For the first time in Canada’s history, a federal government has a plan for Indigenous people that is going to be great for them
First Nations
Essays on the First Nations of Canada, including Inuit and Métis, by Wayne K. Spear
Georges Erasmus: Reflections on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
Nobody gives you power. You take it.
Is it Even Possible for the MMIWG National Inquiry To Do Better?
So far the MMIWG National Inquiry has been a disappointment, but I wonder how much it is within the power of this organization to do better. To what extent is the National Inquiry hindered by Canada?
Georges Erasmus Calls for Action on RCAP Recommendations
In November, it will have been 20 years since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued its multi-volume final report. In this audio clip, former RCAP Co-Chair, Georges Erasmus, renews the call to make those recommendations a reality.
Will colonial domination survive UNDRIP?
Colonialism can not be reconciled with decolonization. Canada’s assertion of Dominion from sea to sea to sea can not be reconciled with Indigenous assertion of sovereignty, anywhere in Canada, and certainly not within a S.35 Constitution Act framework.
Miche vs Canada: the dangerous quicksand of First Nations rights
This is a story about folks who just want a chance to clean the slate and get on with their lives Meet my good friend, Miche. Here is his story. Some years ago, Miche and I belonged to a company called… Read More ›
The Indian Residential Schools Are Still With Us
In 2010, I interviewed the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, about his many years as a politician. The conclusion of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement negotiations was a few years behind, and I asked… Read More ›
The power of broadcasting positive indigenous stories
I love being an entrepreneur. Why? Because every day, for me, is an opportunity. An opportunity to connect, to help someone, to make a small difference. Maybe that sounds corny, and if so I don’t care. It also happens to… Read More ›
An interview with Justice Murray Sinclair
Wayne K. Spear in conversation with Justice Murray Sinclair | August 1, 2015 Photo by Fred Cattroll The reality is that until we have fundamental change about the way we see things and think about things, there’s not going to… Read More ›
Who are the Indigenous influencers in Canada?
Click on the image for full resolution
94ways: how we will ensure the TRC report is not the RCAP report
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, Zoe Todd posted a YouTube video inviting people to read from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 388-page executive summary. The video was conceived by Erica Violet Lee and co-organized by Zoe Todd and Joseph… Read More ›
Education is the key to reconciliation
BRITISH COLUMBIA’S Education Minister, Peter Fassbender, announced late last week that the province will introduce a new education curriculum on Aboriginal cultures and history this autumn. Education was a focus of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 recommendations…. Read More ›
Looking back on this week’s Truth and Reconciliation final event
It’s a sunny Tuesday in Ottawa, and I’m having shawarma with my son on Bank Street. We are the only customers this late in the afternoon. On the TV there’s a live broadcast from the nearby Delta Hotel, where I… Read More ›
My Truth, My Reconciliation
Will Canadians learn anything of useful value from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada? Will they even be interested in doing so? These and other questions are on my mind as I prepare for the final closing events of… Read More ›
I wish I hadn’t been born an Indian
As I write this, it’s late. I’ve spent 11 hours travelling across a country. I’m exhausted. It’s quite possible I shouldn’t be writing, and maybe I shouldn’t be writing this. But I feel like I have to do it. These… Read More ›
