Posts By: Karen

Kenora, ON — Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh, Grand Chief of Grand Council Treaty #3 sends condolences to the family and Grassy Narrows First Nation after the tragic death of a Grassy Narrows man after he was arrested and held by the Kenora OPP.

“My condolences to the family and the community of Grassy Narrows.  Though the death is under investigation by the SIU, it is our hope that the OPP officers involved in the arrest aren’t responsible for his death,” said Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh.  “Police are not above the law, nor are they jury and executioner.”

The province’s police watchdog the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the arrest of a man in Kenora, where he was transported to hospital for treatment, and subsequently passed away.

“This is a very serious matter and we won’t stop talking about it until something substantial is done to address the systemic racism, the barriers and biases that exist within the police services,” said Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation. SIU has been in contact with Chief Rudy Turtle and he is anxiously waiting their preliminary report. 

GCT#3 and Grassy Narrows continue to monitor the situation until the SIU release their findings and answers are uncovered. “All of our  Treaty #3 citizens are important to us,” said Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh.

Wendake, June 25, 2019 – The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) deplores that Bill C-262 died on the order paper. The Bill was intended to ensure that Canadian laws comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Because of the despicable political partisanship that took precedence over the collective interest, the bill could not be passed by the Senate and then receive royal assent, despite a very reasonable delay of more than a year spent in this institution.

“History is repeating itself; our rights are once again being put aside. Some would say we will have to wait on the election to carry on with the fight that stops with the defeat of C-92. Be that as it may, no matter what the outcome of the election may be, we have invested too much already for any government to take us back to square one,” says AFNQL Chief Ghislain Picard.

Bill C-262 was introduced on April 21, 2016 by NDP MP Roméo Saganash. The AFNQL would like to salute his dedication and tireless work in defending the rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples.

The vices of partisanship to which our rights are subjected give us the energy to maintain our commitment to do what is right for the respect of the fundamental rights of our peoples.

About the AFNQL

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is the political organization regrouping 43 Chiefs of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador. Follow us on Twitter @APNQL.

Deadline: August 24, 2019

Calling all Hip Hop, Rap, Spoken Word Artists, Poets, Singers, Audio Storytellers, and Podcasters!

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival are partnering for the eighth annual Digital Project Prize. 

This year we’re inviting Indigenous voice artists to apply to create something new, a digital or interactive experiment. Your project can be anything: a new kind of music video, a live performance, or even an application for your phone. 

Whatever you come up with, it will be based on the words and voices of Indigenous artists. You will bring your idea into life with a team of creatives assembled with the NFB and imagineNATIVE.  

The completed project will be exhibited and performed at the imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival in 2020, and distributed online.

Prize Rules
Submissions will be jointly reviewed by imagineNATIVE and the NFB.

Who can apply
Submissions are accepted from across Canada and should be in English.

Aspiring or established Indigenous voice and sound artists (hip hop artists, rappers, singers, poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, or lyricists….) You must be a Canadian citizen and Indigenous 

How to apply
Submissions must be sent to interactive@imaginenative.org before August 24, 2019 

Contact 
We are available to answer any questions or to provide clarification on the project or the selection process. Please contact Dana Dansereau (Producer) at the NFB (D.Dansereau@nfb.ca) and c.c. Meagan Byrne (interactive@imaginenative.org). 

National Indigenous Peoples Day is an opportunity for Labrador Inuit to promote and celebrate our cultural heritage and way of life, and to recognize the tremendous contributions made by those who have gone before us in helping us adapt to the ever-increasing changes in today’s modern society.

Labrador Inuit continue to struggle with the impacts of forced resettlement and residential schools, of maintaining our identity and our language. While we cannot change the past, or the negative consequences of historical oppression, we remain steadfast in our determination to control our destiny.

As a vibrant people, we have demonstrated repeatedly our creativity, resourcefulness, strength and determination. These traits define us and allow us to remain connected to each other and to the land and the waters that have sustained us for generations.

While this day is set aside to reflect on the many contributions Canada’s Indigenous peoples have made, and continue to make, to our great country, it is also a time where we, as Labrador Inuit, celebrate our place in history.

I am proud to be a Labrador Inuk, of our past and the accomplishments we have achieved. While we will continue to face many challenges on the road to self-determination, I am confident we are heading in the right direction. The future is in our hands!

Wendake, June 21, 2019 – It is with great enthusiasm that the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (FNQLHSSC) welcome today’s adoption of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

“The passing of Act 92 is a major step in the right direction for relations between our governments and the Government of Canada,” said Ghislain Picard, Chief of the AFNQL. “It confirms the competence of our authority over child and family services and brings us closer to fully exercising our right to self-determination. We are ready to rise to the challenge and start transitioning, and we expect nothing less from the provincial government. This is a big day for our children.”

“This is a major step forward for the rights of Indigenous children. Too many of them have suffered by being separated from their families or taken into ʻStateʼ care. We are now convinced that Indigenous families will be better supported and will benefit from quality services that are culturally adapted, namely in terms of prevention,” added Derek Montour, President of the FNQLHSSC Board of Directors.

Several important principles are included in the Act, for example, a much broader definition of a child’s best interests than the one provided in the Youth Protection Act. The Act also provides that a child may not be apprehended solely as a result of his or her socio-economic conditions.

Representatives from both organizations stated that, moving forward, the Government of Canada would be able to count on their full cooperation to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal implementation of the Act. They hope that the provincial government will encourage federal action in order to garner respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples at all levels.

About the AFNQL

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is the political organization that brings together 43 Chiefs of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador.

About the FNQLHSSC

The First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission is a non-profit organization that supports the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador in achieving their goals in terms of health, wellness, culture and self-determination.

Following a meeting with other Indigenous leaders and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball in St. John’s on Tuesday, the Nunatsiavut Government has agreed to undertake a review of a draft terms of reference for a proposed Muskrat Falls methylmercury health oversight committee.

All parties discussed recommendations of the Independent Expert Advisory Committee (IEAC) on the monitoring, management and mitigation of potential methylmercury impacts of the Muskrat Falls hydro development on the Indigenous and local populations. The IEAC released its recommendations on ways to protect human health in April 2018. One of the key recommendations is that Nalcor Energy undertake targeted removal of soil in the future reservoir area before impoundment.

During the meeting, the Nunatsiavut Government called on the Province to respond to all of the recommendations put forward by the IEAC.

“We have maintained all along that all efforts must be taken to protect the health, rights and way of life of Labrador Inuit who will be impacted by the Muskrat Falls project,” says Nunatsiavut President Johannes Lampe. “The Province’s refusal to act on the IEAC’s recommendations, particularly with respect to clearing of the reservoir, remains a huge concern, as the impending impoundment is only months away. It will be too late to act once the reservoir is flooded.”

All three Indigenous leaders have been asked to provide feedback on the terms of reference with the goal of reaching consensus on a path forward on ways to mitigate health risks associated with potential methylmercury contamination, notes President Lampe.

“At this point we have agreed to review the terms of reference. We are cautiously optimistic consensus can be reached, but fear it may be too late to carry out any meaningful mitigation measures.”

Banff, AB — June 11, 2019 – Today, at the 2019 Banff World Media Festival, Netflix joined imagineNATIVE, The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and Wapikoni Mobile to announce a suite of partnership programs that aim to develop the next generation of Indigenous creators across Canada. These programs range from screenwriting intensives to apprenticeship programs, joining the 11 existing partnership programs Netflix has funded to nurture the next generation of Canadian creators from underrepresented communities.

“Indigenous communities in Canada are rich with unique stories, and organizations like imagineNATIVE, The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and Wapikoni Mobile are vital to ensuring these voices are heard,” said Stéphane Cardin, Director of Public Policy, Netflix Canada. “Netflix is proud to help launch these three programs, which will reach Indigenous communities across the country.”

imagineNATIVE

The game-changing Netflix-imagineNATIVE partnership will demonstrate an unprecedented level of support for Indigenous filmmakers in Canada, who have urgent needs for professional development programming designed from Indigenous perspectives and delivered within Indigenous contexts by an Indigenous-run organization. Over the next three-and-a-half years, imagineNATIVE will undertake or expand six distinct activities aimed at Indigenous screenwriters, directors and producers through its Institute department:

• Indigenous Producers Lab
• Indigenous Directors Lab
• Indigenous Screenwriting Intensive
• ‘imagineNATIVE Originals’ Mentorship Commissions
• Original Storytellers Series Incubator
• Festival Industry Days & Year-Round Institute Series.

“We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to offer an unprecedented series of professional development initiatives at imagineNATIVE,” says Jason Ryle, executive director of imagineNATIVE. “This funding is a significant investment in opportunities for Indigenous directors, producers, and screenwriters in Canada, and marks one of the largest sponsorships in imagineNATIVE’s history.”

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO)

The ISO-Netflix Production Mentorship and Apprenticeship Program will provide second phase support for Indigenous projects that may have received development support through other programs such as those offered by imagineNATIVE Institute, Hot Docs, Banff World Media Festival, or Whistler Film Festival, as well as others. The Program will include two streams: Key Creative Apprenticeships and Cultural Mentorships for directors, producers, screenwriters and showrunners.

“ISO spent the last year in consultations with Indigenous creators and this fund responds to their expressed need for new funding opportunities that will advance work and career opportunities, as well as allow them to follow protocols and practices that are central to Indigenous ways of working,” says Jesse Wente, director of the Indigenous Screen Office.

Wapikoni Mobile

Mentoring and coaching are at the heart of the unique Wapikoni Mobile development experience, and increased accessibility of tools, spaces and trainers are offered through the mobility of its studios. Wapikoni’s approach is centered around the belief that it is essential for the next generation to be inspired by the success of their community. With this new partnership, Wapikoni will be able to coordinate its important collective of emerging filmmakers, organize the numerous opportunities, and structure a program of both continuing education and professional coaching which will have a profound and lasting impact on the next generation of Indigenous creators.

At the centre of Wapikoni’s priorities is the intent to highlight a significant collection of audiovisual works and an immeasurable cultural heritage of artistic expression and Indigenous identity while promoting:

• Mediation, dialogue
• Awareness, education
• Building bridges between Nations, Peoples and generations.

“At Wapikoni, we believe that many young Indigenous artists are isolated from opportunity. When travelling to them locally to offer tools and resources to create short films, we discovered that this journey also leads to supporting the development of talented, emerging filmmakers. Learning from the creative process is at the heart of important social transformations, especially in terms of personal growth, community development, community involvement. We are proud to support the emergence of unique artistic and cultural signatures which will have an invaluable contribution to new audiovisual productions,” explains Odile Joannette, from the Pessamit First Nation of Quebec, and executive director at Wapikoni. “The support from Netflix will allow us to continue to foster narrative sovereignty and cinematographic excellence, and we are absolutely thrilled to count Netflix as a partner, not only for our organization, but also for the voices of Indigenous youth,” she added.

Netflix’s support of these programs comes from its fund to develop the next generation of Canadian creators and talent, focused on underrepresented communities in the screen industry. This announcement marks the 12th, 13th and 14th partnerships since the fund was announced in September 2017. Other recent announcements in 2019 include partnerships with the Inside Out Film Festival, RIDM (Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal), and the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC).

About Netflix

Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with over 148 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

About ImagineNATIVE

imagineNATIVE is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous-made screen content. It presents the annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival in Toronto and the imagineNATIVE Film + VR Tour nationally in Canada. The imagineNATIVE Institute is a department within the organization that presents professional development programming for Indigenous screen content creators year-round and as part of the Festival’s Industry Days. imagineNATIVE is an international leader in the presentation and promotion of Indigenous screen-based content and its Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary on October 22-27, 2019.

About the Indigenous Screen Office

The Indigenous Screen Office serves and advocates on behalf of the Indigenous screen industry, its producers, creators and storytellers. The ISO’s mission is to foster Indigenous narrative sovereignty on screen, meaning that the content produced is owned and controlled by Indigenous creators. The ISO supports all levels of talent development through advocacy, training and funding initiatives. We serve as a connector for Indigenous creators to opportunities, networks and information while educating the broader screen sector about Indigenous contexts as they relate to screen-based funding and creation.

About Wapikoni Mobile

Wapikoni Mobile is a mobile intervention, training and creative studio for Indigenous youth. Its mission is to amplify the voices of the Indigenous generation through film and music, to broadcast their work in Canada and abroad, and to act as a tool for professional development and social transformation. Since its inception, thousands of Wapikoni participants from 28 Nations have collaborated on more than 1,200 short films translated into multiple languages and winners of numerous awards and honors at national and international festivals. Wapikoni is a non-profit and charitable organization supported by several private and public partners. Wapikoni is now, since 2017, an official UNESCO partner.

June 10th, 2019 — OTTAWA, Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ontario — Indigenous Services Canada 

The Minister of Indigenous Services, Seamus O’Regan, and the President of the Métis National Council, Clément Chartier, signed a historic agreement today that signals the Government of Canada’s commitment to providing post-secondary education supports for Métis Nation students across Canada. 

The Canada-Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Sub-Accord comes on the heels of unprecedented federal investments in Métis Nation post-secondary education and is also a result of the post-secondary education review announced in Budget 2017. It fulfills commitments outlined in the 2017 Canada-Métis Nation Accord and is a historic step in closing the post-secondary education attainment gap between Métis citizens and non-Indigenous Canadians. 

This Sub-Accord will establish new approaches aimed at improving the education outcomes of Métis Nation students and programs and support three activity streams including student support, community-based programs and services, and governance capacity.

This groundwork has been laid through an intensive process of policy co-development, and is a testament to the relationships that have been strengthened over the past two years. The Government of Canada is committed to achieving reconciliation with the Métis Nation through a renewed nation-to-nation, government-to-government relationship based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership as the foundation for transformative change. 

“This historic achievement marks a significant step in Canada’s relationship with the Métis Nation. Through this agreement, Métis Nation students will have long overdue equal opportunities to pursue post-secondary education. I commend our partner, the Métis National Council, for providing a brighter future for Métis Nation youth through education, as Canada continues its journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada.”

The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Indigenous Services

“The most glaring gap between the educational attainment of our people and the broader population is at the post-secondary level, particularly in the number of university graduates. This significant, long term federal financial support for our post-secondary students marks a giant first step in enabling the Métis Nation to reduce that gap and opens new opportunities for our population to participate fully in the new economy. Again, this is reconciliation in action.”  

Clément Chartier
President, Métis National Council

• The Canada-Métis Nation Accord was signed on April 13, 2017.
• The Canada-Métis Nation Education Memorandum of Understanding on developing Canada-Métis Education sub-accords were entered into on October 25, 2018.
• Budget 2018 provided one-time investment to support Métis Nation post-secondary education through grants towards Métis Nation endowments and a 10-year Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education strategy.
• The Government of Canada Budget 2019 proposed an investment of $362-million over 10 years and $40-million ongoing to support Métis Nation post-secondary education, with the goal of supporting over 7,000 Métis Nation post-secondary students.

(Ottawa, ON) – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde says immediate action is required to ensure the rights of Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation are respected and upheld by all governments.  The Natoaganeg First Nation, a Mi’kmaq First Nation in New Brunswick, has been trying to work with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) for years to exercise their rights to a moderate livelihood fishery – a right recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 – with no positive result.

“Canada and all its agencies must recognize the Treaty rights of Natoaganeg First Nation to fish and to a moderate livelihood fishery,” said AFN National Chief Bellegarde. “Fishing is part of their culture, identity and economy and has been for generations. Natoaganeg First Nation has been pursuing a peaceful and cooperative way forward for years and they are still open to discussions, but any path must recognize and respect their Treaty rights, inherent rights and the decision of Canada’s own Supreme Court. We want Canada to immediately stop seizing their traps and work with them. I stand with the citizens and leaders of Natoaganeg First Nation.”

In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed in the Marshall Decision that the Mi’kmaq have a Treaty right to hunt, fish, harvest and gather in their territory for the purposes of trade and to earn a moderate livelihood. The direction from the court was clear that the Natoaganeg First Nation has a right to fish and operate their fisheries under the Natoaganeg Treaty Fisheries Authorization Plan and the Snow Crab Stewardship Plan, both of which are consistent with the management framework and regulations under the Fisheries Act.

“In this time of reconciliation, First Nations and Canadians need to embrace and build on the relationship set out in the Peace and Friendship Treaties, some of the earliest Treaties in this land” said AFN New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Regional Chief Roger Augustine. “The people of Natoaganeg sustained themselves through the fishery, yet today there is a high incidence of food insecurity for the people. Many of them rely heavily on fishing to support themselves and their families.  It is disturbing to me and does not make sense that a First Nation would be given a license but no quotas. This issue must be resolved to ensure the livelihood and prosperity of Natoaganeg. They are asking for nothing more than for Canada to honour their rights and the decisions of its own courts.”

Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation began to exercise their Aboriginal and Treaty rights and title to fish for a moderate livelihood through the implementation of a snow crab moderate livelihood fishery.  DFO, as of today, has seized 31 snow crab pots. Natoaganeg First Nation is requesting the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson, to step in, direct the DFO to return the snow crab pots, and work with them to respectfully resolve this issue.

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates.