Beverley Jacaobs, the current president of the Native Women's Association of Canada will not be seeking re-election this year. Elections will be held at the AGA, to be held at the Crowne Plaza in Ottawa, September 26th to 27th, 2009. As far as I can tell (correct me if I am wrong) President Jacobs is the only president to ever serve 2 terms. She has done excellent work on raising awareness on the issue of violence against women, and NWAC has done excellent outreach under her leadership in terms of providing toolkits to families nd communities to make them aware of their rights when a family member is missing.
So who will replace Ms. Jacobs? Well according to their election rules, to be a nominee for the position of President of Native Women’s Association of Canada, you MUST be: An Aboriginal woman; A delegate of the PTMA in which you reside; Nominated by a delegate of the PTMA in which you reside Seconded by a delegate of a different PTMA In attendance at the AGA. They are encouraging nominations to come in before the AGA, but according to their by-laws nominations can still come in pretty much last minute on the floor.
There are two interesting rumours about who will rune. The first is that the President of the ONtario branch, Dawn Harvard will choose to run, and if she does she will be a favourite for many. Perhaps more interesting is the rumor that a former president, Marilyn Buffalo is seeking a nomination. If you have runours gossip of speculation, feel free to post away.
There was no follow up media from Bill Curry on the CAP (Congress of aboriginal Peoples elections, so for those who are wondering the winner was: It's Betty Ann Lavallée. Here's her official Bio. Kevin Daniels, was acting as inter-rim until the election has returned to his post as National Vice-Chief.
Find Betty Ann Lavallée's offical biography, below.
The new National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal People and the Chief of the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council for the past 13 years is Ms. Betty Ann Lavallée, CD.(RTD), a status off-reserve Mi’kmaq woman who has worked all her adult life in non-traditional roles. Ms. Lavallée had also completed a term as the Vice-Chief of the NBAPC prior to being elected Chief in August of 1997. Ms. Lavallée has an extensive background in administration, transportation, business, and leadership management and has been active on numerous Boards as a Director, both Provincially and Nationally, and Committees that have dealt with Aboriginal Issues such as Fisheries, Housing, Education, Employment and Training, Economic Development and Health.
Ms. Lavallée was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for approximately 17 years, where she was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration and Commendation Formation Level and the Queen’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee Medal. Ms. Lavallée grew up in the military community of Oromocto, New Brunswick. Joining first as a reservist with 1 RNBR, Fredericton, then transferred over to the Regular Forces in 1980, where she was posted to Base Transportation Company, CFB Gagetown, in August immediately following her recruit and basic training. Ms. Lavallée remained at CFB Gagetown until August of 1988 when she was posted to 2 SVC BN, Special Service Force at CFB Petawawa, Ontario. In 1993, she was transferred back to CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick where she remained with the Technical Services Branch, Transportation Company until her retirement in April of 1996 when she left to take on the job of Economic Development Officer for Wabanaki Enterprises Inc., an off-reserve Economic Development Corporation
Ms. Lavallée is the daughter of John(Jack) and Rhoda Bernard of Geary, New Brunswick. She is married to Battery Sergeant Major J. S. Michael Lavallée, CD2 who is currently serving at 67(Depot) BTY, The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School at CFB Gagetown . They have a 32 year old son, Sgt. Trevor Lavallée, CD (RCR), 1 PL Training Co. Parachute Instructor, Canadian Advance Warfare Center, CFB Trenton. She is the proud grandmother of 3 year old, Kaden John William Lavallée and 2 year old, Ethan Michael Brian Lavallee.
Ms. Lavallée has a keen interest in Aboriginal Issues as well as Domestic and International politics. She is a stanch advocate for employment for women in non-traditional roles and very protective of inherent rights for the Off-Reserve Aboriginal People of Canada.
If your in the Ottawa Area this is an event that you may want to attend. This event is also a fundraiser for Laurie Odjick and her family for their struggle to find Maisy Odjick (her daughter) and Shannon Alexander, Anishinabeg teenagers from Kitigan Zibi, who have been missing since September 5th, 2008 (http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com/), and to support organizing to end violence against Indigenous women.
In solidarity with Indigenous Women across Turtle Island please join us in an evening of understanding The Epidemic of Continuing Violence Against Indigenous Women
6:30 PM Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 Auditorium, National Library and Archives 395 Wellington St. Ottawa , Algonquin Territory Wheelchair Accessible Free! Everyone is Welcome.
LOL- I wish I had coined that phrase but it is not mine. I have stolen it. Very funny post. Read "I am a member of the left wing fringes!" at Creative Revolution.
Frankly, I have blogged myself to death on this dude. But the scandal surrounding Senator Patrick Brazeau continues. I don't have anything left to add. Let's wait and see if "Bad Anon" comes a trolling to try to defend this one.
Bill Curry
Ottawa — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Friday, Sep. 11, 2009 10:34PM EDT
Members of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples expressed shock over the “disturbing” financial situation left behind by Patrick Brazeau as they gathered for the first time since their former national chief was appointed to the Senate.
Delegates of the off-reserve aboriginal organization met in Ottawa Friday to elect a new national chief, but the vote was overshadowed by a report showing the congress posted a major deficit last year after a federal department demanded it pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses that had been ruled ineligible.
Beyond the mounting debt, delegates expressed concern when told Mr. Brazeau received severance when he left the organization, that he routinely flew first-class on congress business, and that a big-screen television for his office was originally described as a gift from the organization's auditor and then later paid for by the congress as an expense.
In a financial report tabled Friday at the congress meeting, national vice-chief Betty Anne Lavalée wrote that she first saw the organization's finances in February and found them “very disturbing,” a view she later voiced publicly in presenting her report to the delegates.
Ms. Lavallée wrote that she uncovered cheques that were issued without the required approval of the board of directors.
“Also, valuable items had been given away or removed from the building,” she wrote.
She clarified in an interview that the items were pieces of aboriginal art and one Inuit carving that was donated to charity.
“This entire situation, quite frankly, makes me ill,” she wrote.Delegates were still voting for a new national chief late Friday night. It is a position that involves taking part in first-ministers meetings and raising off-reserve issues with the prime minister and federal ministers. The congress receives about $5-million a year from Ottawa.
Ms. Lavallée was elected chief last night on the second ballot. The three other candidates for national chief included Kevin Daniels, Brad Maggrah and Alvin Chartrand. All four supported the need to advocate for improved social conditions for off-reserve aboriginals and to fight for the congress's provincial affiliates that are looking for federal funds.
The Globe and Mail reported in January that Health Canada has frozen its funding to the congress and was demanding repayment of up to $260,000 in expenses that were deemed ineligible. According to Ms. Lavallée, who took over responsibility for the congress's finances as interim vice-chief in January, that story led other departments to launch similar audits.
One of those audits by a branch of Indian Affairs called the Office of the Federal Interlocutor concluded that the congress must pay back $529,880 in expenses from the fiscal years 2004 to 2006. Mr. Brazeau worked at the congress from 2001 to 2008. He was elected vice-chief, with responsibility for the organization's finances, in 2005 and became national chief in 2006.
In an e-mail, Mr. Brazeau, who was named a Conservative senator nine months ago, said delegates were informed of the audit findings at last year's gathering. He said the television was not a gift from an auditor and that it remains the property of the congress. He also defended his first-class flights.
“As per standard policy and practice at CAP, executive members of the Congress often flew business class and/or utilized upgrade certificates,” he wrote.
“Ms. Lavallée, along with all other board members of the congress were given a full, open and transparent quarterly report regarding the financial state of affairs of the Congress,” he wrote. “All board members were given financial updates and had the opportunity to ask questions on the financial management of CAP's affairs.”
Mr. Brazeau built his reputation as national chief as an advocate for financial accountability among native leaders. He was particularly critical of native chiefs and the Assembly of First Nations, the larger national native group made up of chiefs from Canada's more than 600 reserves.
Mr. Brazeau has said that he was aware of the government's financial concerns and worked as national chief to improve the accountability of the organization.