October 9 - 22, 2024

This week’s edition includes child welfare, fishing and land rights, court actions, environmental concerns and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


National news included child welfare, clean drinking water and coerced sterilization

 

First Nations leaders call for overhaul of negotiation process for child welfare reform deal | CBC News

Canadian Senate supports bill to end forced sterilization of Indigenous women | APTN News

Minister, national chief urge MPs to support First Nations water bill | Timmins Today

Judge reserves decision on Canada's legal duty to provide First Nations with safe water | CBC News

 

Fishing and land rights made headlines in the Maritimes

 

The Artificial Lake tearing apart a Nova Scotia community | The Narwhal

New Brunswick premier says lands ceded 'many years ago' | APTN News

 

A court injunction was front and centre in Quebec

 

Quebec court grants injunction to stop illegal dumping in Kanehsatà:ke | CBC News

 

Ontario headlines included policing, treaty rights and climate concerns

 

Thunder Bay’s police service to go under the microscope – again | APTN News

Missanabie Cree First Nation suing for increase in annuities payments for Treaty 9 members | Village Report

First Nations say governments should give fewer subsidies to fossil fuels and far more to nature-based climate solutions | Penticton Herald

 

In the North, access to language, governance and environmental assessments were top stories

 

Google adds first Indigenous language in Canada to its translation service | City News

Vuntut Gwitchin rejoin Council of Yukon First Nations after 16-year absence | CBC News

Imperial Oil asks review board to scrap order for environmental assessment in Norman Wells, N.W.T. | CBC News

 

Manitoba news included a court action, human rights and child welfare

 

First Nations file lawsuit against province, Ottawa, MMF | Brandon Sun

14-year fight for disability services settled in favour of First Nations children in Manitoba | APTN News

Manitoba apologizes for clawing back money for kids in care as part of $530M settlement | CBC News

 

Treaty rights, consultation and land protection made headlines in the Prairies

 

PBCN announces Cows and Plows settlement offer from Canada | Prince Albert Daily Herald

Lake Diefenbaker irrigation expansion: what you need to know | The Narwhal

Anita Anand says she's taking Fort Chipewyan contamination 'very seriously' | CTV News

 

Transborder rights and UNDRIP topped BC news

 

Sinixt expansion ‘risks opening a Pandora’s box of transborder claims,’ says syilx Okanagan chief | IndigiNews

‘It’s path-breaking’: British Columbia’s blueprint for decolonisation | The Guardian

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


The most inspiring thing is that children should know how many people, how many of the leaders, love them enough to come here and spend these days having these difficult conversations and making a very difficult decision.

Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


It's in us, you know, to transform and be transformed.

- Vincent Anioke, Perfect Little Angels (2024)  

First Peoples Law is seeking additions to our growing team dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
First Peoples Law is the author of Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary. Previously authored by legendary law professor Shin Imai for over two decades, the book includes hundreds of annotations of significant court decisions and federal legislation regarding Indigenous rights in Canada. We hope it continues to be a useful resource for Indigenous Peoples defending and advancing their rights across the country.
Bruce McIvor's clear, plain answers to frequently asked questions about Indigenous rights.
Faced with a constant stream of news reports of standoffs and confrontations, Canada’s “reconciliation project” has obviously gone off the rails. In this series of concise and thoughtful essays, lawyer and historian Bruce McIvor explains why reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is failing and what needs to be done to fix it.
We are providing a list of resources for anyone looking to get informed about the truth of Residential Schools shared by Survivors across the country. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list. We would welcome any feedback or recommendations.
Check out our podcast featuring conversations on the defence of Indigenous rights.
Your weekly news update on Indigenous rights from First Peoples Law.
First Peoples Law LLP is a law firm dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We work closely with First Nations to defend their Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights, uphold their Indigenous laws and governance and ensure economic prosperity for their members.
Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, is partner at First Peoples Law LLP. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law where he teaches the constitutional law of Aboriginal and Treaty rights. A member of the bar in British Columbia and Ontario, Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner of Aboriginal law in Canada. Bruce's ancestors took Métis scrip at Red River in Manitoba. He holds a law degree, a Ph.D. in Aboriginal and environmental history, is a Fulbright Scholar and author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.