National Chief Phil Fontaine held a news conference here in Ottawa on Thursday (April 18) to announce the second National Day of Action to be held May 29th. The National Chief, joined by national religious, labour and student organizations, urged all Canadians to come out and show their support in calling on the federal government to work with First Nations on a positive and progressive agenda for change. Ultimately, we want to turn poverty into prosperity and we have the plan.
The National Chief is calling for peaceful demonstrations by all Canadians, though the media (of course!) has latched on to other aspects of the announcement. As have other First Nations, including some that support the 2010 Olympic Games.
It’s important to note that the National Chief never referred to “disrupting” the Games (and note further that in July the AFN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Four Host Nations to work with the organizing committee on the games). Rather, the Olympic Games shine an international spotlight on the host nation and this spotlight can be used to show the international audience and the international media the reality faced by First Nations people in Canada. Peaceful protest is not lawlessness, it’s democracy.
Anyway, the focus right now is on May 29th of this year, not 2010. Though if we’re still calling for government action by 2010, well, no doubt the Natives will really be restless!
Special added bonus blurb!: Media at the press conference were also interested in the hoped-for-soon-to-be-much-anticipated announcement on the federal government’s apology to residential schools’ survivors. The National Chief made a few notable points that you may want to checkout here.
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8 comments:
"Ultimately, we want to turn poverty into prosperity and we have the plan."
A plan to give the Indian Chiefs some money. Create detailed and specific plans to address our common despair, even before you get the money, and then I will stop talking trash about the Indian Chiefs. The truth is that the most aboriginals I know say that the Chiefs don't speak for the people. That includes AFN and CAP. We feel like we have no leadership.
details, specifics, budgets, where will the money go, to who...That's what the people want. The longer the Indian Cheifs take to put together good plans, the more likely we (well me anyway) are to revolt.
I'm working on a plan and it is good. If the Indian Chiefs have no real plans by the time I reveal my plan, the Indian Chiefs will look like comic book villains.
Don't you dare censor me by removing my post.
right after my post, I decided to check out the CAP blog. The CAP Indian Chief asks the people what they think. This is quite...revolutionary. What is really interesting is all the people who respond to this Indian Chief.
Ask us what we think before everybody joins CAP. (don't worry about losing me to CAP. I'm the Ogkimaakaan of the Free Odjibwe, and I'm not an Indian).
Once again, don't censor me.
Since the beginning of the Tibean demonstrations around the world for autonomy, I have sensed this is the same as First Nations are wanting (deservedly) to gain...autonomy. Glad to hear Fontaine saying the same.
the latest Free Odjibwe Anishinabe nationalist propaganda is floating around somewhere in cyber space. LOL, I will be the comic book character. That's ok though, the spirit of the Windigokaan is needed to help the Anishinabe break free for the culture of despair.
Why not allow anonymous comments? This might encourage more people to post comments. Even if they are only trash talking the chiefs, they will be provided with an outlet to have their concerns heard. I'm sure you see the value in this suggestion.
First, thank you Earthwoman for your comments. Glad to see you’re reading the blog – tell your friends! And please provide any comments or posts as you see fit. Meegwetch!
And on that note…
“Don't you dare censor me by removing my post.”
“Once again, don't censor me.”
- Payzhannakut
WEH! - chill, friend. You’re dealing with a fellow Anishinaabe here.
This blog has the same rules as most others: no foul language, no libel or hate speech, stay on topic, etc.. That aside, no one’s censoring anyone. Why would we? As for anonymous posts, we can consider it but like a lot of blogs (a) if people aren’t willing to stand by their comments then one wonders…why? and (b) the criteria for posting on this blog hardly compromises anyone’s security or identity.
Anyhoo, plans? We got plans.
You can start here: http://www.afn.ca/misc/pre-budget-final-fr.pdf
…and here: http://www.afn.ca/misc/COF_final.pdf
These are the first steps in a more comprehensive plan, but the idea is to start by stabilizing the current crisis conditions experienced in far too many of our communities and build on that foundation by fostering the skills and abilities required for our people to take control of their lives and communities and work towards self-reliance, self-sufficiency and self-determination. The ultimate goal, of course, is rebuilding our nations.
(and note that under the plan one key area of investment is education and training for our children, youth and students, not Chiefs).
For more detailed plans in specific areas, you can go here: http://www.afn.ca/article.asp?id=141
For a summary of an approach towards the real recognition and implementation of First Nation governments, check this out: http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/Executive-Summary.pdf
…and here’s some good context on why First Nation control is not only desirable but absolutely necessary for self-sufficiency and progress. This is work coming out of Harvard (which, the key researchers note, is applicable to the Canadian situation): http://www.hks.harvard.edu/hpaied/
And last but far from least…here’s a plan not only for First Nations but for our Inuit and Métis brothers and sisters as well, developed by the leaders AND the citizens of our nations. It’s the best, most comprehensive, detailed, sequenced and budgeted plan around, and the closest you’ll find to a general consensus on the way forward (and the AFN would agree with this plan) (and yes, had a hand in it): http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/index_e.html
In all honesty…keen to hear what you think!
Thank you for acknowledging my existence. I'm not used to such an honour from Indian organizations. Usually they just ignore me, or make promises they have no intent of fulfilling.
I realize that I come off as being hostile and its nothing personal against anyone in this Indian organization. I am just fed up a system that is conducive to corruption for our leaders.
How about this idea: Every Indian Chief and their council members contribute $50, plus $500 bucks from every Chiefs organization to go towards a "Nation Builders Challenge". It would be a contest that challenges individuals in our nations to organize on their own, to discuss and plan how to rebuild their nations. They could work on either individual First Nations (the reserves, remenants of our true nations), or they can work on rebuilding the larger nations that existed before we were reduced to scattered bands.
Among the things they should be instructed to consider are: a constitution, laws, economic development, infrastructure, environmental issues, etc...
So lets say that 6 cheifs and councilors from 600 reserves give $50, that's $180,000. Plus if at least ten Indian Chief orgs give $500, that will put the total at $185000. Offer a single prize of $75,000 to an adult community group, and a prize of $50,000 to a youth community group. That leaves $60,000 to develop and promote the initiative.
This would send a positive message to the people; that the chiefs want the people to start thinking and acting like leaders even if they are not the elected leaders. The cheifs want to engage us in the development of our nations.
This will get people thinking about the big picture.
I don't expect anything to happen from this post. I just like to have my voice heard.
I'm not an Indian, and many other youth also feel that the word Indian is an insult to our true nations, but I know that AFN will never take action to address our concerns. So I'm just going to focus on how the people (not just us non-Indians) want to be heard.
Take Action ! Bring out the Drums ! Turn on the inner circuitry of peace while your at it.
I quote earthwoman
"Since the beginning of the Tibean demonstrations around the world for autonomy..."
Guru Rinpoche said the following: "When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will scatter like ants across the world and the Dharma will come to the land of the red man. page 201, Shaman's Path.
I quote payzhannakut
"Among the things they should be instructed to consider are: a constitution, laws, economic development, infrastructure, environmental issues, etc..."
In one word, Human Rights.
What did Martin Luther King, Gandi, and President John F. Kennedy all have in Common? What have they all been assassinated for? Fighting for Human Rights.
In order to have our human rights properly protected, the Indian nations must be destroyed so that we can reconstitute the nations of our ancestors.
Anishinabe nationalism to the path to a true partnership between our people and Canadians. As things are now, we a part of Canada, and we make Canada a nation divided, but with true sovereign nations, our countries can be partners. The special privileges of Indian law are inconsistent with the Canadian constitution. This situation is conducive to harassment and other forms of discrimination towards our people from Canadians ("Hey Cheif, why do you Indians get everything for free but all you do is drink and steal.")
For me and my associates, the most obvious inconsistency between the Canadian constitution and Indian law is in definitions. We (me and my associates) are not Indians. It is a violation the constitution's fundemental principles of justice to identify us with a derogatory term.
Back to nationalism, our people are prisoners of the mind, bound to the archaic language of treaties and the media that portrays us as the simple, but noble savage. We are prisoners in a culture of dependency and despair. Through the process of nation building, our people can overcome the dependency as they take ownership of their lives and their material resources. Through the process of nation building, our sense of despair will be allieviated as we assert to the world that we are not a conquerored people. By "winning" back our nations, the people will prove to themselves that they are just a good as anyone in this world.
Here's a passage to remember for the coming years: "Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law"-UN universal declaration of human rights
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