Canada and Quebec are waging a war of attrition on a small band of 500 Algonquin Indians a few hours north of Ottawa. Today, this war has reached a critical juncture: its outcome will be a judgment on whether Canada is able to share the land with First Nations while respecting their right to maintain their cultures and determine their own destinies, or whether Canada can only offer resilient Aboriginal cultures a menu of assimilation, dependency, and cultural death.
treaty rights
Privatization of reserves promoted by liberalization gurus
Peruvian economist and World Bank poster child Hernando de Soto Polar visited Vancouver in October to speak in favour of the establishment of individual property ownership ("fee simple") on First Nations Reserves in Canada.
The First Nations Property Ownership (FNPO) conference -- hosted by the First Nations Tax Commission -- paired de Soto with a select roster of indigenous leaders, lawyers, economists, and scholars from across British Columbia and Canada to promote a proposal that would allow fee-simple title on reserves.
Why activism matters to me as a First Nation person
As an outspoken activist, I'm often confronted with the question by people from a multitude of backgrounds, as well as my fellow First Nation people: why do I feel the need to talk about, speak about, and write about activism and political and social justice.
"You're not in poverty, why do you care?"
They say.
"I really don't think you should talk about it so much."
They say.
"Why can't we all forget about it and just live and let live?"
They say.
"Rob... why is it SUCH a big deal?"
They say.
Why is it such a big deal? And why do I care?
An Anishinaabe dream for the future
I have a dream that one day in our traditional territories coming generations will scarcely recall the time when sacred agreements of partnership and brotherhood faltered.
