The Long Tsilhqot’in Journey to Aboriginal Title
THE WEBSITE of the Xeni Gwet’in (pronounced Honey Gwi-deen) reads like a manifesto: In a world full of travel promises, some kept others not, the Xeni Gwet’in people offer none. The Xeni prefer to...
View ArticleWhy Would Anyone Want to Be the National Chief of the AFN?
THE ASSEMBLY of First Nations 35th Annual General Assembly, held last week in Halifax, was remarkable more for what wasn’t said than what was. The name of the former national chief was seldom spoken,...
View ArticleThe First Nations Financial Transparency Act and Business as Usual in Ottawa
THE RON GIESBRECHT story is an everyone-saw-it-coming affair, and that’s among the reasons why the First Nations Financial Transparency Act has engendered both its champions and detractors. “This is...
View ArticleMy interview with former AFN National Chief, Delbert Riley
I told the chiefs, “We’re not Indian Affairs. We’re not here to do things for you. We’ll help you do the things you want to do, and we’ll work hard.” DELBERT RILEY is a First Nations leader from the...
View ArticleI wish I hadn’t been born an Indian
As I write this, it’s late. I’ve spent 11 hours travelling across a country. I’m exhausted. It’s quite possible I shouldn’t be writing, and maybe I shouldn’t be writing this. But I feel like I have to...
View ArticleMy Truth, My Reconciliation
Will Canadians learn anything of useful value from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada? Will they even be interested in doing so? These and other questions are on my mind as I prepare...
View ArticleLooking back on this week’s Truth and Reconciliation final event
It’s a sunny Tuesday in Ottawa, and I’m having shawarma with my son on Bank Street. We are the only customers this late in the afternoon. On the TV there’s a live broadcast from the nearby Delta...
View ArticleEducation is the key to reconciliation
BRITISH COLUMBIA’S Education Minister, Peter Fassbender, announced late last week that the province will introduce a new education curriculum on Aboriginal cultures and history this autumn. Education...
View Article94ways: how we will ensure the TRC report is not the RCAP report
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, Zoe Todd posted a YouTube video inviting people to read from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 388-page executive summary. The video was conceived by Erica Violet...
View ArticleWho are the Indigenous influencers in Canada?
Click on the image for full resolution Tagged: Aboriginal people, Funn Stuff, Influencers, Infograph, Social media
View ArticleAn interview with Justice Murray Sinclair
Wayne K. Spear in conversation with Justice Murray Sinclair | August 1, 2015 Photo by Fred Cattroll The reality is that until we have fundamental change about the way we see things and think about...
View ArticleThe power of broadcasting positive indigenous stories
I love being an entrepreneur. Why? Because every day, for me, is an opportunity. An opportunity to connect, to help someone, to make a small difference. Maybe that sounds corny, and if so I don’t...
View ArticleThe Indian Residential Schools Are Still With Us
In 2010, I interviewed the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, about his many years as a politician. The conclusion of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement...
View ArticleMiche vs Canada: the dangerous quicksand of First Nations rights
This is a story about folks who just want a chance to clean the slate and get on with their lives Meet my good friend, Miche. Here is his story. Some years ago, Miche and I belonged to a company called...
View ArticleWill colonial domination survive UNDRIP?
This week Canada’s ministers of Justice and Indigenous Affairs, Carolyn Bennett and Jody Wilson-Raybould, addressed the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The occasion was their...
View ArticleGeorges Erasmus Calls for Action on RCAP Recommendations
In November, it will have been 20 years since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued its multi-volume final report. In this audio clip, former RCAP Co-Chair, Georges Erasmus, renews the...
View ArticleIs it Even Possible for the MMIWG National Inquiry To Do Better?
The problem may well be the inquiry process itself ✎ Wayne K. Spear | November 2, 2017 • Indigenous Affairs T HE NOVEMBER 1 interim report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous...
View ArticleGeorges Erasmus: Reflections on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
“Nobody gives you power. You take it.” ✎ Wayne K. Spear | November 21, 2017 • Current Events
View ArticleNatChief PB is Doing Very Good Great Things at the AFN
I watched the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly. This is what I saw ✎ Wayne K. Spear | December 7, 2017 • Current Events I F YOU FOLLOWED THE Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly this week,...
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