Maggie Padlewska of One Year One World interviews Attawapiskat First Nations Chief Theresa Spence on Victoria Island on December 11, 2012, during the first day of her hunger protest against the Harper government’s continuing abuse of First Nations. Chief Spence is demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a representative of the Queen.
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The Canadian Progressive: National labor union urges Harper to meet with hunger striking Chief Theresa Spence
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), one of Canada’s largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members, is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to meet with hunger striking Chief Theresa Spence. The Chief of the northern Ontario First Nation reserve of Attawapiskat began a hunger strike here
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Attawapiskat First Nations Chief Theresa Spence Protests Harper With Hunger Strike
by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive “I’m wiling to die for my people,” Theresa Spence says. The Chief of the northern Ontario First Nation reserve of Attawapiskat began a hunger strike here in Ottawa yesterday to protest the Harper Government’s continuing abuse of First Nations. Chief Spence is demanding
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Toronto solidarity fast in support of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence
The details, from the organizers: Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence has begun her hunger strike in Ottawa today and she has pledged to continue until Prime Minister Stephen Harper (and the Queen of England) agree to respect colonial and Canadian treaties and work with First Nations in Canada. She has offered
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Pamela Palmater discusses how the Cons’ push to monetize First Nations reserves ultimately looks to be little more than another giveaway to the oil industry: By now most of you have heard about the Harper government’s intention to introduce legislation that will turn
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to end your week. – Tim Harper suggests that the Cons are running out of options to try to push the Gateway pipeline on a thoroughly-opposed public in British Columbia. But in keeping with the Cons’ general view of the world as nothing but a public relations problem
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Stop the Condo Development on the Musqueam Burial Site
What kind of racist government issues a permit for a condo developer to bulldoze a Musqueum burial site? BC’s government. I visited c̓əsnaʔəm, the 1338 SW Marine Drive site this morning and had a chance to talk with some of the demonstrators. I learned a number of important points in
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Politics, Re-Spun on The Rational on Co-op Radio, March 12 Lineup
Politics, Re-Spun is on The Rational on Coop Radio on Monday, March 12, 2012 from 6pm to 7pm with an intriguing lineup! Listen live online or at 102.7fm in the Vancouver area. Here’s the lineup: 1. Dylan Penner will talk with Stephen Elliott-Buckley about the Canadian Boat for Gaza: why,
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: A new school for Attawapiskat
Remember this? When I joined the blogburst in support of a new school for the First Nation community in Attawapiskat, I was already behind the times. The old school had been condemned in 2000, eight years before. It should never have taken this long but at least progress is finally
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 15 was the final day in the House of Commons before the winter break. The Big Issue Once again, debate focused primarily on Bill C-26 to clarify the availability of self-defence under the Criminal Code. And the opposition parties started proceedings by granting unanimous consent to an effort
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Canada Marginalization of The First Nations, our Specialty
Seven-year-old Ferlin Iahtal lies in his home-made bunk bed in his home in Attawapiskat on Dec. 17. Twenty-one people live in the house that has plastic on the ceilings to stop water leaks. Canada’s active neglect of the First Nations continues. Under the heavy mantle of the oppressive Harper regime
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 2, 2011
Friday, December 2 saw the final day of debate in Parliament on the Cons’ omnibus crime bill. And for at least a moment, the proceedings took a perhaps surprising turn. The Big Issue As debate wound down on C-10, Irene Mathyssen questioned why the Cons insisted on delaying the passage
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 1, 2011
In the midst of a week of acrimonious debate over both the substance of the Cons’ dumb-on-crime legislation and the government’s procedural maneuvers to prevent even improvements which it recognized as necessary, December 1 served as a comparative beacon of cooperation (as noted specifically by Don Davies). The Big Issue
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 30, 2011
After the previous day’s debacle in which government-sponsored amendments to the Cons’ dumb-on-crime bill were ruled out of order, one might have expected at least some acknowledgment of fallibility on the part of the Harper Cons. The Big Issue But Wednesday, November 30 saw nothing of the sort, even when
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Day Three of Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons
Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons January 6-8, 2012 Vancouver/Burnaby All panelist biographies are here. Below are some lessons learned and observations from the sessions. Friday: The opening panel is recorded in the Twitter storify here. Saturday: My notes are here. Sunday: Opening Panel Radical Squares: Reflections on
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Day Two of Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons
Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons January 6-8, 2012 Vancouver/Burnaby All panelist biographies are here: Below are some lessons learned and observations from the sessions. Friday: The opening panel is recorded in the Twitter storify here. Saturday: Opening Panel A Global Tradition: History of the Commons Silvia Federici
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Opening Panel from the Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons
This weekend I attended Tragedy of the Market: From Crisis to Commons community gathering in Vancouver and Burnaby, sponsored by these groups and people. The basic premise is not so much that capitalism is broken, and we just need to fix it, but that neoliberal market fundamentalism is inherently broken
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Mostly competent government
When the plight of the First Nations community at Attawapiskat became front page news, the first concern expressed publicly by Prime Minister Harper was the possibility that money wasn’t being managed properly. He neglected to mention that it was his own government he was worried about. Two government audits show
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Jeffrey Simpson manages to write an entire column on important political developments he managed to miss in 2011 without uttering the words “NDP” (or any member thereof). Which surely looks like an early nominee as a continued blind spot in 2012. – Peter
Continue readingCrazy Bitches R Us: Attawapiskat: could economic sanctions against Canada work?
Recently the James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, issued a statement Tuesday saying he wrote to the Harper government Canada to express my deep concern about the dire social and economic condition of the Attawapiskat First Nation, which exemplifies the conditions of many aboriginal
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