First Nations

Saturday December 10, 2011

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday December 10, 2011 Some Attawapiskat residents at odds with chief Some residents of Attawapiskat First Nations support the government's plan to put the reserve under third-party management, a move strongly opposed by the chief and band council. "I think it would be a good thing. We need to clean up our financial crisis here in Attawapiskat because it's been like this too long now," Greg Shisheesh, a former deputy chief of the reserve, told CBC News in a phone interview. "I was happy to hear the federal government was stepping in to clean the mess up." Shisheesh, who said he has lived on the reserve all his life, said he believes a forensic audit should be conducted on a number of organizations on the reserve, including the band office and economic development office. "If our leaders have nothing to hide, by all means do it." Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence has vehemently rejected the imposition of a third-party manager. "She says that and she didn't even ask the whole community what we thought about it. She never asked us," Shisheesh said. "The way the chief and council operate is totally opposite. They decide and then bring it to us after." Spence also said on Monday she will use the courts if necessary to resist the imposition of a third-party manager. Martha Sutherland, a tribe elder, told CBC News she is frustrated with the reserve leadership. "We want to hear what the Indian Affairs has to say, the third party, and we want to meet with them so we can voice our concerns." (Source: Globe & Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/canada-us-border-agreement-a-good-thing/article4180452/ Canada, Stephen Harper, Attawapiskat, first nations, indians, natives, Theresa Spence, audit, transparency, accountability, legend

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 10, 2011

Some Attawapiskat residents at odds with chief

Some residents of Attawapiskat First Nations support the government’s plan to put the reserve under third-party management, a move strongly opposed by the chief and band council.

“I think it would be a good thing. We need to clean up our financial crisis here in Attawapiskat because it’s been like this too long now,” Greg Shisheesh, a former deputy chief of the reserve, told CBC News in a phone interview.

“I was happy to hear the federal government was stepping in to clean the mess up.”

2011-2015

2011-2015

Shisheesh, who said he has lived on the reserve all his life, said he believes a forensic audit should be conducted on a number of organizations on the reserve, including the band office and economic development office.

“If our leaders have nothing to hide, by all means do it.”

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence has vehemently rejected the imposition of a third-party manager.

“She says that and she didn’t even ask the whole community what we thought about it. She never asked us,” Shisheesh said. “The way the chief and council operate is totally opposite. They decide and then bring it to us after.”

Spence also said on Monday she will use the courts if necessary to resist the imposition of a third-party manager.

Martha Sutherland, a tribe elder, told CBC News she is frustrated with the reserve leadership.

“We want to hear what the Indian Affairs has to say, the third party, and we want to meet with them so we can voice our concerns.” (Source:  CBC News)

 

Friday December 2, 2011

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday December 2, 2011 The real shame of Attawapiskat After seeing the images of Attawapiskat First Nation beamed around the country in recent days, a viewer could hardly be blamed for not believing that they were looking at a part of Canada, or that the people enduring this travesty are their aboriginal neighbours. Plywood walls, plastic-covered windows, 20 people sharing a two-bedroom house, a one-burner hot plate to cook for a whole family, lack of insulation, plumbing or electricity Ð the scene is tragic and heartbreaking. But the people of such remote reserves have been living in a dire situation for a long time. The real shame of Attawapiskat is that the people who knew these conditions existed never told Canadians about them. Stephen HarperÕs Conservatives knew. Shawn AtleoÕs Assembly of First Nations knew. But it has taken a tragedy to reveal the stark truth. ItÕs Mr. AtleoÕs job as AFN national chief to know if his people are living under deplorable conditions. Each elected chief in the assembly has a responsibility to let him know. ItÕs then his responsibility to tell Canada about it and demand action. In turn, the federal government has the responsibility to act. The job of an aboriginal affairs minister includes informing government when people are suffering. With that knowledge, itÕs the responsibility of a prime minister to inform Canadians and tell us what the government intends to do about it. Mr. Atleo failed to show leadership long ago. IÕve been a journalist since 1979, and I know how easy it is to craft a press release, hold a news conference and inform the public. But you have to want to do it. You have to want to confront wrong and demand change. I wonder if having his budget depend on a cozy relationship with the government prevents him from doing that. (Source: Globe & Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/the-real-shame-of-attawapiskat/article2257262/?ut

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 2, 2011

The real shame of Attawapiskat

After seeing the images of Attawapiskat First Nation beamed around the country in recent days, a viewer could hardly be blamed for not believing that they were looking at a part of Canada, or that the people enduring this travesty are their aboriginal neighbours. Plywood walls, plastic-covered windows, 20 people sharing a two-bedroom house, a one-burner hot plate to cook for a whole family, lack of insulation, plumbing or electricity – the scene is tragic and heartbreaking.

But the people of such remote reserves have been living in a dire situation for a long time. The real shame of Attawapiskat is that the people who knew these conditions existed never told Canadians about them. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives knew. Shawn Atleo’s Assembly of First Nations knew. But it has taken a tragedy to reveal the stark truth.

It’s Mr. Atleo’s job as AFN national chief to know if his people are living under deplorable conditions. Each elected chief in the assembly has a responsibility to let him know. It’s then his responsibility to tell Canada about it and demand action.

In turn, the federal government has the responsibility to act. The job of an aboriginal affairs minister includes informing government when people are suffering. With that knowledge, it’s the responsibility of a prime minister to inform Canadians and tell us what the government intends to do about it.

Mr. Atleo failed to show leadership long ago. I’ve been a journalist since 1979, and I know how easy it is to craft a press release, hold a news conference and inform the public. But you have to want to do it. You have to want to confront wrong and demand change. I wonder if having his budget depend on a cozy relationship with the government prevents him from doing that. (Source: Globe & Mail)

 

November 18, 2009

L E T T E R to the E D I T O R

This cartoon depicted a duo of camouflaged men raiding the fridge of what appears to be an elderly woman. The caption read: “Environmental Monitors’ Getting Brazen.” The cartoon was obviously an attempt by the cartoonist and others to make a derogatory remark aimed at the people of the Six Nations of the Grand River who have a valid treaty with the Crown to hunt and harvest wild game throughout a large portion of southern Ontario.

A story appeared recently in several area newspapers after some hunters alleged to be Iroquois from Six Nations were noticed hunting in the Iroquois Heights Conservation Area in Ancaster. One of the camouflaged men in the cartoon is telling the woman he has legitimate claim to her food (deer living in the fridge?) due to the wording of the Albany Treaty of 1701 between the British government in North America and the Five Nations of Iroquois who resided then and now in the lower Great Lakes region. In the agreement negotiated between the Five Nations and the British Crown, the Iroquois deeded to the Crown a certain area of land around the lower Great Lakes while maintaining the right to hunt, fish and harvest wild life in the area laid out in the treaty. The Iroquois Heights Conservation Area is located within the boundaries of the treaty; therefore, the hunters in question were within their rights to be harvesting wild life in the area. In hindsight, the cartoonist should have carried out some historical research on the treaties which Canada has with the Iroquois before he or she decided to depict the Iroquois hunters as irresponsible law breakers.

D. Whitlow, Ohsweken

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Actually the cartoon was aimed at the two guys who were hunting for deer on park land used by the public. Two guys who felt they could go unannounced, shooting bows and arrows and do what ever they want using the terms of a treaty signed in 1701. To me it doesn’t matter what race they’re part of because every race has its numskulls. -Graeme MacKay

June 12, 2008

My heart fell when I opened The Spec and saw Graeme Mackay’s cartoon poking fun at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology to our aboriginal brothers and sisters for the crimes committed against so many in the residential schools scandal.

It was a good day to witness our elected leader state, publicly and without reservation, his regret for the harm caused. He stated loudly and clearly he was sorry. He spoke of the horrors and fear, the beatings and the abuse, and his revulsion that these horrid acts had been committed.

In a rare moment of truth, the opposition also spoke their apologies and from the floor of the Commons for the first time ever, aboriginal leaders and those representing the abused, accepted the apologies without condition.

I felt proud and yet still hopeful that many would see what happened, and though hurt and scarred for probably a lifetime, would know that this could and should be the first of many healing steps toward a peaceful and caring co-existence as true neighbours in this great country.

Brenda Bianchi, Hamilton

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The same day your sister paper, the Toronto Star, runs an editorial entitled Why the Apology Matters to Us All, in relation to the apology to be delivered by the Prime Minister for residential schools, your newspaper runs an editorial cartoon. I could use various adjectives to describe the cartoon ranging from cynical to disgusting, but the worst of it for all Canadians, both aboriginal and nonaboriginal, is your effort to trivialize the apology even before it is given. Shame on you.

Michael Dingwall, Ancaster

* * * * *

I agree, I was a bit harsh to Stephen Harper in that cartoon. (Actually, it was one of those days when I couldn’t bear to look at the editorial page. ) My concern is that the Tories have been doing an awful lot of apologizing in the past couple of years for past sins and I have had some doubts about the sincerity. I suppose I assumed cynical Canadians would share my skepticism of a sincere apology from a Prime Minister who isn’t one to exhibit compassion beyond Conservative policy statements and smacking down Opposition politicians. Yesterday’s House of Commons ceremony proved to be above politics and may very well serve as a symbolic building block to reconciliation between native aboriginals and the rest of Canada.

Here’s my less cynical view of the apology:

Thursday June 12, 2008

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 12, 2008

Harper apologizes for residential school abuse

By saying “we are sorry,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the Canadian government’s role in a century of isolating native children from their homes, families and cultures.

“The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter of our history,” he said Wednesday in the House of Commons. “Some sought, as was infamously said, to kill the Indian in the child. This policy was wrong, caused great harm and has no place in our country.”

Residential school survivors from across Canada — many wearing traditional clothing — filled the House of Commons. Parliament postponed other business for the day, to hear the Government of Canada’s official apology.

More than 1,000 watched from outside, where big screen televisions were mounted outside the Commons and on the Parliament lawn. And more than 30 events were organized in communities across the country.

Harper began his long-awaited speech after leading a procession of native leaders including Phil Fontaine, the Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, into the House of Commons.

Harper took responsibility on behalf of the federal government for cultural loss and patterns of abuse that resulted from the schools’ policy. (Source: CTV News) 

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