Topic: Today’s News

BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) President and CEO Susan Yurkovich and Forest Products Association of Canada President and CEO Derek Nighbor issued a joint statement in response to the announcement today that the Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou has been signed.
 
“The forest sector has long supported and participated in efforts to enhance caribou recovery and protection – working alongside partners to advance meaningful solutions, including actively supporting the Government of BC’s Mountain Caribou Recovery Implementation Plan and participating in population augmentation trials.
 
We will continue to work to enhance caribou habitat populations and believe the Section 11 Agreement delegation to the Province provides us with a greater range of tools to do this important work. However, we are deeply disappointed that the separate Partnership Agreement signed today permanently removes a significant amount of fibre from the timber harvesting land base and creates additional operational uncertainty.
 
This permanent removal further shrinks the working forest and will have negative impacts on forestry workers, communities and regional economies.
 
This comes at a time when the sector is facing major challenges that have resulted in thousands of workers in dozens of communities across the province being impacted. Governments must recognize that secure access to reasonably priced fibre is the single most important factor needed to ensure a vibrant forestry sector. This agreement further erodes the working forest land base – further harming an industry that is critically important to the provincial economy and communities across BC.
 
We remain fully committed to working with governments, First Nations, and community leaders in advancing caribou recovery and protection. However, advancing this work must be done collectively and must recognize the importance of preserving the working forest.”

A partnership agreement to recover the endangered central group of southern mountain caribou was signed today by Chiefs of the West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations and Ministers of the British Columbia and Canadian governments.

The partnership agreement has a 30-year term and is the first of its kind in Canada. 

Approximately 2 million acres of land will be placed into protected areas. Caribou habitat in these zones of the partnership agreement will not be disturbed by new industrial development activities. 

The partnership agreement also establishes a Caribou Recovery Committee, which will be staffed by officials from the four governments and will operate on a consensus-basis. The Caribou Recovery Committee will review applications in the other areas covered by the partnership agreement. Proposed development in these zones must meet stringent mitigation requirements and be consistent with the goal of stabilizing and recovering self-sustaining caribou populations. 

The partnership agreement is centred around the Klinse-za (Twin Sisters) mountains and the Klinse-za caribou herd. In 2013, the herd numbered just 16 animals and was facing imminent extirpation. West Moberly and Saulteau began a maternal penning program to give newborn calves a better chance of escaping predators. Along with habitat restoration and a combination of scientific and traditional management measures, the Klinse-za population has now risen to over 80 animals. The partnership agreement promises long-term support for these recovery efforts, including multi-year funding for maternal penning, habitat restoration, and an Indigenous Guardians program.

ENGAGEMENT
The signing of the partnership agreement follows nearly 12 months of engagement with local governments and residents, industry, environmental organizations, wildlife experts, neighbouring First Nations, and the public. Working groups have been established to support implementation of the partnership agreement, with several local governments actively participating in the design of forestry-related mitigations, snowmobile management plans, and the review of socio-economic impacts. 

With a negotiated partnership agreement now in place, the federal government is unlikely to impose an emergency order onto lands within the Peace region, a prospect which posed serious and unpredictable risks to local industry and jobs.

Contrary to false rumours spread in an online petition, and repeated by some local politicians, the partnership agreement will not close hiking, fishing or camping sites in the backcountry, and will not shut down mills, mines, or pipelines. Socio-economic impact assessments have been conducted by the provincial and federal governments. West Moberly has been assured that resources are in place to address impacted tenure holders and to support local communities.

BACKGROUND
West Moberly’s Dunne-za (Beaver) ancestors entered Treaty No. 8 in 1914. The Treaty promises protection for wildlife and the ability to hunt as freely as before entering the Treaty. There was to be no forced interference with the First Nations’ traditional way of life. West Moberly Elders remember a time when a “sea of caribou” could be seen moving throughout the Peace region, with herds so large the animals were “like bugs”.

But since then, the Peace region has been besieged by decades of habitat destruction. Megadams, clearcuts, coal mines, pipelines, oil and gas wells, along with tens of thousands of kilometres of power lines, roads, trails, and seismic lines have destroyed sensitive habitats, severed migration routes, and upset predator-prey relationships. In the 1970s, Elders imposed their own hunting moratoriumnmoratorium to help the caribou recover. West Moberly members have not harvested the animals since that time. 

In the early 2000s, West Moberly began working with Elders to gather traditional knowledge about caribou (“wah tzee” in the Dunne-za language). This knowledge was recorded in community reports, such as “I Want to Eat Caribou Before I Die”. In 2009, West Moberly commenced legal proceedings to protect the Burnt Pine herd of southern mountain caribou from a coal mine proposed within sensitive alpine habitat in the absence of any provincial caribou recovery plan. The court suspended the project on the basis of West Moberly’s Treaty right to harvest caribou according to its traditional seasonal round. 

West Moberly then joined together with Saulteau First Nations and Wildlife Infometrics in 2013 to begin a maternal penning program for the Klinse-za herd. The program has expanded to include habitat modelling, habitat restoration, wolf removal, caribou feeding, scientific research, and, now, habitat protection under the partnership agreement. 

Southern mountain caribou populations remain small, scattered and vulnerable. Obstacles to recovery abound. But the new resources, protections and management approaches under the partnership agreement demonstrate hope that a “sea of caribou” might once again roam the Peace region, and that traditional ways of living with caribou might survive. 

QUOTES
Chief Roland Willson: “For thousands of years, the caribou have given us food, clothes, and tools to survive harsh winters. They are not just animals to us. They are our brothers and sisters, our friends and our ancestors. The caribou have been suffering for decades as their habitat is destroyed piece by piece. They need us now, all of us. This partnership agreement gives us hope. It means that help is on the way.” 

Chief Roland Willson: “To my fellow elected representatives of the Peace region, I thank each of you that worked productively with us at the Leaders Table and during engagement on this agreement over the last year. Now, the real work begins. Several doors have been opened for you to participate in implementation. We look forward to this collaboration, and to joint efforts dispelling myths, combating racism, and promoting a region rich in wildlife, culture, and sustainable economic activity.” 

THANKS
West Moberly expresses deep gratitude and thanks to all of the individuals and groups that have worked on the partnership agreement and are collaborating in various ways to support the recovery of southern mountain caribou. Special thanks to: 

• Chief Cameron and the Saulteau First Nations Council for their friendship, leadership and partnership
• Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Premier John Horgan, Minister Doug Donaldson, Minister George Heyman, Minister Bruce Ralston, and the senior federal and provincial officials for their leadership and dedication to collaboration
• Wildlife Infometrics, the West Moberly and Saulteau Lands Departments, and the Klinse-za Guardians for harnessing knowledge from scientific frontiers and traditional reservoirs  
• The Elders and other knowledge-holders whose wisdom and advice have guided each success  
• Each of the facilitators and negotiators that helped prepare the partnership agreement; 
• The Doig River, Fort Nelson, Halfway River, and Prophet River First Nations for their support of the partnership agreement 
• Yellowstone to Yukon, David Suzuki Foundation, Wildsight, Greenpeace Canada, CPAWS, Wilderness Committee, Sierra Club of BC, and Ecojustice for their commitment to conservation 
• Amnesty International and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs for calling on B.C. and Canada to address the racist backlash that followed release of the draft partnership agreement  
• The many industry representatives, local residents, and local elected representatives that have engaged respectfully, honestly and constructively on the partnership agreement
• The thousands of people across Canada that have written letters and otherwise supported both the goal of recovering caribou and the path of true reconciliation

Après une réflexion approfondie, après avoir écouté les critiques de mon peuple ainsi que d’autres conseils, et après avoir vu comment mes récentes remarques ont été utilisées par certains, y compris dans les médias, pour tenter de semer la division et de conquérir les peuples autochtones à travers le Canada, je souhaite humblement rétracter mes commentaires qui questionnaient si le moment était venu de lever des blocus ferroviaires. 

Il n’est pas ma place de porter un tel jugement. Je laisse cette discrétion aux gens sur le terrain ainsi qu’aux dirigeants de la Nation Wet’suwet’en d’avancer de tels propos. Je ne ressens que du respect et de l’admiration pour les peuples autochtones qui prennent position pour défendre leurs droits, leur terres et l’avenir de cette planète. Je tiens également à remercier les alliés non autochtones partout au Canada qui ont manifesté leur soutien dans ce débat. Je me suis inquiété des conséquences potentielles de telles actions, mais parfois en tant que leader, il faut savoir quand diriger et quand suivre. Je décide maintenant de me ranger derrière le peuple. 

Je m’abstiendrai de faire d’autres commentaires à ce sujet. Je tiens à m’excuser sincèrement pour tout préjudice ou confusion résultant de mes remarques. Je tiens également à réitérer mon plein soutien à la Nation Wet’suwet’en et aux personnes sur le terrain qui ne cherchent qu’à défendre leurs terres et leur peuple, et, ce faisant, défendre l’avenir d’une planète vivable pour nous tous. 

L’APNQL continue de croire à l’importance de laisser le processus politique suivre son cours en insistant auprès des gouvernements de se mettre en mode solution, plutôt que de suggérer des actions qui risquent d’empirer la situation. 

« Il est totalement irresponsable de suggérer le recours à une intervention policière pour mettre fin à la crise qui sévit actuellement dans plusieurs communautés des Premières Nations au pays. Il faut apprendre du passé et se souvenir que l’intervention commandée par la Sûreté du Québec en 1990, a transformé d’une façon sans précédent, une barricade, en crise. Trente ans plus tard, nous nous retrouvons devant un problème qui demeure entier », a tenu à rappeler le chef de l’APNQL, Ghislain Picard. 

L’APNQL est totalement en désaccord avec ceux qui jugent que la situation et son dénouement appartiennent entièrement et uniquement, au gouvernement fédéral. « Les préoccupations des défenseurs de la Terre chez les Wet’suwet’en, sont partagées par les Premières Nations qui tentent de trouver une solution aux contentieux territoriaux les opposant à tous les niveaux de gouvernements. Il faut comprendre qu’il est impossible de régler un problème de 150 ans en l’espace de quelques jours », a tenu à ajouter le chef Ghislain Picard. 

L’APNQL se permet de servir une mise en garde contre toute tentative d’une intervention policière qui pourrait très potentiellement avoir un effet contraire à ce qui est souhaité. La mobilisation est telle qu’elle est difficilement irréversible. Nous soutenons le principe de la médiation dans la mesure où elle s’avère une option acceptable pour les parties. Elle représente sans doute la meilleure proposition dans les circonstances. 

À propos de l’APNQL L’Assemblée des Premières Nations Québec-Labrador est l’organisme régional politique qui regroupe 43 chefs des Premières Nations au Québec et au Labrador. Suivez l’APNQL sur Twitter @APNQL. 

The AFNQL continues to believe in the importance of letting the political process take its course by urging governments to go into solution mode, rather than suggesting actions that could make the situation worse. 

“It is totally irresponsible to suggest that police intervention be used to end the crisis that is currently raging in many First Nations communities across the country. We must learn from the past and remember that the intervention ordered by the Sûreté du Québec in 1990 turned a barricade into a crisis in an unprecedented way. Thirty years later, we are faced with a problem that remains unresolved,” said AFNQL Chief Ghislain Picard. 

The AFNQL totally disagrees with those who believe that the situation and its outcome belong entirely and solely to the federal government. “The concerns of Wet’suwet’en land defenders are shared by First Nations who are trying to find a solution to land disputes between them and all levels of government. We must understand that it is impossible to solve a 150-year-old problem over a few days,” added Chief Ghislain Picard. 

The AFNQL takes the liberty of serving a warning against any attempt at police intervention that could very potentially have an effect contrary to what is desired. The mobilization is such that it is hardly irreversible. We support the principle of mediation to the extent that it is an option acceptable to the parties. It is probably the best proposition in the circumstances. 

About the AFNQL The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is the political organization which regroups 43 Chiefs of First Nations in Quebec and in Labrador. Follow the AFNQL on Twitter @APNQL. 

DÉCLARATION DE GRAND CHEF SERGE OTSI SIMON DU CONSEIL MOHAWK DE KANESATAKE 

Kanesatake, 19 Février 2020 – Après une réflexion approfondie, après avoir écouté les critiques de mon peuple ainsi que d’autres conseils, et après avoir vu comment mes récentes remarques ont été utilisées par certains, y compris dans les médias, pour tenter de semer la division et de conquérir les peuples autochtones à travers le Canada, je souhaite humblement rétracter mes commentaires qui questionnaient si le moment était venu de lever des blocus ferroviaires. 

Il n’est pas ma place de porter un tel jugement. Je laisse cette discrétion aux gens sur le terrain ainsi qu’aux dirigeants de la Nation Wet’suwet’en d’avancer de tels propos. Je ne ressens que du respect et de l’admiration pour les peuples autochtones qui prennent position pour défendre leurs droits, leur terres et l’avenir de cette planète. Je tiens également à remercier les alliés non autochtones partout au Canada qui ont manifesté leur soutien dans ce débat. Je me suis inquiété des conséquences potentielles de telles actions, mais parfois en tant que leader, il faut savoir quand diriger et quand suivre. Je décide maintenant de me ranger derrière le peuple. 

Je m’abstiendrai de faire d’autres commentaires à ce sujet. Je tiens à m’excuser sincèrement pour tout préjudice ou confusion résultant de mes remarques. Je tiens également à réitérer mon plein soutien à la Nation Wet’suwet’en et aux personnes sur le terrain qui ne cherchent qu’à défendre leurs terres et leur peuple, et, ce faisant, défendre l’avenir d’une planète vivable pour nous tous. 

STATEMENT BY GRAND CHIEF SERGE OTSI SIMON OF THE MOHAWK COUNCIL OF KANESATAKE 

Kanesatake, February 19^th 2020 – After thoughtful reflection, after listening to criticism from my people and others, and after seeing how my recent remarks have been used by some, including in the media, in the service of trying to divide and conquer Indigenous Peoples across Canada, I humbly wish to retract my comments about whether it is time for the blockade to come down. 

It is not my place to make such judgment. I leave it up to the people on the ground and Wet’suwet’en Nation leadership to make such calls. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the Indigenous people taking a stand to defend their rights, their land and the future of this planet and I would like to acknowledge as well the non-Indigenous allies all across Canada who have shown their support in this fight. I have had concerns about the potential consequences of such actions, but sometimes as a leader, you have to know when to lead and when to follow. I am now deciding to follow the people. 

I will refrain from making further remarks on this matter. I apologize for any harm or confusion arising from my remarks and I fully support the Wet’suwet’en Nation and the people on the ground who are only looking to defend their land and their people, and in the process, are making a stand for a liveable planet for us all. 

Canadian Music Week has announced Buffy Sainte-Marie as the 2020 recipient of the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award. The renowned artist and activist will be honoured for her work over the last 60 years as a trailblazer and educator at the annual Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards Gala at Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto on Thursday, May 21. She will also give a Keynote Interview prior to the Awards as part of the Canadian Music Week Music Summit at the Sheraton Centre.

“Buffy Sainte-Marie sets the bar for everything the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award stands for,” said Gary Slaight, CEO and President of Slaight Communications/Slaight Family Foundation. “For her, worldwide success and the status of music legend was not a personal goal, but an opportunity – an opportunity to try to right wrongs, an opportunity to give back to the planet, and an opportunity to alter the course of Indigenous lives through education.”

Fuelled by her dedication to music, art, philanthropy, social activism, and education, Buffy Sainte-Marie has been active in the music industry for nearly sixty years. Thought to be born in Saskatchewan on the Piapot Plains Cree First Nation Reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Buffy Sainte-Marie was adopted to American parents and grew up in Massachusetts. This is where she discovered piano at a young age and fostered her talents for music by composing songs and learning to play guitar. When she emerged onto the music stage in the 1960’s folk era, she was already writing diverse songs that would become international classics in country, rock, jazz, and pop. 

“We are proud to take part in honouring Buffy Sainte Marie for her lifelong generosity of spirit,” said Canadian Music Week president Neill Dixon. “There are few international stars so firmly grounded in their roots, and so committed to upholding their cultural history, onstage and off. A generation of educated and aware First Nations youth have her to thank as they carry that history forward.”

Buffy Sainte-Marie has spent her whole life creating, and her artistry, humanitarian efforts, and Indigenous leadership have made her a unique force in the music industry. In 1969, she made the world’s first quadraphonic electronic vocal albums, Illuminations; in 1982 she became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar; she spent five years on Sesame Street where she became the first person to breastfeed on national television. She’s been blacklisted and silenced. She’s written pop standards sung and recorded by Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Donovan, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. She penned Universal Soldier, the definitive anti-war anthem of the 20th century. She is an icon who keeps one foot firmly planted on either side of the North American border, in the unsurrendered territories that comprise Canada and the USA.

Over the course of her career, Buffy Sainte-Marie has received countless awards and honours for her creative and humanitarian work. Most notably, Buffy received an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Film Award for composing the smash hit Up Where We Belong from the motion picture An Officer and a Gentleman. She has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Juno Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She is also a Companion in the Order of Canada, and a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Americana Music Association’s Free Speech in Music Award, Charles de Gaulle Award, Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, Gemini Award, multiple JUNO Awards, the Polaris Music Prize, two medals from Queen Elizabeth II, and countless honorary doctorates. Most recently, Buffy was recognized for her work as a social activist and educator with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Juno Award, and the International Folk Music Awards’ People’s Voice Award. 

Sainte-Marie began advocating for the protection of Indigenous intellectual property and performers from exploitation when she founded the Nihewan Foundation for Native American Education in 1966. The Foundation’s goal was to encourage Native American students to participate in learning, and to foster public awareness of Indigenous culture. It has since provided students and teachers with scholarships and teacher training, as well as access to core curriculum written from within Native American cultural perspectives that match National Content Standards. Most recently, Sainte-Marie has focused her advocacy on The Creative Native Project, which seeks to empower and inspire Indigenous youth to explore the field of creative arts and live production by creating community arts weekends under the guidance of professional mentors.  

Each year, Slaight Communications and Canadian Music Week awards an outstanding Canadian artist, in recognition of their contribution to social activism and support of humanitarian causes. In its 10th year, Buffy Sainte-Marie will join the celebrated list of recipients which include: Gord Downie, Arcade Fire, Rush, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida, Simple Plan, Bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado. 

Canadian Music Week will return to Toronto May 19 -23.

Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce Buffy Sainte-Marie as the 2020 recipient of the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award. Buffy will be honoured for her work over the last 60 years as a trailblazing musician, activist and educator at the annual Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards Gala at Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto on Thursday, May 21, 2020. 

“Buffy Sainte-Marie sets the bar for everything the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award stands for,” said Gary Slaight, CEO and President of Slaight Communications/Slaight Family Foundation. “For her, worldwide success and the status of music legend was not a personal goal, but an opportunity – an opportunity to try to right wrongs, an opportunity to give back to the planet, and an opportunity to alter the course of Indigenous lives through education.”

Fuelled by her dedication to music, art, philanthropy, social activism, and education, Buffy Sainte-Marie has been active in the music industry for nearly sixty years. Thought to be born in Saskatchewan on the Piapot Plains Cree First Nation Reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Buffy Sainte-Marie was adopted to American parents and grew up in Massachusetts. This is where she discovered piano at a young age, and fostered her talents for music by composing songs and learning to play guitar. When she emerged onto the music stage in the 1960’s folk era, she was already writing diverse songs that would become international classics in country, rock, jazz, and pop. 

“We are proud to take part in honouring Buffy Sainte Marie for her lifelong generosity of spirit,” said Canadian Music Week president Neill Dixon. “There are few international stars so firmly grounded in their roots, and so committed to upholding their cultural history, onstage and off. A generation of educated and aware First Nations youth have her to thank as they carry that history forward.”

Buffy Sainte-Marie has spent her whole life creating, and her artistry, humanitarian efforts, and Indigenous leadership have made her a unique force in the music industry. In 1969, she made the world’s first quadraphonic electronic vocal albums, Illuminations; in 1982 she became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar; she spent five years on Sesame Street where she became the first person to breastfeed on national television. She’s been blacklisted and silenced. She’s written pop standards sung and recorded by Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Donovan, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. She penned Universal Soldier, the definitive anti-war anthem of the 20th century. She is an icon who keeps one foot firmly planted on either side of the North American border, in the unsurrendered territories that comprise Canada and the USA.

Over the course of her career, Buffy Sainte-Marie has received countless awards and honours for her creative and humanitarian work. Most notably, Buffy received an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Film Award for composing the smash hit Up Where We Belong from the motion picture An Officer and a Gentleman. She has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the JUNO Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She is also a Companion in the Order of Canada, and a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Americana Music Association’s Free Speech in Music Award, Charles de Gaulle Award, Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, Gemini Award, multiple JUNO Awards, the Polaris Music Prize, two medals from Queen Elizabeth II, and countless honorary doctorates. Most recently, Buffy was recognized for her work as a social activist and educator with the Allan Waters Humanitarian JUNO Award, and the International Folk Music Awards’ People’s Voice Award. 

Buffy began advocating for the protection of Indigenous intellectual property and performers from exploitation when she founded the Nihewan Foundation for Native American Education in 1966.  The Foundation’s goal was to encourage Native American students to participate in learning, and to foster public awareness of Indigenous culture. It has since provided students and teachers with scholarships and teacher training, as well as access to core curriculum written from within Native American cultural perspectives that match National Content Standards. Most recently, Buffy has focused her advocacy on The Creative Native Project, which seeks to empower and inspire Indigenous youth to explore the field of creative arts and live production by creating community arts weekends under the guidance of professional mentors.  

Buffy Sainte-Marie enters her seventh decade of award-winning artistry by adding “published author” to her resume. Buffy recently penned Hey Little Rockabye,ey  d a children’s illustrated book about pet adoption, inspired by her love of animals. Hey Little Rockabye is available worldwide this coming May 2020 via Greystone Books. 

Canadian Music Week will return to Toronto May 19 – 23, 2020.

Each year, Slaight Communications and Canadian Music Week awards an outstanding Canadian artist, in recognition of their contribution to social activism and support of humanitarian causes. In its 10^th year, Buffy Sainte-Marie will join the celebrated list of recipients which include: Gord Downie, Arcade Fire, RUSH, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida, Simple Plan, Bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado. 

Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards 
May 21, 2020 at 7pm
Bluma Appel Theatre, St Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts
27 Front Street East

Tickets on sale now at:
http://cmw.net/awards/music-broadcast-industry-awards/

ABOUT ALLAN SLAIGHT
A pioneer of rock and roll, Allan parlayed his entrepreneurial flair with his knowledge of radio to create Canada’s largest privately owned multi-media company, Standard Broadcasting Corporation Limited. An inductee into the Broadcast Hall of Fame (1997), the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Ryerson Polytechnic University (2000), appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (2001), the recipient of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award (2005) for his contribution to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry, Allan has also maintained a life long interest in conjuring.

ABOUT CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK
Now in its 38th year, Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining multifaceted information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival which spans five nights of performances, with hundreds of showcasing bands at more than 40 live music venues in downtown Toronto. All conference functions take place at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West in Toronto.

Media Contact: Damien Nelson, damien@wantandable.ca

The President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) Lorraine Whitman today acknowledged her disappointment regarding recent events in Wet’suwet’en Nation traditional territory in Northern B.C.

“The honouring of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is an essential matter of reconciliation,” she said.

More disappointing still is the federal government’s lack of progress in implementing the 231 Calls for Justice contained in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. President Whitman urged all levels of government to take swift action to fully implement the Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice.

On February 10, 2020, three women were arrested while holding a ceremony to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in the Unist’ot’en Camp. During the arrests, the red dresses that were hung from the trees to symbolize those lost were removed by the RCMP . 

“Indigenous women across Canada must have their voices heard. Implementing the Inquiry’s Calls for Justice is a meaningful step toward reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous peoples, and in particular Indigenous women and girls,” President Whitman added.