CA Final Report June 2010 v12

Summary, Recommendations and Best Practises

0

Report on Gathering:


Report on Gathering:


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights would like to thank all participants, sponsors

and partners who helped to make the Circle Alberta Gathering and larger project a reality. The

information presented in this report primarily focuses on the voices and expertise of Circle Alberta’s

attendees and presenters. Furthermore, we would also like to acknowledge the communities who

participated in Phase I of the Circle Alberta project. It was your collective voice that helped identify and

develop discussion topics addressed throughout the Gathering.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Native Friendship Centres in the communities and the

Alberta Native Friendship Centres’ Association for their continued assistance and support throughout

this project and beyond. A special thank you to both “wicihitowin”: Circle of Shared Responsibility and

Stewardship for their guidance and support as well as the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit for

their assistance in facilitating the dialogues and providing financial support during Phase I and II. Thank

you also to the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, who spearheaded this important initiative with us under

the leadership of Nora Shea, cannot be thanked enough for believing in our unique approaches to

change and for supporting us in that venture.

A special thank you to the staff at the John Humphrey Centre, particularly Davina Rousell and Tamara

Colombina who acted as committed and passionate coordinators on this project. Their commitment and

drive to ensure this project was a success was truly amazing. Thank you to Davina, Chelsea Rutkowski,

Mandy Siu and Amina Deiab for their assistance in putting this report together. Thank you as well to

Carrie Malloy for her efforts and commitment to ensuring the youth component of this project was an

incredible success and to Mandy Siu for her ongoing dedication to the marketing in this initiative.

And finally, the John Humphrey Centre

would like to extend a sincere appreciation

to Lewis Cardinal, as Chair of this initiative,

and Steering Committee members including

Bob Phillips, Joan Cowling, Nora Shea,

Alvaro Loyola, Tracy Elofson, Rob Hagg,

Dave Ward, Ruth MacNeil, Scott Fisher and

Salman Hussein. Your wisdom and guidance

in this process was phenomenal and we

hope to work more with you all in the

future!

This report has been compiled by Renee

Vaugeois, Executive Director of the John

Humphrey Centre for Human Rights.

Nora Shea, Ovide Mercredi, Renee Vaugeois and Lewis Cardinal

stop to celebrate – the four initiators of this important project.

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SPECIAL NOTES

As Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginal people look toward amicable action plans through dialogue

and begin to deepen their understandings of one another, we can collectively move towards the

advancement of Aboriginal rights and prosperity. However, we would like to remind ourselves, and

others, that meaningful dialogue includes healing, relationship building, as well as mutual respect and

kindness. If we are mindful of the above intentions, we can effectively engage in meaningful dialogue for

change.

Aboriginal Peoples have occupied the land now called Canada for thousands of years. Many diverse and

autonomous peoples lived in this territory and had distinct languages, cultures, religious beliefs and

political systems. Terms to describe Aboriginal Peoples are continually evolving. The terms Indian, Métis,

First Nations, and Inuit have been historically and currently contested at various times and places. The

terms Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal are themselves somewhat problematic. There is no single

“Aboriginal” identity; similarly, non-Aboriginal captures a large variety of difference in Canada.

Nevertheless, the Circle Alberta Steering Committee chose to utilize the term “Aboriginal” and

“Aboriginal Peoples” to encapsulate First Nations, Métis, Inuit and non status participants and

community members. Therefore, this report also uses of term “Aboriginal.” However, the use of this

term in no way reflects a lack of an utmost respect; we would like to acknowledge of the vast depth of

variety and diversity that this term encompasses.

SPONSORS

Funding support for Circle Alberta provided by:

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About the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights is a non-governmental organization in

Edmonton, Alberta with a mandate to advance the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights primarily through education, community collaboration and relationship building. The Centre’s

vision is to create a world that manifests a culture of peace and human rights in which the dignity of

every person is respected, valued and celebrated.

In 2006, the John Humphrey Centre organized an event entitled Building World Peace: the Role of

Religions and Human Rights, an international conference held in Edmonton. Among the many

distinguished speakers at this conference was former First Nations Chief Ovide Mercredi gave a

disheartening speech regarding the state of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. This led the Centre, with the

inspiration of Nora Shea, to initiate the Circle Alberta Gathering in hopes of addressing some of the

critical issues facing Aboriginal communities across Alberta and Canada.

The economic, social and human indicators of well-being, quality of life and development are

consistently lower among Aboriginal peoples (First Nation, Métis, and Inuit) than other Canadians.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, recognizing the important role of all

stakeholders including Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, all levels of government, and the

private sector. Circle Alberta is a unique initiative unfolding during a critical period in Canadian history.

In particular, there are two key factors that lend to the importance and opportune timing of Circle

Alberta. First, Canada is currently facing a shortage in its labour force. Aboriginal Peoples are the fastest

growing Canadian segment of the population and are largely overlooked by mainstream labour markets.

Second, the project builds on the apology made on June 11, 2008 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on

behalf of the Canadian Government to Aboriginal peoples across Canada whose lives were, and continue

to be, negatively affected by Residential Schools, the Indian Act and other historical events associated

with colonization.

Following the apology, a question still remains: Does the Canadian Government’s apology represent the

first step towards the creation of a new positive relationship between nations that will ensure both

continued healing as well as the recognition of Aboriginal rights in Canada?

Reconciliation is not just about an apology that a

prime minister gives to our people; that is probably

the least that any country could do. Reconciliation

without justice is meaningless. It is not grounded on

justice and therefore it repairs no relationship...

reconciliation is reparation. It is a country and its’

people riding with us, working with us, to make

amends to all the injustices and oppression that our

people have experienced. That is what

reconciliation means. Ovide Mercredi

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CIRCLE ALBERTA: REPORT FROM THE GATHERING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary Page 6

About Circle Alberta Page 6

Phase I: Community Dialogues Page 7

Phase II: Circle Alberta Gathering Page 8

Human Rights as a Foundation for Aboriginal Prosperity and Well-Being

Page 12

Affirming Rights through Treaty Federalism : Andrew Bear Robe

Page 14

Overview of Dialogues Page 16

Social Development Page 17

Dialogue as a Critical Foundation: Ovide Mercredi Page 25

Capacity Building Page 29

That State of Children and Media: Paula Simons Page 36

Economic Development Page 40

Concluding Remarks on Dialogues Page 43

Next Steps: Circle Alberta Page 43

Aboriginal engagement in Federalism: Elijah Harper Page 50

The Experience of Wetaskiwin: Citizens for Healthy Communities

Page 54

The Value of a Friendship Centre: Vera Pawas Tawapadong

Page 60

Reflections of a non-Aboriginal Ally: Marie Wadden Page 64

The Challenges of Media and Aboriginal Issues: Paula Simons

Page 67

Additional Best Practices and Resources Page 69

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2008, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) presented Circle Alberta:

Strengthening Relationships for Shared Prosperity. Inspired by former Assembly of First Nations Chief

Ovide Mercredi’s disheartening speech at the Centre’s 2006 Building World Peace: The Role of Religion

and Human Rights conference, Circle Alberta was a dialogue process that engaged stakeholders on

critical issues, incorporating relationship building as a guiding framework. Phase I of Circle Alberta

occurred throughout Alberta in eight communities over the course of many months during 2008, with

Phase II culminating as a Gathering in Edmonton in October.

Over 150 participants, adults and youths, were consulted during Phase I on three key themes:

celebration (community successes); reflection (community challenges/gaps); and vision (future goals).

These dialogues gave an overall picture of both the successes and challenges facing Aboriginal

communities and furthermore, gave insight to emerging common issues such as housing, employment,

education and training, racism and discrimination as well as social services and assistance.

Drawing from these results, programming for Phase II utilized the umbrella themes of social

development, capacity building and economic engagement. The Circle Alberta Gathering, from October

24-25, 2008, involved approximately 200 participants from across Alberta and included business and

government stakeholders, in addition to the Aboriginal community members, who participated in the

dialogues during Phase I. The two day Gathering focused on acknowledging past in order to understand

and focus on the future, instead of focusing solely on rectifying past wrongs. A number of keynote

speakers were present to spark discussion and dialogue and to probe participants in their understanding

of issues facing Aboriginal communities. Some of these speakers included Chief Ovide Mercredi,

Andrew Bear Robe, Dr Patricia Makokis, William Aguilar, Carolyn Buffalo, Marie Wadden, Elijah Harper

and Vera Pawis Tabobondung. A parallel youth dialogue occurred prior to the Gathering, wherein

Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal youth confronted racial stereotypes as well as addressed issues facing

their own community.

The Circle Alberta Gathering provided a unique perspective on addressing critical issues for Aboriginal

Peoples due in part to the diversity of experience and participants. The recommendations and best

practices highlighted in this report show that the necessary work to build social development, capacity

building and economic development has already begun, but requires much more support from the

broader Alberta community for the vision of economic and social inclusion to be fully realized.

The Circle Alberta Gathering would not have been possible without the generous support of our

partners, including the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada as well as the Alberta Human

Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund. Moreover, the Circle Alberta dialogues and Gathering

would not have happened without the generous and genuine participation from members of various

Aboriginal communities, organizations and activists as well as non-Aboriginal organizations and

individuals, whose guidance, inspiration and hope for a better, more inclusive society were invaluable.

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ABOUT CIRCLE ALBERTA

The goal of Circle Alberta is to enhance the quality of life of Aboriginal Peoples and their capacity for full

engagement in the economy and society. While Circle Alberta’s activities are focused mainly in Alberta,

it provides an opportunity to develop new relationships and address the needs and concerns of

Aboriginal Peoples throughout Canada while drawing on Albertan’s experiences and successes.

The vision for Circle Alberta - Strengthening Relationships for Shared Prosperity Project is to incorporate

relationship building as a guiding framework to engage stakeholders in a dialogue on critical issues. The

project focuses on moving forward by identifying existing initiatives and strategies that involve key

stakeholders, by engaging the voice of Aboriginal communities and by developing concrete plans for

action and opportunities to align strategic initiatives.

The project’s objectives are:

• To facilitate an enhanced understanding of Aboriginal issues among project participants;

• To create new positive relationships between all levels of government, Aboriginal Peoples, the

private sector and other key stakeholders;

• To showcase and build on current successes and best

practices; and,

• To identify concrete plans of action that address

Aboriginal social development, capacity building and

economic engagement in Alberta and Canada.

The project meets these objectives through three unique and

sequential phases:

• Phase I involved creating a space for dialogue and

development of trust between Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal people, defining the issues and creating a

common understanding of the challenges, while

ensuring youth engagement and participation in the

dialogue. Hence, dialogue was conducted at a

community level with both youth and adults in eight

communities prior to the Circle Alberta Gathering.

• Phase II involved relationship building through the sharing and building on existing initiatives

and experiences, creating a space for effective dialogue among key stakeholders, while

enhancing partnership and collaboration through a provincial gathering. Hence, the Gathering

facilitated an expansion of the dialogues that occurred during Phase I.

• Phase III focuses on moving beyond dialogue to highlight key solutions to the challenges as well

as supporting the implementation of activities identified in previous phases. This phase takes

the newly formed partnerships beyond the dialogues. It will inform policy development and

intergovernmental collaboration and will also support awareness building of Aboriginal issues

among project participants as well as the public.

Dialogue is something that occurs

between two or more people where they

exchange ideas, exchange experiences.

They have a meaningful insight into each

other’s words and comments and in the

end, it’s about really communicating what

we feel; genuinely trying to communicate

how we can help each other in many

cases solve some difficult issues.

Gene Zwozdesky

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Phase I: Community Dialogues

Approximately 150 adults and youth participated in eight community dialogues between the months of

April and December 2008. Each community dialogue focused on three key themes: celebration

(community successes), reflection (community challenges/gaps), and vision (future goals). The

community dialogues gave a clear understanding of the critical challenges that many Aboriginal Peoples

face from the perspective of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people on the ground.

Youth dialogues took place in tandem with the adult dialogues. The intention of these dialogues was to

engage youth and highlight their perspective on issues they face on a daily basis in their communities,

particularly in regards to their own individual long-term development as well as their educational and

employment prospects. These youth dialogues were also an opportunity to bring creative perspectives

to the table and engage youth in understanding their role in taking action to address issues in their

communities.

A document addressing the outcomes from both the adult and youth dialogues, Report from the

Communities, can be viewed on the John Humphrey Centre website at www.jhcentre.org.

Summary of Results from Community Dialogues

The thoughts and experiences of individuals who participated in the eight community dialogues sessions

reflect the critical need for dialogue, engagement and action on issues facing Aboriginal Peoples in

Alberta.

• Adult Dialogues – Each of the eight community dialogues effectively discussed what is impeding

the advancement of Aboriginal Peoples’ rights, prosperity and full inclusion in communities

across Alberta. Overwhelmingly, each community shared similar issues: lack of housing,

employment, education and training as well as discrimination, racism and a need for

improvement in all aspects of social services and assistance. In addition, each community

expressed that access to cultural teachings and practices are key cornerstones in promoting

community healing and awareness. Concurrently, relationship building and collaborative efforts

between Aboriginal and urban communities would help ensure full inclusion of Aboriginals in

Alberta's economy.

• Youth Dialogues – Youth reported that educational programs offering goal-oriented alternative

learning environments rather than rule-oriented are more effective at facilitating the attainment

of educational goals. Similar to the adult dialogues, youth stated that discrimination and

labelling is the number one barrier impeding them from attaining their educational or

employment goals. However the youth also offered numerous suggestions to help bring about

positive change in their communities. Some suggestions included improving communication

between adults and youth in order to enhance understanding as well as identifying strategies

that enhance social services, educational programs, as well as recreational, sporting and leisure

opportunities.

Three umbrella themes surfaced from the community dialogues: social development, capacity building

and economic engagement. These themes were utilized to develop the Gathering’s program. They were

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used as topics for discussion throughout the presentations and breakout dialogue sessions in order to

help identify best practices and collaborative action plans.

Phase II: Circle Alberta Gathering

The Circle Alberta Gathering: From Dialogue to Action took

place on October 24 and 25, 2008 at the Shaw Conference

Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. This two day dialogue

primarily focused on facilitating a positive environment in

order to better understand how Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can collectively enhance

Aboriginal Peoples’ rights and prosperity through meaningful and culturally appropriate social

development, capacity building and economic engagement. Thus, through dialogue, the Gathering

aimed to improve the quality of life of Aboriginal people, create healthy communities, and foster

meaningful, sustained economic engagement.

Participants from the community dialogues were invited to dialogue for a second time at the Gathering.

In total, approximately 200 individuals from across the province attended the Gathering and

participated in the breakout dialogue sessions. The Gathering moved beyond a conference; facilitated

dialogues focused on breaking down communication barriers, fostering healing, building relationships

and supporting common understanding and goals. It focused on acknowledging the past in order to

understand and focus on the future. Experienced facilitators guided the dialogue sessions in order to

ensure that all participants had a space to speak as well as build relationships and solutions. The

Gathering was a dialogue, and as such, was more about the process of building relationships and

envisioning solutions rather than outcomes. Overall, the Gathering provided a space for Aboriginal and

non-Aboriginal community members to speak directly to individuals and organizations who profoundly

influence their lives with the hopes of deepening existing relationships or building new relationships for

a shared and prosperous future.

Programming Components

The goal of the Gathering was to allow the dialogues to become an initiator or catalyst to fulfill the

larger vision of full socio-economic inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples and communities in Canadian society

that could be achieved through healing and constructive relationship building. There were three

integral programming components to ensure the success of the Gathering: building relationships,

learning from experience and creating solutions.

• Building Relationships: At the core of healing and collaborative solution development is relationship

building. The Gathering focused on cultivating relationships through interactive means for breaking

down barriers and misperceptions to achieve common understanding through dialogue and through

the methodology of the program. The methodology worked to create a safe space for meaningful,

open and constructive dialogue.

• Learning from Experience: At the forefront of challenges for building new relationships are two

components: 1) misperceptions of the interests and activities of each stakeholder; and, 2) a lack of

understanding of what programs, policies and activities are already in place working to address

Circle Alberta is about building a

foundation to deal with harsh realities and

lack of communication.

Lewis Cardinal

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engagement of Aboriginal communities. The Gathering assisted in clarifying the role of each

stakeholder, their interest in the process, as well as what they are currently doing to address the

issues around engagement.

• Creating Solutions: From the outset, the Circle Alberta Project focused on an innovative and

constructive approach to moving forward on issues affecting Aboriginal communities. The project

worked on and continues to build on experience and create collaborative solutions that recognize

the needs and priorities of all stakeholders.

In order to create collaborative and sustainable solutions to promote healing and build relationships,

three key themes emerged from the community dialogues: social development, capacity building and

economic engagement. The three theme areas at the Gathering enabled the exploration of the depth

and cycle of issues facing the social and economic development of Aboriginal communities. These areas

exist along a continuum; social development and capacity building are fundamental components to

building a strong foundation which in turn, increases access to full economic development and

engagement.

• Social Development: This program area explored the variety of social issues faced by Aboriginal

communities in order to improve their quality of life and required for capacity building and

engagement in the economy.

• Capacity Building: This segment moved beyond social development to address the capacity gaps

that exist within Aboriginal communities and to identify and develop both strategies and resources

that improve capacity.

• Economic Engagement: This programming component brought to fruition the circle of building a

healthy community – starting from addressing the foundations of social development to looking at

the capacity of communities. Having explored these components, it became possible to explore

what is required to attain full economic engagement for Aboriginal Peoples as well as what and

where the opportunities exist for action.

Dialogue Methodology

Exploring these three theme areas, the dialogue included taking an individual focus as well as a

considering the extended realm of influence:

• Individual Focus: Refers to a certain way of identifying oneself while in the Circle. As such, each

person spoke in the Circle from personal experience as an individual. Participants thus needed

to put their titles aside and enter the Circle as a family member and community member.

• Extended Realm of Influence: Refers to an alternative way to identify oneself whilst in the

Circle. Participants were in the circle to speak from their extended realm of influence. During

these sessions, each participant was able to bring title(s) into the Circle. This was exemplified b

the different hats one wears as, for example, a person with a disability, teacher, Aboriginal, non-

Aboriginal, immigrant, CEO, etc. By doing so, participants were able to discuss strategies and

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acknowledge how our extended realms of influence can help to move forward the realization of

strategies and/or goals.

Each theme area was divided into these two frames of reference for discussion. For each dialogue

session, participants sat in a circle and the conversation was recorded on a flip chart as discussions

unfolded. As an alternative method of communication, and in order for participants to have opportunity

to write down thoughts they might not be comfortable to share, each participant had access to post-it

notes. All post-it notes were collected and added to the documentation of the dialogue sessions. Prior

to each dialogue session, facilitators were asked to go over the Project’s values, principles and ground

rules with the participants.

The dialogue process, protocols and guidelines were as follows:

1. Project Values, Principles and Ground Rules - The meaning of what a Circle of Shared

Responsibility, adopted from Wicihitowin, were shared:1

• Relationship: respectful ceremonies and protocols

• Agreement: collaborative solutions

• Celebration: sharing our success stories

• Renewal: reflection on our past and vision

for our future

2. Dialogue Guidelines:

• A circle represents equality and

interconnection.

• Everyone has both a right to speak from

personal experience – “from the heart” –

and a responsibility to listen in a circle.

• Address the discussion topic, not the

comments of others (either positive or

negative).

• Cellular phones should be turned off.

• If necessary, the facilitator will gently remind participants of the guidelines, discussion

topics, or time constraints.

• The dialogue process incorporated a facilitated open discussion in an effort to respect

both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ceremonies and protocols.

3. Introductions of all participants in the Talking Circle.

4. Each facilitator was asked to being the dialogue process by encouraging each participant to

speak from either personal experiences or from their extended realm of influence.

5. After completing step 4, facilitators moved toward briefly discussing, as a group, what the

dialogue topic meant to them. Following this, facilitators addressed the two questions outlined

below in order to help guide the dialogue towards identifying concrete strategies and solutions.

1 Adapted from: “Wicihitowin” – Circle of Shared Responsibility: Terms of Relationship. Edmonton: Urban Aboriginal

Strategy, n.d.

When Elijah spoke to the apology and

how the Speaker stepped down from the

chair during the ceremony in Parliament, I

didn’t know this. It was important for me

to know that the Apology wasn’t made in

an appropriate environment. Most

Aboriginal people probably, and most

Canadians aren’t aware of this.

Tim Heins

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• Vision: What can be done to advance Aboriginal right and prosperity in Alberta for

future generations? This question provided a destination point and direction for the

rest of the dialogue. Participants were able to explore both community level and

provincial level goals.

• Celebration/Successes: Please describe successful and/or cooperative initiatives in

Alberta that advance Aboriginal rights and prosperity. Participants explored

community level and provincial level

initiatives.

6. Wrap-up of the dialogue session.

Dialogue Results

The results developed and expanded in this document

seek to provide both a summary of both the

presentations as well as the dialogue sessions from the

Gathering as well as highlight key recommendations and

best practises which can be utilized to advance the rights

and prosperity of Aboriginal Peoples in Alberta. As

previously discussed, individuals who participated in

Phase I, the community dialogues, were invited to the

Gathering to expand the community circles by

facilitating dialogue between all levels of government,

the private sector, as well as Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal community members and professionals.

During Phase I of the project, it became apparent that

many Albertans were taking steps to build relationships

and partnerships through numerous inter-agency initiatives and committees in order to align and share

resources to help advance Aboriginal Peoples’ rights and prosperity. Hence, the Gathering focused on

highlighting what (past tense) initiatives have been successful, yet at the same time cognizant that even

further research and initiatives are needed in order to help address social development, capacity

building and ultimately economic development in Aboriginal communities.

The results of the dialogues are separated into three headings: social development, capacity building

and economic development. It is important to note that although the above themes are interlinked with

one another, for clarity purposes, each theme is presented as, to a large degree, a separate theme.

Results obtained during Phase I and Phase II reached a point of data saturation indicating that the

project was no longer identifying new information. Furthermore, it is important to utilize outcomes

identified from the project in order to move toward action plans and ultimately the realization of

Aboriginal rights and prosperity in Alberta and Canada.

The summary sections outline what social development, capacity building and economic engagement

mean to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people as well as best practices, resources and

recommendations identified by attendees and presenters at the Gathering. The information highlighted

also helps to identify starting points and action plans to collectively foster full economic and social

inclusion of Aboriginal communities.

I have to use the term ‘moral compass’ to

describe the natural laws – respect and

humility and some of the other principles

and dialogue is really about that. It is

about striking the spiritual connection

between people. Dialogue in one sense is

a healing process without recognizing

that it is happening, but it is because we

give each other permission to open our

hearts to one another and it’s based on

accepting each other with all our faults.

Respect your differences and don’t expect

the other to change.

William Aguilar

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HUMAN RIGHTS AS A FOUNDATION FOR ABORIGINAL PROSPERITY

AND WELL-BEING

Indigenous Peoples from across the globe have had to struggle to protect, defend and promote their

individual and collective human rights throughout the past three centuries. The history of colonialism

has resulted in situations for most Indigenous Peoples where their land, culture and voice have been

appropriated and marginalized.

At the international level, stemming from the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights in 1948, Indigenous rights have been integrated into conventions and other documents in order

to advance and promote their unique needs and rights. The most important of these documents

includes the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People which has stemmed over three decades of

work to be ratified.

Relevant international documents related to Indigenous

rights include:

1. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People: ratified

in 2007, this is the UN's definitive declaration for the rights

of Indigenous Peoples stating that it "establishes a universal

framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity

and well-being and rights of the world's Indigenous

Peoples". Canada is not a signatory to this Declaration,

citing objections to Articles 16, 26 and 28. To see full

Declaration, visit

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/drip.html.

2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights: while not specific to Indigenous Peoples rights, this

Covenant provides a basis for recognizing the economic, social and cultural rights of everyone, including

Indigenous people, where these rights are often overlooked.

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm

The preamble for this Covenant states:

...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the

human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

...recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person,

...recognizing that, in accordance, with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of free

human beings enjoying freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created

whereby everyone may enjoy his economic, social and cultural rights as well as his civil and political

rights.

3. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination: again not specific

to Indigenous Peoples, this Convention pledges to end all forms of racial discrimination recognizing that

Human Rights is really about recognizing

and respecting. As human beings we have

an obligation to respect other living

things; everything from the plant and

animal kingdom up to human beings.

Once people are open to learning more

about other cultures, then they find there

really aren’t a lot of differences between

them. We share a common humanity.

Nora Shea

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racism is a barrier to basic human rights, opportunity and inherent dignity.

www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cerd.htm

4. International Labour Organization - Convention

concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in

Independent Countries: convened by the International

Labour Organization in 1991 recognizing, "the aspirations

of these peoples to exercise control over their own

institutions, ways of life and economic development and

to maintain and develop their identities, languages and

religions, within the Framework of the States of which

they live...". http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-

lex/convde.pl?C169

Within Canada, certain documents have been established to further constitutionalize and solidify the

rights of Aboriginal Peoples. Relevant documents include:

1. Royal Proclamation of 1763: Issued by King George III, the Royal Proclamation laid the constitutional

framework for government relations and the negotiation of treaties with Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

Coined as the ‘Indian Bill of Rights’, the Royal Proclamation is referred to in Section 25 of the 1982

Constitution Act noting that nothing in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms can diminish the

rights as set forth in the Royal Proclamation.

http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/PreConfederation/rp_1763.html

2. The Canadian Constitution Act of 1982, Section 35: This section of the Constitution outlines the

constitutional rights of Canada's Aboriginal peoples by protecting their existing Aboriginal and treaty

rights. http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1982.html

3. Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal Peoples (1996): This 5-volume, 4000 page report examined

the state of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and the historical relationship between Aboriginal Peoples and

the Canadian authorities. The RCAP Report has 440 recommendations to improve the relationship

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples and the governments in Canada. http://www.ainc-

inac.gc.ca/ap/rrc-eng.asp

4. Gathering Strength: Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan (1998): A report and guide to follow up from the

RCAP Report, released in 1998. This outlines the plan to build the economic capacity and other key

priorities that "would result in jobs, growth, stability and an improved quality of life for Aboriginal

peoples." http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/R32-192-2000E.pdf

5. Indian Act (1876): While not a human rights document, the Indian Act is crucial to understanding the

issues surrounding Aboriginal people's rights in Canada since it was implemented by the Canadian

Government as a policy manual. Expanding on the Constitution Act of 1867, the Indian Act provided a

legal definition and the rights and disabilities of ‘Indians’. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/I-5/page-1.html

6. The Numbered Treaties (1-11): These are key documents in understanding Aboriginal rights in Canada

as they are signed between Canada and various First Nations separated into 11 distinct areas (though

not necessarily by Nation or Tribe). The purpose of the numbered Treaties is to outline the rights ceded

The scrapping of the Kelowna Accord and

the veto at the United Nations on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples indicates that

the state of Aboriginal Relations is very

uncertain today.

Andrew Bear Robe

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to the Canadian government over land in exchange for Treaty rights. http://www.ainc-

inac.gc.ca/al/hts/tgu/index-eng.asp

Excerpts from presentation at Circle Alberta Gathering...

Treaty Federalism as a concept doctrine is first and foremost based on the Victorian treaties, 1-11, within

Canada which were the basis of the transfer of land and resources to the white people. Treaty Federalism

as an idea originally arose out of the American court decisions of the 1830s which recognized Indian

sovereignty and Indian title. Treaty Federalism actually builds on that US court decision. It is an inclusive

idea and concept to bring in Aboriginal governments into that Canadian family of governments starting

from federal, provincial, municipal to include Aboriginal governments. Under the Indian Act, that is not

possible. The Indian Act excludes Aboriginal governments, First Nations governments, into Canadian

federalism. It is a very inclusive idea rather than being separatist notions, it’s the exact opposite.

The treaties are the only form of consensual relationship between the Crown, whether it’s the federal or

provincial, with Indian sovereignty because the Indian treaties did recognize and are based on Indian

sovereignty. First of all, Indian treaties recognize Indian sovereignty and Indian political authority. That is

where the Chiefs like Crowfoot and all the original Chiefs who negotiated the treaties; they had to have

authority from their peoples. They were the official representatives of their nations that directly negotiated

with the British, and later the Canadian Crown, to deal with significant matters like the land and resources

and all the wealth that we know today in Canadian society. From that perspective, Treaty Federalism

incorporates not only Aboriginal rights but also Treaty rights, which are now found in Section 35 of the

Constitution Act 1982.

Treaty rights are fundamental human rights. What treaty federalism does is activate those rights in a real

sense because as the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples maintains is that Section 35 (1) affirms all

Aboriginal rights and all Treaty rights. Now Treaty Federalism will activate that section as they are already

protected and confirmed and is an operational concept in a political, constitutional, legal, social, and

economic sense.

Treaties are part of the fundamental human rights for First Nations because when the British came over and

the French and other European nations came to North America, there was an original question whether or

not First Nations people were humans and this debate still goes on. Some European thinkers at that time

did not recognize First Nations people as humans. This is one reason why the Beothuks are an extinct race

as they were hunted down like squirrels and rabbits because European people at that time did not see

Indian people as humans. The other side of the coin, European thinkers of the time and theologians and

jurists, saw Indian people as real human beings with fundamental rights - human rights – that have a legal

title to their lands, their governments, their religion, languages and whatever constitutes a human society.

All of those attributes of human societies – human nations. This is what Treaty rights were all about and

were guaranteed by those treaties so they could continue to survive as First Nations people.

All Canada has to do, and the provinces, is recognize and accept Indian sovereignty. So you are not giving us

our Indian sovereignty; we already have it. Before contact, it was a pre-existing right, all they have to do is

acknowledge it; accept it. Say that Indian sovereignty still exists and it has never been extinguished by any

legislation, any acts of the Crown. If it doesn’t exist then the Treaties are invalid and we have to start right

from the beginning. If Indian sovereignty is not a reality, the treaties where Canada gained our title to our

land and resources will be in suspect too. It is a holistic argument – all inclusive.

Affirming Rights through Treaty Federalism

Andrew Bear Robe

15

The number one on my wish list is that recognition and constitutional entrenchment of the inherent right

of Aboriginal self-government because everything else follows from that. If not, then everything else is

either delegated from the federal government or the provincial government. All Aboriginal people, whether

First Nations, Métis or Inuit. If that inherent right was constitutionally entrenched then governments would

have to come forth and carry through. And all of our subsequent agreements, intergovernmental relations

between all governments, will be based on this entrenched right to Aboriginal self-government.

One of the other items on my wish list was the Prime Minister as soon as possible should convene, or

reconvene, another First Ministers Conference on Aboriginal constitutional matters; that is where

dialogue should begin. You could do a certain amount from the grassroots up, but eventually the elected

leadership of this country, non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal, will have to make decisions. They will be political

decisions foremost and this is how the dialogue will begin. Once they make that decision, the overall

national decision, for instance to entrench Aboriginal self-government, then everything else follows – from

the provincial level to the municipal level to the community level to the high school level. There will be a

renewed interest in Aboriginal constitutional matters.

Right now there is not too much interest in Aboriginal constitutional matters. Whatever hits the

newspapers of the day catches Canadians attention. But if constitutional entrenchment of the inherent

right were to happen tomorrow, it’s going to be the number one issue in Canada as it will affect everything.

For the first time in the history of mankind in North America, we will truly have a mutual relationship of

respect, understanding and partnership through dialogue followed up by concrete action whether in

legislative or policy initiatives and agreements.

The treaties are organic documents, living agreements. They are supposed to keep up with the times and

they don’t. There is complete lack of awareness about Aboriginal rights which go back to a long time ago of

initial contact due to lack of action by government. The treaty issue was really set aside and really they are

dormant sleeping rights.

Young people can get involved by inquiring with their local elected leaders on what is going on as well as in

student activities. We have a youth council chief. They need to get involved so they can learn and

understand Treaty rights.

Canadians have a lot to learn about these matters as they are not taught in schools and at the university

level, they are optional courses. Even in law schools, graduating lawyers may or may not have any

knowledge of aboriginal or treaty law yet they will have to argue these matters.

The solution is more dialogue – this is an invaluable exercise. The more we have it, the better it will be for

everybody.

Delegates gather at

the Canadian Native

Friendship Centre

for the Pipe

Ceremony and to

hear Andrew Bear

Robe and Muriel

Stanley Venne kick

off the Dialogues.

16

OVERVIEW OF DIALOGUES

Discussions throughout the Gathering provided an affirmation of the need to understand and undertake

a holistic approach to supporting the mental, emotional, cultural, spiritual and physical well-being of

Aboriginal Peoples. While economic development is a critical priority for promoting well-being,

addressing the capacity and social development of Aboriginal communities is of utmost importance.

Social development signifies the growth of the individual from childhood onwards and the need to build

strong foundations within our communities and within our children is essential. This must be coupled

with capacity building to support empowerment and opportunity for engagement in economic

development. While the

acquisition of wealth within

Aboriginal communities is

crucial, progress cannot be

achieved without healthy

communities and healthy

children. These two areas of

focus became fundamental

cornerstones at the Gathering

with a focus on children and

relationships at the centre of

long term sustainable changes

for Aboriginal Peoples.

Despite the 2008 Federal Apology to residential school survivors, discussions at the Gathering

highlighted the historical trauma that has shaped the experience of survivors as well as future

generations of Aboriginal Peoples. The trauma stems from over a decade of sustained marginalization

and oppression of indigeniety and is not something that will disappear within one generation. The

historical trauma and impact of residential schools has not been fully recognized or realized in Canada

and perpetuates through a vicious cycle of trauma and marginalization. Some participants at the

Gathering stressed the loss of identity of Aboriginal

Peoples; not knowing who or what they were. The

historical impacts around colonialism have fortified

inequality in many respects – socially, culturally, politically

and economically – in which there is a lack of

understanding about and a need to build awareness.

While many of the Aboriginal participants understood and

appreciated the need to work to build relationships with

non-Aboriginal communities and to move beyond the

past, a public understanding of inequality is fundamental

and critical in order to build a just and fair environment

that supports their prosperity and dignity. Participants

also indicated that despite the need to have allies in the

process of fulfilling their rights, Aboriginal Peoples need to

focus on their own internal change and trauma – “Change cannot be forced from outside but has to be

from within”. (Conference Delegate)

Relationships between Aboriginal and

non-Aboriginal people are key to move

forward in this country.

Unless non-Aboriginal Canadians stand up

forcefully and say this isn’t good enough,

nothing is going to change. Aboriginal

people need to act, but there are so many

people that need to stand beside you.

Marie Wadden

17

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Based on the discussions within the Gathering, social development was defined as:

• The ability of individuals to have choices and equal

outcomes of those choices.

• Being able to provide tools that foster the success of

individuals while also making sure that there is balance in

one’s life as well as equal opportunity.

• Helping people to live full lives by meeting their needs.

• Treating each other as valuable human beings through

love and respect.

• Through dialogue, bringing together and acknowledging

individual and collective biases in order to move towards

helping ourselves and then others.

Within the dialogues on social development, the following key

areas arose as priorities and concerns in which stakeholders of

Alberta need to develop sustained collaborative solutions to

promote the advancement of prosperity and well-being for

Aboriginal Peoples. Overwhelmingly, the information gathered

during the social development dialogue sessions illustrated the

need to develop relationships, revive and create opportunities

for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth and individuals to

learn about Aboriginal cultures and practices, as well as foster

cultural identity and self-esteem. The findings also identified

the need to create opportunities for Aboriginal youth to

receive support through positive and healthy connections with

Aboriginal Peoples and culture through Elders as positive role

models. In addition, the dialogues identified that self-

awareness and relationship building were connected to the

necessary erosion of stereotypes and discriminatory belief

systems that create barriers for many Aboriginal adults and

youth. Thus, by learning about one another and our diverse

cultures, individuals can also begin to learn how we are

connected, how we can work together, and how we can

positively impact the inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples in

communities and work places across Alberta and Canada.

Overall the voices of the participants communicated that once Aboriginal Peoples have healthy and

culturally appropriate support networks, a sense of identity, and access to culture, they can begin to

move forwards towards capacity building in order to enhance economic engagement opportunities.

The status quo is failure... if we don’t

listen to Aboriginal People, we have

failed.

...we are dealing with two different ways

of thinking: if you have more than you

need, it’s because you haven’t given

enough away.

Muriel Stanley Venne

(below with Ovide Mercredi)

18

Building Inclusive Communities

Delegates at the Gathering indicated that building communities

that are inclusive of Aboriginal Peoples is an urgently needed

building block for sustained change. Building of relationships in

communities must happen between all stakeholders and it takes

time to establish the necessary trust for inclusion.

It was generally felt that there cannot be movement forward to

build these strong communities without acknowledging the true

legacy of residential schools and understanding the story of

trauma. There is a need to build a strong foundation through

understanding and finding ways to honour each other and

understand our common humanity. One delegate stressed that

“there is nothing that is JUST an Aboriginal issue,” indicating that

the social ills that face our communities in Alberta are not

exclusive and thus reaffirming the need for inclusion, collective

wisdom and action.

Racism was an underlying factor that has been perpetuated

through the historical processes of the Canadian federation.

Delegates indicated that racism has perpetuated through all

sectors – employment, housing, education and more. Utilizing

dialogue was stressed as an important tool in addressing racism

and ‘white guilt’ as it supports building comfort for engaging with

Aboriginal peoples. One delegate indicated “you don’t always

know how to engage if racism has always been around you and

your family doesn’t encourage [engagement] – there is an

inadequacy felt. Sometimes you don’t know how to help or

support or be an ally even when you want to”.

Dialogue builds understanding, trust and stability. Non-

Aboriginal people need to enter into this process with an open

mind and constant self reflection in order to fully ‘show up’ in

circles of sharing and learning. It calls for a change to one’s

behaviour and perception of the world which is a challenging

task. It also necessitates listening to the pain and a response of

compassion to walk together, speak out and promote awareness.

For both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Peoples, delegates noted

that there is a need to move away from an ‘us versus them’

approach and that both need to come to the table equally and

willingly to participate in dialogues. Aboriginal participants

stressed that they need an opportunity to speak and to own their

voice in that process. Fear and anger must be left out of the

dialogues and they must not be forced. Dialogues must be given

the time and space required to build trust and respect.

A Model for Intercultural Learning:

Canadian Jewish Congress

Gillian Horowitz

It’s important to understand each other. It’s

important for people to know where we come from

and the differences and once we understand those

differences, obviously there is a way forward and a

way to mend bridges and a way to heal wounds. The

suffering of the Jewish community and the suffering

of the Aboriginal community has much in common.

We have been a persecuted people for ages. We

have been marginalized, victimized. Needless to say,

the Jewish people suffered immensely from the

Holocaust and this is common knowledge. To

understand the background of these peoples and to

move forward together and build bridges is

extremely important.

There was a mission recently in 2006 organized

between the Canadian Jewish Congress between

First Nations people to go to Israel to learn about the

similarities, the differences and to see ways of

working together in the future to make the world a

better place, to understand and to come to terms

with who we are and how in fact we can improve our

relationships coming from a similar background.

The 2006 mission of the Canadian Jewish Congress

and the Assembly of First Nations was a landmark

collaboration in Canada. At the core of the mission

to Israel was the sharing of knowledge to preserve

language and culture.

For more information visit www.cjc.ca and

www.afn.ca.

Elexis Schloss (below) and Gillian Horowitz

addressed delegates at the Gathering.

19

Delegates also stressed that parallel to the need for understanding of the unique historical situation of

Aboriginal Peoples, it is important in this process of learning that Inuit, Métis, First Nations and non

status peoples are not all painted with the same brush and that it is essential that a fair and equal

portrait of each community is considered.

Recommendations include:

• Employers and educational institutions

engage their non-Aboriginal staff and students

in Aboriginal activities to support intercultural

learning experiences.

• Promote the telling of positive stories within

the Aboriginal communities to the non-

Aboriginal population through media.

• Support community level dialogues to build

strengthened relationships and

understandings between Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal people.

• Promote adults and youth undertaking

cultural practises together with different

ethnic groups to foster acceptance and

healthy communities.

• Foster the development of a national coalition

building body to support networking and

engagement between Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal people.

• Support the connection of Aboriginal

communities for shared learning to support

one another and work collaboratively.

• Develop relevant programs for social workers to understand the legacy of trauma and Treaties.

These programs have to be created in a ways that do not threaten those social workers of non-

Aboriginal backgrounds.

Valuing Women and the Family

Delegates at the Circle Alberta Gathering and within the community dialogues stressed a real frustration

and concern about the role of family as a critical piece for the well-being of Aboriginal communities.

Family connections play an important role in retaining and recognizing culture, building and

strengthening identity, as well as providing a foundation for children.

Many delegates felt the current child support and foster care system in Alberta is failing the children and

some stressed that it even perpetuates a reworking of the residential school system. Children are still

being removed from their homes and from their cultures to be integrated into mainstream foster homes

which are not working for Aboriginal children. “Self worth starts in the home”, one delegate stressed.

This does not happen within the foster care system and we are missing a critical piece to building a

strong foundation at the core of development – the value and care of children. Focusing on the family is

fundamental and often is not part of the policy or programming matrix.

I believe the education of non-Aboriginals is key.

These dialogues have really opened my eyes to

issues and challenges facing Canada’s Aboriginals

that I didn’t know existed. I am a university student,

but just based on my schooling, I would never have

learned anything about treaties, residential schools

etc. I really believe that it is not that non-

Aboriginals don’t care. It is that we truly don’t know

– we are very ignorant of many of the realities

facing Aboriginal Peoples. I think that there are a lot

of people with good hears and strong desires for

fairness, equality and justice. If we really increase

awareness, I believe that there will be community

support to work together to address these issues.

Delegate

20

There is an underlying myth prevalent that Aboriginal Peoples are not good parents and this belief is

dangerous and must be changed. The challenges around many individuals in the Aboriginal community

being single parents are posing increasing hardships on families. Single parents have no time or capacity

to engage in other activities and women in particular tend to be over-represented among single parents.

With Aboriginal women in Canada “living in an environment that is incredibly hostile to their existence”,

there is a need for focused and strategic programming for women.


• Provision of parental support and education to new parents.

• Increased programming and support targeted to Aboriginal women as well as single parents.

• Increased pre-natal support targeted to young, Aboriginal mothers.

• Increased food security and nutritional education for Aboriginal women and their children both on-

reserve and in urban centres.

Growing Urban Aboriginal Demographics

With the majority of provincial and federal funding being transferred to on-reserve First Nations and

Métis Settlements, the growing demographic of Aboriginal Peoples in urban centres are struggling to

find the appropriate supports for their well-being. According to Statistics Canada in 2006, fifty four

percent of Aboriginal Peoples are now living off-reserve. Delegates claimed however that “money is not

following people to urban areas” and they receive a significantly smaller portion of funding support for

programs and services. Delegates noted that those living in urban areas struggle with difficult

transitions. The urban life “can isolate a person and one has to function alone”. The issues facing urban

Aboriginal People are different than on reserves and there is disconnection from culture and

community. One delegate noted that the “urban centre’s culture can be emotionally, verbally and

physically abusive which is hard to be in”.

The role of Friendship Centres or newcomer programs in urban centres was stressed as a critical priority

for Aboriginal Peoples. Throughout the project, it became increasingly clear that Alberta’s Native

Friendship Centres play a valuable role in their communities but struggle with underfunding and lack of

human resources. Even within the community dialogues, each Friendship Centre identified strains in

funding support but also their limited capacity to focus on fund development.

Affordable housing was stressed as a priority for Aboriginal Peoples in urban centres. Programming to

support low income ownership of housing was highlighted as a critical need in the larger urban centres.


• Promote and advance urban aboriginal accords and partnerships that focus on developing a shared

sense of responsibility. The Wicihitowin and Common Ground Process were highlighted as

important models that need to be advanced and supported by all stakeholders.

• Increase support to Aboriginal Newcomer Centres in urban areas; particularly the Native Friendship

Centres.

• Promote low income home ownership programs in large urban centres.

21

Aboriginal Health

The health of Aboriginal individuals and communities was a major concern for delegates in both the

larger Circle Alberta Gathering as well as the community based dialogues. There is a concern of lack of

access to health care as well as higher rates of disease. Fundamental to addressing the long term

prosperity and inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples is the necessity to improve wellness and quality of life.

Drug and alcohol addictions and abuse were a major concern among delegates. The transmission of

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) is an issue that is critically affecting Aboriginal youth; support

for addictions counselling and treatment are a necessary preventative measure. Suicide, alcohol and

drugs have become endemic in Aboriginal communities and are fundamentally linked to the history and

cycle of trauma. This is a crucial area calling for new approaches and change.

Some delegates also stressed the challenges with the culture of the healthcare system and the need to

fill the communication gaps between Aboriginal Peoples, nurses and doctors. “When

misunderstandings arise with Natives, they do not ask questions for clarification. Instead they just go

away from the hospital which results in the real potential for injury because there is not an

understanding of how to take prescriptions or on the treatment or proper therapy”.

Embracing “wicihitowin” Circle of Shared Responsibility and Stewardship as a

Model of Urban Governance

Wicihitowin is a community driven model of urban governance that’s inclusive of all Aboriginal peoples and agencies that serve them in

Edmonton. As a result, it’s based on Indigenous traditions of governance and community decision-making. Guided by a Circle of Elders,

it was through this community designed process that the Aboriginal community identified three areas of work that are critical to

meeting the needs of their community. The goal is to help Aboriginal people work more effectively together on identifying and

addressing vital issues and concerns impacting their community in Edmonton.

Wicihitowin Secretariat

At the core of the Wicihitowin structure is the community, the grassroots. We’ve created a funding model called From the Grassroots to

Change. The whole idea is that we host consultations, engagements with our community members and we ask them to break up into

four different groups – elders, men, women, youth. For those groups, we have different questions that are framed by different action

circles. Those individuals provide some feedback and direction and basically form what the community priorities are. Once that

information is collected, we categorized those priorities and put in different streams and assigned to action circles. The action circles

are composed of Aboriginal elders and community members, agencies, organizations and three orders of government and they assess

priorities and turn them into refined priorities. These refined priorities provide an analysis from a sector an idea of how those priorities

can be positioned as funding models or criteria.

There is a teaching by an elder in Saskatchewan where he spoke about a vision he had where he was walking through the world and

buildings were burnt down and buildings were in rubble, people were starving and there was no light. He was walking through seeing

all of this mayhem and he came across people yelling that the Aboriginal people have fire. So he started walking to this large circle and

Aboriginal people were joined arm in arm in a large circle. In the middle of that circle were four elders and they were trying to start a

fire. As soon as they would get a spark going and it would start to smoulder, the crowd would push on those aboriginal people and the

wind that was generated from pushing in would blow out the fire. They kept telling people that if they would give us a chance to build a

fire that we would share the fire and it’s our belief that that vision and message is about Wicihitowin and the process of Wicihitowin. It

is a fire that can be shared not only with the Aboriginal community but throughout the world.

22

Mental health concerns within Aboriginal communities, linking to past trauma as well as high suicide

rates, were also a concern. Some delegates noted that there is a need to eliminate so-called “victim

mentality” which contributes to the cycle of poor mental and physical health. Healing was an issue that

was continually discussed at the Gathering and one that Aboriginal Peoples felt they needed to

approach from within.

Concern over the safety of our land, air, food and water was also highlighted by delegates. At the core

of promoting health are these four elements. There was serious concern about the future health of not

only the population, but of the earth and its capacity for future generations.


• Empowerment of Aboriginal individuals with disabilities who suffer the barriers of physical and/or

mental disabilities as well as the development of a clear provincial policy focused on Aboriginal

persons with disabilities.

• Capture traditional approaches and medicines to ensure their retention and use.

• Establish strong support mechanisms for persons affected by FASD.

• Support multicultural nursing and health training programs to support Aboriginal patient’s ability to

effectively engage with health services.

• Enhance and enlarge the number and role of Aboriginal Liaison Health workers.

Cultural Retention

The loss of Aboriginal cultures over the history of

residential schools and colonialism was a concern that

delegates felt could serve as a healing foundation for

communities. Religion and culture are significant factors in

building a sense of identity and there is a need to ensure

that lessons are passed on from elders to the community.

There is a sense that children are not being engaged in

traditional practices or being taught protocol. Parents have

not been passing on the natural law and there is a need to

revitalize Aboriginal languages.


• Many participants stressed the importance of having

access to land to accommodate cultural ceremonies,

practices and languages.

• Value oral communication and traditions with the same

dignity associated with written communication and

traditions.

• Integrate cultural practices and traditions into the

formal education system to broaden outreach and

awareness.

• Support programming that brings together youth with

elders in their community and throughout Alberta.

Retaining Culture through Connecting

Elders and Youth

Alberta Native Friendship Centres’ Association

Annual Youth and Elders Gathering

(www.anfca.com/youth)

Entering its 13th

year, the Youth and Elders’ Gathering is an

annual four-day event which brings together youth and

Elders from Friendship Centres throughout Alberta to learn

from the teachings of the Elders and learn to incorporate

these teachings into their lives, gain awareness about

critical community issues, share stories, and have fun. The

connection formed between youth and Elders through this

event enriches lives and contributes to the development of

cultural pride, self-esteem, and the preservation of

Aboriginal cultures.

This program has been extremely successful in passing on

the knowledge and traditions to youth as well as promoting

the connection of Aboriginal Youth and Elders from across

Alberta.

23

Healing at Blue Quills College (www.bluequills.ca)

Blue Quills First Nations College (BQFNC) is an Indigenous education centre serving the academic and training needs of people

of all cultures, encouraging everyone to experience studying in a unique non-traditional academic environment. The college

offers a variety of programs and is dedicated to increasing educational opportunities for Aboriginal students in particular.

Originally built in the early 1930s and formerly a federally sponsored church operated residential school, the College’s prime

objective is to promote a sense of pride in Indigenous heritage and reclaim traditional knowledge and practices. It offers

diploma courses in subjects such as Aboriginal social work, business applications, Cree language, early childhood development,

Indigenous art, computers, management and teaching. It also provides bachelor degrees through its partnerships with colleges

such as Maskwachees Cultural College, Athabasca University, University of Alberta and University of Calgary.

William Aguilar

Students share with me that understanding the role of women and men and see the sacred teachings that are embedded in

ceremony. The healing process that takes place when they participate in these ceremonies is healing alongside ancestral

spirits. The elders say ‘when the living heal; they heal alongside the ancestral spirits’ who are also healing at the same time.

There is a very strong connection between the spirit world and the living world that is not recognized in mainstream culture.

Patricia Makokis

Our own indigenous people have to understand colonization. They have to understand that the pain and woundedness that

exists in our community has a source and that is in our history. Right now the majority of our own people don’t understand

our own history and how that plays out in the trauma and the addictions and the pain that we see daily in our communities

and in the lives of our adults, our children.

When we talk to our students what I remind them of us to think about colonization as this big scab that’s on our hand. It’s

something that is there and heals a little bit as we allow it heal as we get information and we nurture it. In that case nurturing

ourselves and understanding ourselves a little bit more. But something happens during the day or the week around this pain

and this woundedness in our community and it’s like picking away at that scab. It’s there, we know it’s there but we can’t quite

recognize the source of it and how it heals and how that healing means that we must nurture ourselves, our own body, look at

our family and then our community. It’s removing the shackles that bind us and sometimes those shackles are this piece of my

head between my two ears because when I can figure out how I have been impacted by that figure the cowboy and do I need

to be a cowboy or can I be the beautiful Cree person that I am. That’s that shackle… the brain.

In my journey, dance ceremony as well as my family’s started some years back and what that did for me was allowed me the

opportunity to embrace the beautiful Cree teachings, especially for women. It allowed me to understand that I have a role in

our community in terms of my own children and the extended family of children within the community. Our ceremonies are

intricate. I have participated for many years now and every day I participate, I feel like a baby in kindergarten because of the

amount of knowledge I have to learn around ceremony – in participating in fasts, in sweats, other ceremonies. I can truly say

that for myself it has been the most wonderful journey for myself and my family. My children participates, my husband

participates. It brings pride because you can break down those barriers and say ‘what we have been taught, we have been

brainwashed in thinking our ways were not good but there is so much beauty’, especially for females because you can relearn

and reclaim the female role within that whole healing journey.

24

Realizing Aboriginal Rights through Citizenship and Engagement

In order to promote the engagement and inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples in communities, there was a

sense from delegates that promoting volunteerism and citizenship in communities would also contribute

to retention and pride in Aboriginal cultures. The development of active citizens rather than clients, or

recipients of services, can serve multiple purposes of skill development, cultural identity, as well as

building stronger relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Encouraging

engagement has positive ripple effects. Delegates suggested that developing a consciousness of cultural

prosperity and abundance would support social action and respect. Community engagement

opportunities must also be supported with empowering Aboriginal peoples in understanding their

capacity and voice in affecting change in their community and beyond.

An important component of empowerment and voice for Aboriginal Peoples was to focus on “not telling

what to do, but about their rights” and what they need to do if they feel their rights are violated. There

needs to be human rights education and enhanced awareness of not only the provincial and federal

Human Rights Commissions, but of local Aboriginal bodies such as the Aboriginal Commission for Human

Rights and Justice.

Non-Aboriginal individuals could also engage more constructively and learn about Aboriginal cultures

through volunteerism with Aboriginal organizations and cultural events.


• Integrate volunteerism into Aboriginal services and programs to support skills development,

citizenship and cultural pride.

• Provide volunteer opportunities for non-Aboriginal individuals, enabling intercultural learning and

experience.

• Promote human rights awareness and education.

• Develop an Aboriginal human rights ombudsman to create a safe and welcome space for Aboriginal

Peoples in addressing human rights violations or concerns.

Excerpts from presentation...

I was thinking how important it is to be grounded. The kind of

relationships that are missing in this country between Aboriginal people

and the rest of Canada were not grounded. So the relationship needs

some building. We need to come together somehow to

environment. Not just a new relationship but a new environment.

I also think it’s time for our people, the First Nations people, to come out

from their world and to give themselves freely to the rest of the country.

By that I mean, not to wait to be called to share our knowledge or expose

our stories but to become leaders in what many Canadians consider as

something we need to do which is to reconcile our differences. That

would be quite a challenge of course because the differences are not ju

about personality. It’s not just about culture. It’s certainly not just about

spirituality. The differences that I am referring to have to refer to the

whole idea of justice; or in this case, the absence of justice in our

relationships.

I think also that we don’t want to be grounded on one issue only like the residential school experience.

While it may be something that is dominating our politics today, it is not the only issue that needs to be

reconciled between us and the rest of the co

Minister gives to our people. That is probably the least anyone can do; any decent country would expect

that from their Prime Minister. Reconciliation without justice is meaningless. It is not

Therefore, it repairs no relationship. There has to be quite clearly amends, accommodation, some action on

the part of government to repair the damage done to First Nations People as a result of the residential

school experience. But it would be a mistake, a severe mistake, if the Canadian population were to believe

that once we solve this one issue, that we can move on together to a better future.

The fact remains that there are many stories to be told that go beyond residential sch

stories are not part of our common understanding such as for example, the Indian treaties. Many Canadians

don’t appreciate that we have a social contract between us and the rest of the country and that the Treaties

that our people made with the British Crown have yet to be fulfilled by the Canadian Crown. You take for

example my community of Grand Rapids, Misipawistick in Cree; one of the commitments made to us in

1873 when the Treaty was signed, was that we could and we will have a sch

no school on the reserve. That is just one story.

What we need I think is not just good storytellers but good listeners. In this instance it is the Canadian

people that have to become the listeners, but right now they ar

people and in many cases when we do talk about our situation, our circumstances or our human condition,

our voice is regarded as a complaint voice and that Canadians are apparently tired of our complaints. When

we tell our story, we are not complaining, we are reaching out for some people to understand what we

want as a people. These stories that need to be exposed in this country belong to all the First Nations

across the land. It is not sufficient in my view that

that live in the city of Edmonton ought to be good listeners for Misipawistick in Grand Rapids too. It

shouldn’t be incumbent on just the population of Manitoba to make amends to my community; that

entire country has an obligation to propel their governments to honour the Treaties.

25

xcerpts from presentation...

I was thinking how important it is to be grounded. The kind of

relationships that are missing in this country between Aboriginal people

and the rest of Canada were not grounded. So the relationship needs

some building. We need to come together somehow to create a new

environment. Not just a new relationship but a new environment.

I also think it’s time for our people, the First Nations people, to come out

from their world and to give themselves freely to the rest of the country.

to be called to share our knowledge or expose

our stories but to become leaders in what many Canadians consider as

something we need to do which is to reconcile our differences. That

would be quite a challenge of course because the differences are not just

about personality. It’s not just about culture. It’s certainly not just about

spirituality. The differences that I am referring to have to refer to the

whole idea of justice; or in this case, the absence of justice in our



reconciled between us and the rest of the country. Reconciliation is not just about an apology that a Prime


that from their Prime Minister. Reconciliation without justice is meaningless. It is not grounded on justice.



it would be a mistake, a severe mistake, if the Canadian population were to believe

that once we solve this one issue, that we can move on together to a better future.

The fact remains that there are many stories to be told that go beyond residential schools. Many of these



with the British Crown have yet to be fulfilled by the Canadian Crown. You take for


1873 when the Treaty was signed, was that we could and we will have a school on the reserve. There is still

no school on the reserve. That is just one story.


people that have to become the listeners, but right now they are not paying attention to the Aboriginal



tell our story, we are not complaining, we are reaching out for some people to understand what we


across the land. It is not sufficient in my view that these stories remain within the region. That the people


shouldn’t be incumbent on just the population of Manitoba to make amends to my community; that

entire country has an obligation to propel their governments to honour the Treaties.

Dialogue as a Critical Foundation

Ovide Mercredi



untry. Reconciliation is not just about an apology that a Prime


grounded on justice.



it would be a mistake, a severe mistake, if the Canadian population were to believe

ools. Many of these



with the British Crown have yet to be fulfilled by the Canadian Crown. You take for


ool on the reserve. There is still


e not paying attention to the Aboriginal



tell our story, we are not complaining, we are reaching out for some people to understand what we


these stories remain within the region. That the people


shouldn’t be incumbent on just the population of Manitoba to make amends to my community; that the

Dialogue as a Critical Foundation

Ovide Mercredi

26

I’m very happy that someone actually listened to me once. It’s a rare experience for me. The John

Humphrey Centre decided based on my rather depressing statements on a conference on religion on peace

two years back to begin this dialogue amongst non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people. Don’t be discouraged

if it is slow. Don’t be discouraged that you may not be understanding yourself right now. Just be

encouraged that you are talking because eventually the understanding will come. But the very first thing

that needs to be done is to allow for the dialogue to happen at the grassroots level, at the community level.

I’m not just talking about reserves but also Métis settlements and urban communities of Aboriginal people.

Right now in our country there is one road of communication. It is between leaders. It is between the Indian

Chiefs and the governments; the politicians in the provinces and politicians at the federal level. I am not

discounting the importance of that dialogue but what I am saying is that it is time for First Nations people to

come out and take the lead in showing a new direction for this country. We have not taken the time

ourselves as a people to share our knowledge. We have not taken the time to share our values. We have

not taken the time to share our leadership. I think the time is now.

We live in a very young country. It’s still in its diaper stage so has no complete mindset. It can still be

formed. It can still be guided. It can still be directed before it becomes an adult in the international

community. We have an opportunity, all of us, to transform Canada into a country that is not just founded

on English traditions or French traditions but also on First Nations and Aboriginal traditions.

What is there to be afraid of with a value of honesty? Why would be we be afraid to bring that value into

the political community, into our governments, into how we relate to each other as citizens of a common

country? Why would honesty be such a difficult value to absorb into the Canadian political world? I don’t

think it should be. It would be better than partisan politics. It would be better than manipulation at the

political level or at the provincial level by the ruling party or the government of the day. Honesty would

mean that we deal with the concerns of all people at the same time and in a fair and honourable way;

something that has been absent in this country for a long time.

There’s a book out there that I didn’t write that I wish I did written by John Ralston Saul called “A Fair

Canada, A Fair Country”. I recommend it because it traces the origins of Canada and it tells Canadians where

the fault lies in terms of when and why Aboriginal foundations were ignored by the framers of the new

myths of what Canada is… the idea of the two founding nations. What it also says, which is very important,

is that prior to Confederation we had more or less an equal relationship and the political power of the

Aboriginal people was still fairly intact. They could still exact control of their territories and their people and

they were important to Britain and early stages of Canada because of their military strength and their

numbers and the economy that they sustained. Somewhere along the way, as he explains, the Aboriginal

component of this country was set aside deliberately and that’s where the policy of exclusion began. That is

where the Aboriginal people were left on their own devices without the resources or wealth to sustain their

societies.

We have been living with this myth of Canadian sovereignty. We have been living with this myth of

Canadian territorial integrity for the past 137 years or more. While we are living on this myth, it has

benefitted only the purveyors of this myth and the Aboriginal people have been excluded from the

development of this country, from the progress of this country, from the wealth of this country, from their

place in this country. That is why the leaders and the Aboriginal people have to come out and begin to

stake their ground and make it very clear to this Country and the Canadian people enough is enough and we

must work together to rebuild this country in a way in which our people do not live in poverty; in a way in

which our people have power and authority as sub-governing people; in a way in which our people begin to

develop their people in terms of human development, training and education; in a way in which our people

could provide full housing to their people so there is no homelessness on the reserve or off the reserve; in a

way in which our people would have control over their territory and have complete jurisdiction over their

land and resources; in a way in which our people would benefit economically from the development of any

natural resources within their lands; and, in a way in which our people would not become welfare recipients

27

of the country, would not become dependent upon the will of another government for their economic

progress and development. This is the future that we have to build.

What I am hoping for the most is that our people will not have to sustain their poverty. That they don’t have

to live in these conditions of poverty indefinitely and I am wishing that they become so strong that they

stand strong and they will not have the troubles that they have now. You cannot depend right now on any

politician in Ottawa or any provincial legislature championing the cause of Aboriginal people. It will not

happen. Stand now and say we will lead our people and lead our people well and we will break down these

barriers because those barriers are false and need to be set aside. What is required right now is visionary

leadership.

Why don’t we join forces and make it happen? Let’s walk the same path, the same road. Let’s make that

vision a reality in our lifetime, not seven generations from now but in our lifetime. That is what is needed.

We cannot wait for the HIV pandemic to become so critical. Action is needed now. We cannot wait for the

federal government to draft a new plan for housing. We can’t wait to reform the education system. We

can’t afford to accumulate more drop outs from school. We need to solve the problem immediately and we

cannot depend on the politicians and legislatures.

If we don’t act, we’ll have a perpetual problem in our communities of people with less than a high school

education who will have an incredible barrier between them and the jobs that are required in the future.

Unless we ensure that every person that enters elementary school succeeds with high school, we will have a

problem of underdevelopment and lack of capacity in our communities. It is incumbent upon us as leaders

of our people, as grassroots people in our communities to pay attention to the education of our children

and make education successful for them. By taking actions as individuals and collectively as a people to

make that system work for us because right now it is failing our people.

Reconciliation is all the things I am talking about. It is not about “I am sorry I hurt your feelings”. It is not

about the Kelowna Accord. It is certainly not about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Reconciliation

is reparation. It is the country and its people rising with us, working with us to make amends to all the

injustices that have existed in our lifetime; all the oppression that our people have experienced. That is

what reconciliation means.

I wanted to say to you that I am very impressed with the John Humphrey Centre taking the risk of trying to

get a dialogue between our people and the non-Aboriginal people. That dialogue is so needed. I know that

it’ll feel strange in the beginning because we have not had experience for over a century. The last dialogue

we had as a people was in the 1870s. That dialogue was shut down completely in 1885 with the treatment

of the Métis nation in this country and the Cree people in Alberta. We have not had an honest accounting of

each other for over a century.

I will not be surprised if people are reluctant to open their hearts. I would not be surprised if there was

some uneasiness in talking about the issues. The last thing that any white person wants is to be called a

racist and I wouldn’t blame them for a minute for feeling a little uneasy coming to our forums to hear us

talk openly about our stories. As we say to them, you be a listener and hear our story. I would not be at all

amazed if people came and said nothing because we don’t have the experience in this country of dialogue

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It may exist in certain circles like in the academic

community where it’s safe to talk about the history of Aboriginal people or where you can talk about some

specific social problems in the academic setting or you may be able to discuss some controversial issues in

the academic setting. In the churches where people have a social conscience, it may be safe from time to

time in their venues, in their assemblies, in their meetings to discuss Aboriginal issues. But when it comes to

a direct dialogue, face to face, between Aboriginal people and Canadians, we have no talent to do that. That

is precisely what we need and have to do. If we don’t do any of these things about trying to understand our

respective dreams about this country, we will be condemning Canada into a perpetual state of infancy. It

cannot grow without the Aboriginal people being central to it. It will become just an immature being

because part of its personality will be neglected, ignored and dismissed.

28

In my community of Grand Rapids, it’s probably like any other First Nations community. We have our

success stories. We have our lawyers, our doctors, our nurses, our social workers, our teachers, our

carpenters, our plumbers… we have many people who have succeeded in their chosen path for a career.

We are not entering this dialogue without capacity. We have capacity. What we are talking about is

expanding the opportunity to a broader base of clientele in the communities so that more people will have

the option and opportunity to pursue careers in government, whether their government or the non-

Aboriginal government; careers in business; careers in terms of the traditions of their community and so on.

For that to happen on a large scale, it means that the Government of Canada and the provinces have to

come with us to make it possible for our communities to have the revenue base to develop our people.

There is no absence of leadership in the Aboriginal community. We have our leaders in our governments.

We have our leaders in education. We also have our leaders in social work, child welfare and health. We

have our leaders in terms of spirituality. We have our leaders in terms of community wellness. We have our

leaders in recreation and we have our leaders in bingo. We have no shortage of leadership in our

communities. That has never been and never will be the problem.

What there is a shortage of in our community is money. We are broke. We can’t build a health centre when

our people need it. We can’t build a recreation facility when our young people need it. We can’t even have

infrastructure like water and sewer because we don’t have the money. Because we don’t have our own

revenue source, we are dependent upon the people that have it and they are not willing to give it very

often or very freely. Look at for example, education. There is probably not a single Canadian who does not

value education. I doubt very much that anyone in Canada if they knew the facts would oppose the federal

government giving more money for education for Aboriginal people because education is the way to

freedom. It is our license to leave poverty behind. The federal government knows that education is where

we succeed and post-secondary education across the country is where we excel and yet they have capped

for over 15 years post-secondary education making it virtually impossible for all the talent on reserves to

get post-secondary education even though it is a Treaty Right in Treaties 1-11. Canadians across the country

need to understand that we are not seeking a hand out here. We are not begging for something that we

are not entitled to. Education is a treaty right and if Canada wants to maintain its sovereignty, its territorial

integrity based on those treaties they have to fulfill them. If they don’t fulfill those treaties, then there is a

fundamental breach which should mean if they break the treaty that everything reverts back to us. The land

as it was before. You can see the point I am making is that Canada has to honour the Treaties for its own

sake even if it’s not intended for the benefit of the Aboriginal people. It has to do it in order to survive.

If I had wealth as a Chief of my community, if I had the wealth that I needed, I would have built 150 homes

in the last three years. If I had the wealth that our people needed, I would have built a school that our

people need. If I had the wealth that is missing in my community, I would have built a post-secondary

institution in Grand Rapids. If I had the wealth from the economy that is missing in my community, there

would not be a single human being accepting welfare in my community. You can see the contrast I am

trying to make and showing to you that our leaders, if they had the wealth would take care of the people in

their communities but since we do not have the wealth and it is in the hands of the federal government, the

provinces and the business community, the shareholders of the corporations that make money from the

natural resources. It sits in their general accounts. We have to wait for them to give us some money from

time to time. This is the most discouraging part that I experienced as the Chief of my community, fully

realizing that that money will never come and that when it does come, it comes with strings, with

conditions that municipal governments are not required to fulfill and when it comes, it comes in dribbles, in

nickels and dimes. That does not address the needs of our people.

You can see why we want so much to alter the country; to change its composition. To make it a country that

is fair, more equal, more equitable, more just. In the absence of that, I see no future for the First Nations in

Canada as it is right now. The only future I see for our people is to transform this country form the

oppressor it is to the caring society that it could be. It could become all these things if the Aboriginal people

were part of framing the future of Canada. Did you hear me? Do you understand me? Do you believe me?

Will you help me?

29

CAPACITY BUILDING

Based on the dialogues at the Gathering, the meaning of capacity building includes:

• Education is at the core of capacity; however, it is important to be mindful of the fact that

education can be both formal (mainstream) and informal (life experience, cultural teachings and

practices).

• Capacity is a state of being represented through being educated, self-sufficient and having a

high self-esteem, as well as possessing knowledge of one’s identity, culture and access to land.

Participants also shared that culture cannot be separated from capacity because culture fosters

capacity.

• Capacity development is a non-Aboriginal concept.

• Capacity is the potential that individuals have within themselves in order to be self-sufficient.

• Capacity: “You are not alone. You walk at the front of the very long line of a thousand

generations and every day they whisper words of strength for you to move forward”.

• Capacity means having the opportunity to develop one’s strategies and solutions with the

support, instead of direction, of others.

Definitions surrounding the notion of capacity building predominantly refer to a process of growing

and/or developing. The findings obtained during the dialogue sessions on capacity building align with

this notion of progression. Nevertheless, the dialogues added an additional layer to the simplistic

concept of capacity building as a process of growing. The participants expressed that cultural capacity is

the building block to which all other capacity building can transpire. Thus, capacity building vis a vis

cultural capacity is the process whereby self-sufficiency and self-determination gained through

educational and/or training opportunities will lead towards fuller economic engagement.

Community and Organizational Capacity

Dialogues in this project indicated that there is a concern about the capacity restrictions within

Aboriginal organizations to deliver the appropriate services to their communities. As mentioned

previously, Native Friendship Centres are in need of support in a number of respects. Delegates

indicated a need for professional development and growth and a lack of human resource capacity. This

is further influenced by a lack of proper core funding.

With Friendship Centre funding not increasing for over a decade from the provincial government, the

delivery of services in an ever-increasing rise in costs becomes more and more difficult. Delivering

relevant programs to youth, which was of utmost priority for most delegates, is severely limited. In

smaller urban areas, it was felt that programs are further restricted due to capacity and funding. In

these communities, it is also more difficult to develop strong relationships with funding agencies to

ensure proposal processes are successful and there was a desire for capacity building in organizations to

build their funding base through alternative sources.


• Capacity building programs to support Aboriginal organizations, particularly Native Friendship

Centres, in fund development. Proposal writing workshops and building awareness on funding

opportunities were a priority. Funders could walk through application processes with organizations

and provide sample proposals online.

30

• Collaborative approaches to research are shown to be very effective within Aboriginal communities.

The Guidelines for Research Involving Aboriginal Peoples (CIHR, 2007) state that, “communities must

be given the option of a participatory research approach” (p. 19). Collaborative efforts imbue

communities with confidence, self-determination and are imperative to successful capacity-building

in all areas of development.

• Support of entrepreneurs by increasing access to business plan writing and strategic planning

workshops, and creating networking opportunities for local business leaders and Aboriginal

entrepreneurs.

Aboriginal Governance

In the dialogues, delegates stressed the need for honest leadership, transparency and accountability in

Aboriginal governance as well as called for more stability and continuity in order to enable sustained

growth. With First Nations’ government changing every two years, new policies and agendas that come

with each new Chief or change in council, serve to prohibit effective governance that creates sustainable

change. It was expressed that communities “feel forced by circumstances to be policy driven and that a

capacity base as well as legislative and institutional base is required before policy”. First Nations

governments need to have the capacity and power to make changes and not solely to administer policy.

The governance structure that is built on short term change and natural resources has a negative impact

on social development. A sincere reflection on the structure of Aboriginal governance is needed. Some

delegates noted that they felt leadership in Aboriginal communities were not tapped into community

needs and opinions. Enhancing the communication of community members to leadership by

establishing mechanisms and dialogue processes should be a priority.

Self government, according to Andrew Bear Robe, is critical for full inclusion and economic

development: “those Aboriginal nations that assert decision-making power or jurisdiction, backed up

with effective governing institutions that are culturally relevant and have strategic orientation and

strong effective leadership, become successful in economic independence”.

Debbie Couture speaks to

delegates about the history

and impact of the Alberta

Native Friendship Centres’

Association’s Common

Ground Project.

31

Common Ground: an effective strategy for community collaboration and action

Common Ground is an initiative lead by the Alberta Native Friendship Centres’ Association to help develop a relationship plan and

tool kit that can be used by Aboriginal groups, communities and municipal governments. The Common Ground: Aboriginal

Relationship Agreement Framework (Common Ground) is a model based on relationship building from traditional Aboriginal

perspectives, customs and processes. It is an initiative to build relationships between Friendship Centres/Aboriginal communities,

municipalities and other interested parties. It outlines a process for communities to use that enables relationship building and

provides a way for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, organizations and businesses, to interact respectfully in order to address

issues of common concern.

Common Ground engages stakeholders from all relevant sectors in a process of community engagement through dialogue, to

reach a place of common understanding and commitment to meet the identified priorities of Aboriginal people and the

community as a whole. It is an ongoing effort to enhance and support meaningful community-based relationships, collaboration

and partnerships. Common Ground is a flexible, well-defined, community-based process that can be implemented in communities

across Alberta and Canada.

The Common Ground: Aboriginal Relationship Agreement Framework – Facilitator’s Toolkit has been created in 2010 to share the

Common Ground process with all Alberta Friendship Centres, Municipal governments, and other interested stakeholders. Its

purpose is to promote and support the future development and implementation of similar Aboriginal relationship building

initiatives across Alberta and beyond.

More information on Common Ground and to access the Facilitator Tool kit, visit www.anfca.com.

Debbie Coulter

Common ground builds on the Edmonton Urban Aboriginal Accord Initiative. With that initiative, we helped to design a process

that was based on Aboriginal traditions. We utilized the elders and got their input into the process and the process of meeting and

moving from talking to action and how that happens and what it looks like. WE were fortunate enough to stumble on a

collaboration model, four faces. We took this process to the Elders and they helped us modify it to fit the Aboriginal ways and

include the circle process in that. It is a four phase model and that is what the Common Ground initiative is also based on. The

initiative in the first two phases can be facilitated by an organization but the last two phases are the responsibility of a community

to complete.

In the common ground initiative for example, to provincial organizations got together and signed an agreement. This was the

Alberta Native Friendship Centres’ Association (ANFCA) who represent all of the Friendship Centres throughout the province and

the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association who represent all of the towns and cities and villages throughout the province.

Building on the success of the Aboriginal Accord Initiative in Edmonton, they wanted to bring the same type of approach to smaller

communities who may not have had the same resources that larger communities would have had. For instance, in Edmonton the

Accord process was a two year initiative. Smaller centres don’t have the time or money to be able to do that. We started working

together through AUMA and ANFCA to find a way to bring this to the smaller centres.

Working with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal groups, you should try and find Aboriginal ways and you should respect those ways

of doing things. If we are working with non-Aboriginal people, we should respect their ways of doing things. This model worked in

all four communities because it is a respectful model. It recognizes and builds on the good work that is occurring in the community

already and it helps them to find ways to work together more effectively and broadens the reach of their services. They aren’t

changing what they do; it’s their communication and connection to the broader community which creates a broader reach for

them.

32

Fostering Inclusion in Education

The capacity of teachers to understand and integrate Aboriginal kinship, community values and culture

into the formal education system is critical for the success of Aboriginal children within the system but

also to foster enhanced understanding of non-Aboriginal children. Having teachers who understand and

support Aboriginal students and their unique culture and ways of learning will support the long term

success of these children. It will foster improved teacher-student relationships. Intercultural education

within the school system is needed and will serve as a basis for overcoming historically resilient

prejudices.

Delegates stressed however that Aboriginal education must be integrated throughout the education

system and not just be for Aboriginal students. Aboriginal education needs to be integrated into a

larger part of the curriculum; for example, oral teachings, integrated conversations about identity ,

making simple changes in teaching methods in the classroom and putting desks in a circle so the focus is

student rather than teacher-centred are all approaches that can provide a more culturally friendly

atmosphere. Integrating Aboriginal culture into the classroom should also support awareness on history

and treaties.

Parents need to be better integrated and involved into the schools as well. Engaging them as volunteers

and resource persons to contribute in the classrooms is a unique way to engage them and also provide

cultural awareness opportunities for all students. Elders can also be an important resource in the

classroom. Utilizing a story-telling approach can bring a new approach to engaging students in

developing an understanding for Aboriginal culture and values.

Considering the schools in a community as an important community resource was also stressed. Schools

could be open in the evening to engage children in enhanced learning opportunities, extra-curricular

activities as well as provide a safe place to go. This should be extended beyond children and also be

available for adults. One suggestion was to consider the school as a space to provide wrap around

services in education, health and social services. Using community suppers to bring people together

would foster relationships and understanding between educators and Aboriginal community members

as well. It would also support a more ‘family-oriented’ approach to education.

Efforts to foster inclusion needs to stem beyond primary, junior and senior high levels and be integrated

into higher levels of education as well. Integrating a First Nations language component in universities,

for example, would honour and support the retention of language and culture.


• Utilize footage from the Gathering to show teachers in Alberta in order to foster understanding.

• Establish core knowledge building opportunities for teachers to embrace Aboriginal traditions,

culture and values.

• Foster Cree or Blackfoot Immersion programming to sustain the retention of language and support

the success of Aboriginal children.

• Continue and enhance support for Native Liaison workers in the school system.

• Create a national exchange program between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth to foster

awareness and understanding.

33

Educational Achievement

The retention and success of Aboriginal students in the school system lies at the base of supporting long

term prosperity for Aboriginal communities. Measures to support student engagement and success

must be integrated in such a way that fosters the unique needs of Aboriginal youth. Specific measures

such as building relationships between high achieving and low achieving students may work to close the

educational gap. Education is critical as it is ’the way out.’

Starting education at a young age is crucial; “preschool is critical for healthy development”. Many

delegates also stressed the need for alternative education programs for teenagers, young adults as well

as women, and in particular young parents with babies. The Outreach School in Peace River has proven

to be a good model for an institution for youth that have not done well in the mainstream education

system. Delegates noted that mainstream systems do not appear to be working for many students:

“they have different things happening in their life so they need alternative approaches”. Course

correspondence modules work well and allow youth to work at another pace. Language in schools has

proven to build achievement and retention of Aboriginal students. Essentially, an educational system

that allows for adaptation and accommodation of Aboriginal students is critical and must also provide

additional supports to help youth transfer to higher levels of education.

Within the school system, cost-effective approaches can also be integrated to foster skills development

and the opportunities for youth to explore career opportunities. Bringing in professionals to speak to

youth about their jobs, such as engineers, or hosting science fairs would allow youth to understand the

value of education as well as the opportunities that exist.


• Foster alternative educational school opportunities for youth and children.

• Develop a clear understanding and baseline of data on Aboriginal students and what is happening in

school to inform policy, programming and funding.

• Support and integrate unique opportunities for students to learn about different careers through a

direct hands-on approach.

• Integrate peer mentorship programs in schools to overcome the education gap and foster

relationships.

• Scholarships and incentives to keep students in school or in after school programs.

Enhancing Youth Programs

While addressing the capacity and opportunities within formal education, delegates discussed a variety

of factors that are prohibiting youth and children from succeeding in school. Family problems tend to be

on the top of mind of children or they are coming to school hungry further distracting from their ability

to focus. Housing challenges also pose issues for attendance and success in school. It is important to

look at and acknowledge the various barriers to capacity building that are related to substance abuse or

housing in order to have a better understanding of the root causes as well as how these barriers can be

prevented from arising in the first place.

34

It was generally felt that while more programs for youth is a priority, there needs to be better

communication with youth where they can be engaged in dialogue and have the opportunity to have

their voice heard. Consistently, delegates felt that youth need to play an important role in the

development and delivery of youth programs. Youth are the future leaders and thus to “give them voice

to be prescribers of the future”. This fosters positive self-identity as well as hope. “Youth play a big

part – empower them; listen to them; they have good things to say”. Leadership programming was

highlighted as a critical component for youth as well as the fostering of youth leadership in facilitating

dialogue with other youth. Youth are viewed as an untapped resource that could help develop creative

strategies and solutions.

Numerous times at the Gathering the issue of having positive role models for youth was highlighted.

There is a need to bridge successful Aboriginals with the youth and allow them to share their

experiences. Approaching professional associations to seek out mentors for Aboriginal youth was also

suggested. Allowing youth a space to experience and explore different options, whether through

mentorship or other programs, will help them to find out their talents and how to utilize them. One

suggestion was to even integrate mentorship for children as young as 4-5 years of age to support long

term success.

Enhancing access and opportunities for positive outlets and programs for youth, particularly those at

risk, will provide alternatives to violence, gangs, drugs, alcohol and other negative influences. Fostering

extracurricular activities and recreational programming is

critical, but must be accessible as well. These programs

provide a space for the development of life skills and tools

for future success.

Youth Delegates address the Gathering and provide their insights on the

youth program held prior to the larger event.

Looking at alcohol, maybe kids want to go

out and drink and have a good time, want

to hang out with friends, want to get our

their stress. That’s what they are telling

themselves but the main problem is that

it’s pretty much with all Aboriginal

people, you either grew up with drinking,

you get influenced by drinking, you’re just

living out a really rough lifestyle and it

can be at any age. I had a really good

friend who was about 16 and he lived out

a good lifestyle and had a lot of good

things going and then everything just all

fell apart. He didn’t really have any

family in the city and I told him I’ll help

him out but he didn’t really accept that.

He hung out with the wrong people and

now he’s just shacked up. I’d tell them –

“this is what’s going to happen if you go

down this path and there are people in

the community that can help you”.

Isaiah Gilson

35


• Foster youth leadership programs and youth-

to-youth dialogues.

• Support the development of community based

mentorship programs for Aboriginal children and youth.

Supporting Advanced Education

At the core of building a healthy community, delegates

stressed that sustainable goals need to be set that

enhance educational and training opportunities. These

do not necessarily need to be with formal educational

institutes. There is a need for communities to focus on

identifying gaps and focus on the strengths that already

exist in a community and build in community and youth

involvement. Developing plans for capacity building

need to involve businesses and organizations in the

process in order to forecast their needs for employees.

Companies should be engaged on committees related

to training to ensure they are part of this process and

that strong relationships are built. Aboriginal Peoples

also require connections between training and

employment/practicum opportunities. Taking a long

term view towards employment and training requires

true partnerships with greater length and depth. A

more integrated approach to capacity building was

stressed between communities, government and

industry.

Delegates expressed their desire for opportunities to

reach out and find ways to increase the dissemination

of information regarding opportunities to participate in

further education and training. One key aspect is to

create awareness on funding and scholarships.

The focus on physical labour and trades opportunities in training is too narrow. Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal people would benefit from expanded opportunities in the areas of arts and humanities. Not

everyone is capable or wants to be involved with trades or physical labour. Some delegates noted that

they felt opportunities available for training were not focused on training for careers. Business training

was highlighted as a needed area.

Considering core programming for adults is also important. Literacy programming is essential and new

approaches need to be forged to support reading programs.

Amiskwaciy Academy

(amiskwaciy.epsb.net)

Amiskwaciy Academy is western Canada’s first

urban Aboriginal high school. Operated by

Edmonton Public Schools, it was also the first

urban high school in the country to

incorporate traditional native values as part of

its core philosophy. Open to students of all

backgrounds, Amiskwaciy incorporates

Aboriginal culture into both learning and the

school environment.

At Amiskwaciy, students can take courses such

as Cree, Aboriginal studies and traditional

dance. The core subjects – such as social

studies, English and science – all include

indigenous components and community

elders are on hand to provide direction.

In addition, there is spiritual guidance in the

form of sweat lodges, rites of passage, and

other ceremonies throughout the year. Sweet

Grass purification ceremonies are part of the

daily routine, as well as morning prayers and

meditation. Students must agree in writing to

achieve at least 80 percent in their studies.

The agreement, as well as the 12 “non-

negotiable” roles in the school’s code of ethics

was borrowed from the Frederick Douglass

Academy in New York, a rigorous and highly

successful high school with a graduation

percentile in the upper 90s.

Excerpts from presentation...

Becky Charles grew up on a reserve near La Ronge,

Saskatchewan. She was 13 years old when she

died, found frozen to death on the side of a

highway. Becky had accompanied her sick and

elderly uncle into Prince Albert in the Band van.

They were traveling and Becky had consumed a lot

of Gravol, it was never clear from the fatality

inquiry whether she had the Gravol to get high or

to deal with car sickness. But whatever her reason

for consuming it, the Gravol made her high and it

made her hallucinate and act out and become

erratic and violent. The Band driver who was a

former Band social worker decided to leave Becky

at the side of the road. The little girl was dressed in

a light ski jacket and jeans. She had no boots, no

hat, no gloves; it was a terrible night

blizzard blowing and temperatures dropped to

or -30. The van driver did take the precaution of calling the local RCMP detachment to tell them what she had

done and she asked the Mounties to pick Becky up, but they didn’t. When I intervie

the time, he said to me “I haven’t got members to jump up and run every time somebody calls”. The RCMP did

arrive on the site where Becky was dropped about 35 minutes after the call but they never got out of their

cruiser to look for her. They just drove up and down in their car using their headlights to search the side of the

road.

Becky’s frozen body was found 10 days later just a few steps from where she had been dropped by a local

tracker and trapper who went to look for her

tell you there was some measure of justice for Becky Charles, there wasn’t. The RCMP did conduct an internal

investigation and cleared all of its officers. No one was disciplined. The van d

criminal negligence causing death but she ended up pleading to the lesser charge of failing to provide the

necessities of life. She was given no jail time and one year conditional sentence. And I would be a cynic if I

wondered if the fact that she was the Chief’s cousin and that Becky Charles came from one of the poorest

families on the reserve that this had anything to do with that.

Becky Charles’ death was one of the first big stories I covered for the Edmonton Journal

there back in 1996. All these years later, going back over her story, her fate still infuriates me. I can’t forget her

story or her face, and mostly what I can’t forget is the complete lack of response that our stories about her

death provoked. Back then I was young and naïve; I kept waiting for some sort of public outrage; I kept waiting

for some sort of social action and instead the silence was deafening.

Then came the story of Brandon Wapoos

protein deficiency, the disease which kills African children during famines. He starved to death because his

young mother fed him on a diet of diluted artificial coffee whitener. There was free formula available at the

Band office but his 19 year old mother who had a severe drinking problem never went to get it, no family

member or neighbor intervened to help. Brandon was actually seen by a public health nurse at the Reserve’s

chronically understaffed nursing station two weeks be

and had never been to the reserve before and she didn’t realize that before her was a child that was starving to

36

Becky Charles grew up on a reserve near La Ronge,

Saskatchewan. She was 13 years old when she

died, found frozen to death on the side of a

highway. Becky had accompanied her sick and

elderly uncle into Prince Albert in the Band van.

Becky had consumed a lot

of Gravol, it was never clear from the fatality

inquiry whether she had the Gravol to get high or

to deal with car sickness. But whatever her reason

for consuming it, the Gravol made her high and it

t and become

erratic and violent. The Band driver who was a

former Band social worker decided to leave Becky

at the side of the road. The little girl was dressed in

a light ski jacket and jeans. She had no boots, no

hat, no gloves; it was a terrible night, there was a

blizzard blowing and temperatures dropped to -25

30. The van driver did take the precaution of calling the local RCMP detachment to tell them what she had

done and she asked the Mounties to pick Becky up, but they didn’t. When I interviewed the staff sergeant at



for her. They just drove up and down in their car using their headlights to search the side of the


tracker and trapper who went to look for her on his own when the local RCMP called off the search. I’d like to


investigation and cleared all of its officers. No one was disciplined. The van driver was originally charged with



ered if the fact that she was the Chief’s cousin and that Becky Charles came from one of the poorest

families on the reserve that this had anything to do with that.

Becky Charles’ death was one of the first big stories I covered for the Edmonton Journal when I joined the staff



th provoked. Back then I was young and naïve; I kept waiting for some sort of public outrage; I kept waiting

for some sort of social action and instead the silence was deafening.

Then came the story of Brandon Wapoose. Brandon died when he was just 10 months old of



e but his 19 year old mother who had a severe drinking problem never went to get it, no family


chronically understaffed nursing station two weeks before he died but she was a relief nurse who had flown in


The State of Children and Media

Paula Simons

30. The van driver did take the precaution of calling the local RCMP detachment to tell them what she had

wed the staff sergeant at



for her. They just drove up and down in their car using their headlights to search the side of the


on his own when the local RCMP called off the search. I’d like to


river was originally charged with



ered if the fact that she was the Chief’s cousin and that Becky Charles came from one of the poorest

when I joined the staff



th provoked. Back then I was young and naïve; I kept waiting for some sort of public outrage; I kept waiting

ths old of kwashiorkor, or



e but his 19 year old mother who had a severe drinking problem never went to get it, no family


fore he died but she was a relief nurse who had flown in


The State of Children and Media

Paula Simons

37

death. Yet at the fatality inquiry to Brandon’s death, the judge made no recommendations, assigned no blame,

made no suggestions for improvement. He ruled that Brandon’s death was an isolated case and it was swept

under the carpet with no one held responsible.

Then there is Korvette Crier. She died one year after Brandon in August of 1999. She was two years old when

her foster mother killed her in a moment of temper. She shoved her, threw the toddler to the ground hard

enough that the little girl’s skull fractured and she died of severe brain injuries. Korvette had been placed by

social workers from the Samson First Nations in an unlicensed foster home in Red Deer. Her white foster

mother was poorly trained and was woefully inexperienced and in a house where there had never been any

proper pre-screening. Social workers didn’t know that this woman had been fired from her previous job

because of anger management issues. The white foster mother was overwhelmed. There were five children in

her home under the age of six, three of them with fetal alcohol syndrome. A junior social worker from the

Band, to her credit, grew concerned that the foster was abusive. She saw sign of bruising and malnutrition.

About two weeks before Korvette’s death she tried to have the toddler and her two older sisters removed from

the foster home. But the social worker was on probation and she didn’t have the authority to remove the

children herself. She started the paperwork but within days, Korvette was dead. Her foster mother pled guilty

to manslaughter and received a two year sentence and is currently out of prison.

Shaylene Lightening was three. She died just one month after Korvette. She was from the same reserve

Samson community. The night she died, her mother was in jail. Her father had had a night of heavy drinking

with his buddies, having a party at the house. He passed out and a fire started in the home. Shaylene, aged 3,

woke her father and roused him from his stupor. She saved his life and he jumped out the window and left

Shaylene and her baby sister inside the burning house. Shaylene died of smoke inhalation and her little sister

barely survived. Like the Saskatchewan taxi driver in the Band van in the Becky Charles’ case, Shaylene’s father

was convicted with failing to provide the necessities of life. His punishment – a six month conditional sentence

to be served at home but as a consolation, he and his wife did inherit Shaylene’s large trust fund.

Four years ago now, a 14 year old Métis girl was found raped and bludgeoned to death on a golf course outside

of Edmonton. I am forbidden by the terms of the province’s recent Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act to

tell you her name or show you her face. Jane Doe died in a bizarre ritualistic killing. Five people were charged in

her death. Four were convicted and one case is still before the courts. But while those who killed were certainly

ultimately responsible for her death, it must be charged that they chose the most perfect and vulnerable

victim. Jane Doe was a street kid but her streets were the corridors and shadows of West Edmonton Mall. She’d

run away from a home where according to a case file there had been a long history of physical and sexual

abuse, malnutrition and general neglect. After golf course workers found her body, this beautiful child laid

unclaimed and unidentified in a city morgue for three days despite repeated public appeals from the police for

someone to come forward and give her a name. No one had noticed that this 13 year old child went missing.

Because she’d effectively dropped out of school halfway through 7th

grade, there were no teachers to notice

her absence. No social worker noted her disappearance. And her parents only called the police when she had

been missing for six days; four days after she had been murdered.

It’s easy to get public sympathy at least of the young children, of the pretty girls. It’s harder to get public

sympathy when the foster child seems less cute. But I must tell you the story of a young man I must only refer

to as L.S. He died just a short time before his 18th

birthday. You might say L.S. was damned from day one. He

suffered severe brain damage because of his mother’s solvent abuse. He was sexually abused in one of his first

foster homes. But it looked for awhile like his story might have a happy ending. He had been placed in an

excellent group home; he had a long term case worker who was dedicated to him. He was thriving, he was

going to school, he was doing well. But as his 18th

birthday approached, his life spiralled into crisis. He knew he

would eventually have to leave the group home and he knew too that on his 18th

birthday he would come into

a trust fund of over $130,000 because his mother who had eventually died from solvent abuse came from one

of the oil rich Hobbema First Nations.

38

As he approached his 18th

birthday, suddenly his birth father and his half siblings with whom he had no contact

showed up in his life and he became very afraid that they would try to exploit him to take that money from

him. On the night he died, he’d gone to visit a half sister on the Enoch First Nation where she lived and even

though his brain was very fragile and he had been told repeatedly that he must never drink or consume drugs

because of the damage already done to his brain, on that night his relatives had provided him with plenty

intoxicants. He phoned his case worker in terror and begged to be picked up. When the case worker came to

pick him up from the reserve, he was agitated and hallucinating and as they drove back to the group home up

the highway, he pulled off all his clothes and jumped out of the car into the traffic where he was killed. No one

knows to this day whether his death was a suicide or the result of a psychotic break brought on by the stress of

the coming of age. But one way or another, it was the approach of his 18th

birthday that killed him.

We all know that if these were white kids who had died in Toronto, their deaths, their stories, their lives would

be front page news in the Globe and Mail or the Toronto Star or the National Post. They bleed the news on the

National. But when Aboriginal kids die in the West, I sometimes get the feeling that their deaths are ignored

like so much road kill and that’s to me the greatest outrage of all. In my dozen years with the Journal by my

account I have written stories and columns about the wrongful deaths of some two dozen Aboriginal children.

Children who are murdered, who committed suicide, who died because of the negligence, neglect and abuse of

those who were supposed to care for them. And those are just the stories that I have done personally.

People sometimes ask me, when are you going to stop writing stories about dead Aboriginal foster children and

I say bluntly, ‘when they stop dying’. These stories have always been hard to research and report and for my

pains I am usually called a racist. No one wants to talk about these children. They embarrass us all – both our

white politicians and many leaders in the Aboriginal community. And these stories are even harder to report in

Alberta than they used to be thanks to the Draconian censorship of the province’s new Child, Youth and Family

Enhancement Act which forbids us to identify children that have ever come to the attention of social services

even after death, even if that means cloaking the names of those who abused and killed them. I showed you

before the names and the pictures of Shaylene Lightning and Korvette Crier – if they died in this province

today, I would no longer be able to name or identify them. Now we have fixed the system so that Aboriginal

children, and indeed all children, who suffer and die in this province who have had any interaction with social

services, their identities are shrouded forever. And even if their parents want those names published, even if

their parents want their own name published, the parents are forbidden from speaking out if their own

children die while in foster care. This is very much an Aboriginal issue. In this city, 60% of the children receiving

protective services from Children’s Welfare are Aboriginal.

I probably don’t need to tell most of you these statistics. In Canada, the Aboriginal mortality rate is twice the

national average. The teen suicide rate is three times the national average. And a study a few years ago by the

Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons found that Aboriginal children in Manitoba were seven times

more likely to die before the age of 14 as compared to non-Aboriginal children. An Alberta study released in

2002 found Aboriginal children in the province were twice as likely to be disabled, physically or mentally, than

non-Aboriginal children. In this province 33% of youth remanded in custody are Aboriginal even though they

make up only 6% of the province’s youth population. High school completion rates? The Edmonton Public

School Boards and the Province of Alberta won’t release them. They say that for fear of embarrassing the

Aboriginal community; I say it’s for fear of embarrassing our educational system which doesn’t like to tell you

that 10 years ago; the last time I could get the numbers, the Aboriginal high school completion rate in this

province was 8%. In Edmonton, most Aboriginal teens don’t even start high school, much less finish it. Like

Jane Doe, they drop out while they are still in junior high. I bet at least half of you in this room knew that

already and you are probably offended to see me standing up here, some sanctimonious white woman

lecturing you like some well meaning patronized racist; some modern day Emily Murphy or Nellie McClung.

That’s ok because I fear that all of us in this country; white, Aboriginal and every other colour in between are

like those Mounties that went out looking for Becky Charles that night…. They shone their light on the road and

they never got out to look in the dark places and we don’t want to look in the dark places either.

39

I’m tired of the politics. I’m tired of federal and provincial government leaders who won’t spend enough on

social workers and foster care and intervention. I’m tired of Aboriginal leaders who often seem more interested

in building business empires than dealing with the social crises in their communities. As many of you probably

know, the federal government spends 80-90% of the funds it dedicates to First Nations on reserve yet in

Alberta, a good 65% of Aboriginal people (Inuit, Métis and First Nations) live off reserve. Ottawa has

downloaded responsibility to the provinces and the municipality, and in turn to our school boards and regional

health authorities. Who speaks for the majority of Aboriginal People who live off reserve? Not the chiefs

because their power base is on the reserve itself.

Now as a journalist, I face a dangerous trap. If all I write are stories about tragedies and victims, this is not a fair

representation of the modern Aboriginal experience. The last thing we need is to perpetuate a culture of

victimhood. I fear too that with our obsession with the past, with the injustices and sufferings of residential

schools, we sometimes forget to think of the Aboriginal children of today who frankly live in sometimes such

dreadful circumstances, they might well think residential schools a virtual paradise. I don’t mean that we

should forget or ignore the past injustices and the past failures, but I think it’s time to focus on preventing the

injustices of the here and now. I get the criticism a lot that I don’t tell enough positive stories. I do and my

colleagues do. We try to tell those positive stories but that means we can’t ignore the tragedies. If I don’t bear

witness, if I don’t fight every week to get these stories into the paper, who will?

That said, it’s not easy because we face distrust and often it’s an earned distrust from the Aboriginal

community. People don’t want to tell us their stories. They’re afraid that they are going to be exploited.

They’re afraid that they’re going to look like the villains in the piece. They’re afraid they are going to look like

victims again and again. It’s not easy for white journalists to overcome that distrust and those cultural barriers.

I’d implore those of you to help me and my colleagues to tell those stories; to help us tell the happy stories, the

hopeful stories and not just the tragic stories.

I’d implore us all to focus less on the sins of the past and more on the solutions in the present. Less on official

apologies than on practical pragmatic solutions to the kinds of problems we are talking about here today.

Solutions like access to family planning and reproductive choice so that all women in this province and in this

country have the right and the capacity to plan families in a sensible way. We need to focus on pre natal and

post natal care so that babies get a healthy start to life from the time of conception to the time of birth. And

we need far more supports for young families so that young moms and dads have the support they need to

raise another generation of healthy kids; to keep families together to that all our resources aren’t dealt with

apprehending kids after the fact but focus on creating happy home environments where they learn and thrive

and grow.

We need to focus on dealing with issues of mental health, addiction, literacy and poverty – it’s not enough just

to start moving the boundaries of land claim. We have to start doing pragmatic things on the ground that get

beyond the philosophy, the ideology and the empire-building and that actually help children living today,

whether on reserve or off to fulfill their full capacity as Canadian citizens. We have one chance to get this right;

we can’t afford to let another generation slip away. The results to our public health system, our criminal justice

system, our child welfare system, and national soul will be devastating. We need to build a country where

children regardless of their race do not freeze, starve to death, where children aren’t eaten by feral dogs,

where every child has an equal right to healthcare, education, economic, social and political opportunity. But

we must act now and we must act together and we must start by telling and facing the truth.

I want to end with Becky Charles – where I started – whenever I approach this issue, the same quote from

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar always runs through my head: “There is a tide of the affairs of men which taken at

the flood leads on to fortune. Omitted all the voyages of their life are bound in shallows and in misery”. We

must work together in this country to take this tide at the flood. We can only meet this challenge if we work

together and if we are not together, we will be overwhelmed together none the less in a flood of sorrow and

injustice.

40

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Defining economic development within the dialogues centred on:

• The attainment of jobs, education and housing.

• Aboriginal Peoples and communities have the opportunity to contribute to and fully benefit

from Canada’s economy.

• Refers to self-governance and self-sufficiency.

• Importance of jumping on the bandwagon for jobs and not be afraid to start talking in order

to get things going through proposal writing and/or participating in training opportunities.

• Knowing where the opportunities are; however, these opportunities need to be in

Aboriginal communities and not just in urban or rural areas outside of Aboriginal

communities.

• What matters most are clean air, water and food. The future generations will not care if the

land, air and water are destroyed.

• Drives social programs.

• The key factors are education and autonomy.

Economic development typically refers to a process by which the wealth of a nation comes to foster the

overall well-being of its citizens.2 While many Canadian citizens enjoy the advantages of living in one of

the world’s wealthiest nations, many Aboriginal Peoples do not share the same level of health and

wellness.3 Regardless, the findings from the dialogue sessions on economic development illustrate that

Aboriginal Peoples and communities desire to move away from economic dependence on government

funding and move towards self-sufficiency through education and training opportunities. Aboriginal

Peoples are seeking unique ways to engage in community-based programs and services as well as

capacity building opportunities within both Aboriginal and urban communities. However, Aboriginal

Peoples are not blindly stepping forward. They are actively seeking economic strategies and solutions

that are socially conscious, culturally appropriate and sustainable. In short, Aboriginal Peoples and

communities do not want non-Aboriginals trying to provide the solutions. They are actively making

informed decisions and seeking opportunities to enhance their rights and prosperity while remaining

mindful of their relations.

Employment Opportunities and Retention

The Gathering indicated a genuine concern among delegates that Aboriginal Peoples have a sense of

insecurity and worry about their employment opportunities and chances for promotion. Moving to a

better position in organizations tends to be a difficult process and often unfair processes are

implemented. Many inferred worry regarding their retirement and lack of pension. Lack of flexibility by

employers causes stress and challenges for families. Women in particular face a lack of equality in the

workplace in terms of pay, reaching higher level positions as well as in addressing family needs.

2 Steven M., S. (2003). Economics: Principles in Action. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 471.

3 Government of Canada (1996). Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from

www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/rpt/per_e.html.

41

Delegates also noted that working with non-Aboriginals can be

very challenging and impacts their ability to excel. For example,

an Aboriginal employee is more successful with verbal reporting

and approaches versus written approaches. There is a need to

consider the integration of Aboriginal practices in the workplace

to foster a more inclusive environment and understanding.

Sharing circles are one method which could foster a shared

work culture. The workplace culture tends to be a space where

prejudices and discrimination persist.

Transportation is a barrier to accessing and retaining

employment. Delegates indicated that many Aboriginal people

do not have access to vehicles and are left to hitch-hiking to get

to work in rural areas for example. Funding buses in rural

communities could be one way to ensure employment success

and assisting those in the communities with lower incomes.

Economic Engagement

There was a sense of frustration at the Gathering that

Aboriginal communities have not been effectively included in

economic development in Alberta. Access to lands for

traditional use is becoming more and more of a challenge.

There was also a feeling that more sustainable approaches to

economic development need to become a priority. Aboriginal

Peoples have the capacity to innovate and build approaches to

development; however, they lack access to capital through

lending and funding programs. There was a sense that talent

remains untapped within Aboriginal communities and that the

relationship with government is one of dependency versus

autonomy and self-reliance.

Providing support for individuals interested in creating

businesses and strive to be self-sufficient is needed. Having

access to resources or individuals to support business

development and assessment would work to eliminate

relationships of reliance and dependency. Young Aboriginal

entrepreneurs need guidance, support and access to capital.

Nevertheless, comments regarding this matter included such

perspectives as: “However tools are supported to promote

growth in the economy but this is a waste when Aboriginal

Peoples are not ready to have economic development. Peoples

are still in despair from colonization. Efforts are made but are

ineffective when the social issues and problems are not

addressed.” This highlights the intricate balance required

between social and economic development. It is not an easy

answer and both must happen in parallel. Capacity building is a

fundamental component to this as well. Aboriginal

Utilizing Dialogue and Circles in the

Workplace

Patricia Makokis

The first thing we have to do when it comes to

dialogue is to recognize that the Cree perspective of

dialogue is very different than the way that we are

taught in the western world. When we think about

dialogue in the western world, it’s about talking but it

can be a fast process and can be one person speaking

but really not engaging. When we talk about

dialogue, it’s about a circle. It’s about equality within

that circle that everybody has an equal voice in that

circle. We can be the professors in the classroom but

we are no different than our students that come into

that circle. Every person has an equal voice and our

job is to listen with two ears and our heart.

That is probably the key difference. For example, we

were doing a session for employers and had I been

presenting at a western institution, I would have been

standing at the front, doing my PowerPoint

presentation and the engagement would be one way.

I would be giving the information; the participants

would be receiving the information.

One of the key differences is around time. When I

work in the western world, I leave my whole

humanness at the door and I walk through that door

with only the intellect, the mental part of me. I cannot

be there as an emotional, spiritual or physical human

being. I’ve worked in the western world so I know

that when I went to work, if something was bothering

me, the moment I went through that door, I had to

leave that whole part of me.

In a dialogue circle, we would take the time if

something was happening and we needed, we could

sense and see that something was happening with the

participant and we would take that time. In that

process then, it begets action. We will get to action

because we take time to feel; to be heartfelt human

beings. Yes that process takes longer but in the end

we will have built strong relationships and we will get

to business once we all have a turn in that circle. We

can then get to work and at that relationship place

move forward. Its part of the philosophy of our way is

to share and to work together. It’s not about

individualism.

42

Environmental Stewardship Internship Program (www.arc.ab.ca)

The Alberta Research Council has taken the lead in establishing an Aboriginal Internship for Environmental Stewardship. This

internship is designed to train members of aboriginal communities to develop organizational capacity that will enable them to

participate more effectively in land and resource management. As a result, aboriginal communities will be better equipped to share in

the benefits from resource development projects and help build stronger relationships with stakeholders.

Shawn Gervais: Land stewardship internship program aims to get students to appreciate their culture as a source of strength; what

their land meant to their specific community – know their land, walk their land and see their land. The interns talk about how

important it is when their community members recognize and value the work they are doing.

There’s tons of training available out there – you have universities, colleges, certificate programs, diploma programs, small courses. In

all honesty, if training was the solution to capacity, we’d have no problems. Something else was missing. It seems to have been the

creation of a social structure that enables the interns themselves to explore the larger world, to explore the resources that are really

available, to build the relationships without being force to have to leave the community. If I was living in that community and wanted

to do this kind of work, if I decided to stay in my community, I don’t really have a lot of options. I’m probably not going to get the

skills and experience that are really going to help me to move forward. That leaves me with only one other polar opposite which is to

leave but then you’ve separated them from their community. Sometimes they don’t come back and it’s not just Aboriginal

communities, its rural communities. Sometimes kids go off to school and never come back. In this case we were able to ground them

in a community based organization, take them out to learn but in a way that doesn’t actually force them to leave. Find a hybrid happy

medium in that piece.

The interns talk about how it opened their eyes and talk about the relationships that were built. They actually get a lot of confidence

from seeing people who actually care about them that aren’t in their community. There are folks all around, in industry, government,

you name it, who actually want them to be successful and you have this person to person connection. Not only were they interested

enough to be an instructor; they can actually call them later on.

communities need to carve out economic development that is appropriate for them; however, supports

need to be provided to them. Distrust in government and business are barriers. It is generally felt that

shared revenues are not within the realm of reality. It was stressed that development needs to move

beyond oil and gas. Tourism was identified as an area where opportunity exists that would help educate

the public regarding Aboriginal history.

Mentorship opportunities in business would support successful ventures. One delegate expressed

disappointment in the cessation of a one year seed company program for new businesses which had

been effective. Looking at social enterprise opportunities that funnel profit back into communities

should be supported. This would address critical services in the community, lead by Aboriginal

communities. This includes women’s shelters for example.


• Develop a toolkit with templates for business development and operation.

• Create incentives for small businesses to succeed.

• Develop unique mentorship opportunities with Aboriginal youth and young professionals with

successful Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal individuals to foster awareness of opportunities and create

longer term relationships.

• Consider new innovative approaches to funding for entrepreneurial ventures as well as consider

mentorship approaches to new entrepreneurs.

43

CONCLUDING REMARKS ON DIALOGUES

The voices contained in this report can only provide a snapshot of the dialogues that took place during

the Circle Alberta Project. Nonetheless, important and poignant lessons need to be heard and passed

along in order to enhance Aboriginal rights and prosperity both in Alberta and in Canada.

Overall, the project found that social development, capacity building and economic development were

interconnected; one cannot speak about one without touching upon the others. Accordingly, the

findings identified a sequential relationship between the three dialogue topics. Without social

development, one cannot begin capacity building; without capacity building, it is highly unlikely that an

individual can fully engage in society and the economy. The challenges associated with economic

engagement are further exacerbated due to employment requirements that often necessitate high

levels of formal training and/or education, of which are not often offered in Aboriginal communities or

may not be culturally appropriate.

Most of the dialogue discussions, regardless of the particular topic or focus, gravitated towards finding

ways to eliminate the numerous barriers that continue to impede Aboriginal Peoples and communities

from engaging in social development opportunities. These findings highlight two important points. First,

as previously mentioned, the project reached a saturation point during Phase I, the community

dialogues. Furthermore, data saturation aligned with the content in both the community and Gathering

dialogues. The content and saturation point illustrate the numerous barriers that Aboriginal Peoples

and communities face when attempting to engage in social development. Second, the alignment of data

saturation with both the community and Gathering dialogues indicates what action plans require

addressing before Aboriginal Peoples and communities can realize full engagement in society and the

economy.

CIRCLE ALBERTA: NEXT STEPS

Throughout the Circle Alberta project, it became increasingly clear that there is a critical need for

continued and enhanced opportunities for dialogue and relationship building between the Aboriginal

and non-Aboriginal peoples. During the two day Gathering in October 2008, not only in each breakout

was this stressed as something vital for the advancement of Aboriginal rights and development, but at

the final wrap up plenary, participants voted unanimously to continue dialogue and as well wanted to

see another Gathering in the future. Smaller community level dialogues as well as larger dialogues such

as the one in October hold an important place in building common understandings and sustainable

solutions to address the issues that impact Aboriginal Peoples.

The spaces created during this project were just a stepping stone, in the eyes of participants, of a larger

movement of change. While the political overtures of the apology made by the Federal Government

earlier in 2008 hold an important place in building new relationships with Aboriginal Peoples, on the

ground, relationship building between people in communities, between people in the workplace and

between children and youth in our schools are the most fundamental area where we can, in the long

term, have an impact that matters: an impact that moves toward the empowerment of Aboriginal

Peoples and respect for the dignity of all.

Sustaining dialogues initiated in this project for the long term needs to be a priority. The value of

dialogue as a foundation for development and the advancement of human rights cannot be

underestimated. We need to create an environment of understanding and reciprocity that will build long

44

term sustainable and viable solutions that are both culturally sensitive and

appropriate. We need to build awareness of the state of human rights in

our communities and province that will move to action and positive

leadership. We need to reduce the incidences of racism and

discrimination against Aboriginal Peoples in Alberta. Ultimately, we need

to create a new collaborative space for the advancement of First Nations,

Métis and Inuit people in Alberta – socially, culturally, economically and

politically. Initiatives such as Wicihitowin and Common Ground are to be

celebrated, embraced and supportive as dialogue approaches that foster

Aboriginal empowerment and solution development. We see Circle

Alberta contributing to and complementing these initiatives by creating

communities of respect and understanding – building bridges between

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures as well as providing learning

opportunities.

Within the project, the need for building awareness of non Aboriginal

people, and in particular youth, regarding the historical, cultural, and

political circumstances of Aboriginal Peoples in Alberta gives rationale to

the facilitation of components that create spaces and dialogues for

understanding. It became clear and evident in discussions at Circle Alberta

that dialogue and relationship building is the starting point for any future

success. In particular, the engagement of youth to consider not only

understanding of the issues faced but as well their responsibility as agents

of change will encourage the long term goal of fostering a shift in

fundamental attitudes.

Moving forward, the Centre envisions dialogue happening at two levels:

the community level and provincial level. The next steps for the project

will hope to create these spaces for dialogue as well as integrate aspects

of youth engagement and leadership, in addition to educational resources

that supplement both formal and informal learning. The Centre hopes to

continue and further develop dialogues in order to make larger provincial

gatherings sustaining as well as meaningful. The ultimate goal of this

project is for the full inclusion of Aboriginal Peoples in our communities,

socially, culturally, economically and politically. The project will provide

the impetus for the further development of relationships and enhanced

understanding of issues present, in addition to addressing the needs of

Aboriginal Peoples throughout Canada. Dialogue will thus facilitate the

enhanced and authentic understanding of Aboriginal Peoples’ issues with

the general public.

Provincial Level Circle Alberta Gathering

The Circle Alberta Gathering in 2008 was just a starting point for building

relationships. The Centre envisions that every two years, stakeholders

from around the province should come together to share the experiences,

successes and challenges at the community level. This broader provincial

Gathering will provide a venue for not only strengthening relationships,

but will focus on addressing common issues and challenges within the

Dialogue for Peace and

Human Rights

Bikkar Randhawa

Dialogue is a vehicle by where you

listen to other points of view and

perspectives. Four of us can start

talking on a topic. You come with

your own background, experience,

wisdom, attitudes and motivations.

When two or more people engage in

dialogue, they listen to one another

and in listening, you appreciate

where people are coming from.

Through a process of synthesis, you

develop your own deeper sense of

understanding of the people engaged

in dialogue.

There is no single path to peace or

human rights. There are many

different ways in which we can

achieve human rights. My philosophy

is talk is cheap, what matters the

most is the walk. The purpose of

dialogue is to initiate the walk.

People should pledge to take some

action and put their words into some

concrete plans.

Dialogue is sharing words, listening to

ideas for action, putting into place

strategies to engage in action,

evaluating the actions and modifying

the actions again. It is a long process.

We are taking micro-steps.

Before I cast a stone at someone else,

I need to look at my own actions and

own behaviours. Peace begins with

me. My own actions should be

valuing and respecting others.

45

community and acting as an area of

growth, learning and support. The

Centre hopes that in 2010, the next

Circle Alberta Gathering will provide

a combination of: open space

dialogue; discussions on key theme

areas of common interest to

stakeholders that will focus on

lessons learned, sharing of strategies

and best practices, and the creation

of new approaches; and, plenary

sessions and keynotes to push the

boundaries and dialogue. The

Gathering will focus on issues of

relevance, as identified within the

community dialogues but also

building on issues identified in the

2008 Gathering. Some of the prominent issues from 2008, for example, included substance abuse,

relationships with the private sector and government, transportation, child welfare, and alternative

educational models and opportunities.

The Centre also aims to launch the 100 Dialogues, 100 Actions Campaign which will not only continue

dialogues on key issues identified in Circle Alberta Phase I, but also move forward via solution-based

capacity building and focused discussions. The overarching goal of this project is to advance the

realization of human rights within our Aboriginal communities and their full inclusion in the province.

The second Gathering of Circle Alberta is being planned for October 2010 and will launch of a 100

Dialogues, 100 Actions Campaign involving:

• The advancement of dialogue from Phase I of Circle Alberta to focused strategy building dialogues

over a 2-3 day period.

• The training of youth and adult facilitators to initiate dialogue in their communities and schools that

work to build common solutions. The aim will be to tool them with the Common Ground Resource

Package as well as the John Humphrey Centre Youth Dialogues on Racism Program. Participants will

leave armed with facilitation skills to lead discussions and initiatives in their own communities.

• The follow through of 100 dialogues in communities throughout Alberta. From these 100 dialogues,

100 community based actions will be supported and facilitated.

• An online portal will be established for facilitators to access dialogue resources and tools as well as

to act as a space for peer support and mentoring as the 100 dialogues move forward.

Youth Engagement

Providing a space for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth to engage with each other through dialogue is

critical; however, it needs to move past dialogue with youth, and beyond awareness, toward action. The

Centre would work to engage Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth on local citizenship and engagement

that enhances their capacity as active citizens within their community as well as build new ways of

working together to address issues of concern. Identifying youth priorities through dialogue and

facilitating their active engagement in these priorities to develop solutions collaboratively is critical. Not

During an Interfaith Panel, Bikkar Randhawa addresses delegates.

46

only would this support new relationships and community development, but would also provide youth

with skills that support their engagement in the workforce, community and within education.

As part of the Circle Alberta Project, the Centre brought together youth from Peace River, Fort

McMurray, High Prairie and Edmonton to participate in a two day session prior to the larger Gathering.

On the first day of the program, the Centre worked in partnership with YOUCAN to deliver a seminar on

racial discrimination and stereotypes. This was a challenging day for the youth, particularly the

Aboriginal youth. The participants expressed frustration and sadness in the stereotypes that persist

against them, but they were able to break down these barriers with non-Aboriginal participants and

build a trusting open relationship which was essential for the second day.

The second day of the program involved a community action planning component where youth

discussed and developed their ideal vision for their community and created their own youth action plans

to implement beyond the Gathering. This was an inspiring and exciting exercise as youth came up with

ideas such as creating youth programs at the Peace River Youth Centre, to addressing racism and

homelessness in Fort McMurray.

Mentors from the communities outside Edmonton participated in the program and also held a separate

session to identify their role and develop commitments to their youth. They felt empowered and

inspired to support the youth in moving forward with the projects they created for their communities.

Also, a film crew recorded the youth program and created an educational resource entitled “Breaking it

Down to Build it Up: Youth Voices on Racism”.

Within the larger project, the need for conscientization of non Aboriginal people, and in particular

youth, regarding the historical, cultural, and political circumstances of Aboriginal peoples in Alberta

gives rationale to the facilitation of components that create spaces and dialogues for understanding. It

became clear and evident in discussions around Circle Alberta that dialogue and relationship building is

the starting point for any future success in dealing with Aboriginal issues. In particular, the engagement

of youth to consider not only understanding of the issues faced but as well their responsibility as agents

of change will encourage the long term goal of fostering a shift in fundamental attitudes.

A series of four community dialogues were piloted in Edmonton at Queen Elizabeth School with 14 non-

Aboriginal and Aboriginal youth with the intention of working out a process in which we can create

sustained longer term dialogue between youth as well as within communities. We delivered this in

partnership with the Aboriginal Commission for Human Rights and Justice.

The pilot took place in May and June 2009 in an Edmonton area high school. Although the dialogue

process was developed by experienced facilitators in partnership with the Alberta Ministry of Culture

and Community Spirit, the dialogue itself was facilitated by youth, who received facilitator training prior

to the commencement of the dialogues. This was done to ensure that the environment for dialogue was

a safe space for youth to be able to express themselves freely and explore issues without feeling any

intimidation or influence from those not belonging to their peer group. Furthermore, facilitation of

youth by youth created an environment where youth will be able to see the kind of relationship building

and action planning that is possible with their peers without the additional help of outsiders or pre-

emptive routing.

Many of the non-Aboriginal youth participating in the dialogues were not Canadian-born youth. Themes

within the dialogues, such as racism and stereotyping, affected most of the participants, and thus the

47

level and depth of participation from each youth added to the quality and amount of dialogue in each

session.

Thematic dialogue regarding issues that many of the youth face on a daily basis helped to create an

environment where the youth felt safe to express their concerns, fears, and questions. One theme

discussed during the second dialogue session, a lack of interaction between ethnicities and ensuing

misunderstandings had many youth contributing to the dialogue with their experiences.

I find that a lot of people are segregated here. Like the black people hang out

with the black people; the Asian people hang out with the Asian people; the

white people hang out with the white people. There’s not a lot of mixing goes on

around here.

Another student added:

In my class, people speak to each other in their language; you don’t understand

what they say, so you don’t associate with them and the class is divided based

on groups that talk about each other in their own language.

Youth felt comfortable enough during the second dialogue session to address issues that have affected

not only their lives at school but their families as well. One Aboriginal youth told the story of what

happened when her family were “kicked out” of church because, as she described, they are “Native.”

…Our church got a new priest and the people at the church were like um…We

don’t like to see you around here…My Mom didn’t like it. She told him off, and he

told her to go to a different church…We don’t go to church anymore.

Many non-Aboriginal youth were clearly affected after hearing this story. Comments included:

“That’s not right. I don’t think that you should stop going to church just because

someone doesn’t like you. It’s almost bad religion too, you know. Like to kick

somebody out just because of their race.”

“I don’t think it’s right if it’s your religion and you believe in it, and if someone

tries to take it, it’s not really good.”

“It’s wrong in any culture. Like we live in Canada and we’re supposed to have

lots of different cultures and lots of different churches.”

Youth also discussed how media and games influence their view and understanding of other cultures. An

Aboriginal youth remarked on how Aboriginal Peoples are often depicted in the media and video games:

In movies and games now, there are a lot of racist jokes. There’s this one game

that I played; they were all white players and there’s one Asian in the whole

game, and the mission was to kill all the black people, and if you killed the white

person you would die, and you would have to kill all the Natives.

48

Many of the youth participating in the dialogue did not seem surprised by this description of a popular

video game; many were in agreement that this kind of experience is not out of the ordinary.

A small number of youth shared positive experiences that they have been involved with or witnessed in

the school in regards to racism. For example, an Aboriginal youth shared this story with the group:

One of the positive things that I’ve seen was when one girl called another girl

“black,” but a girl who was a friend [of the one who referred to the other girl as

“black”] said, “If that’s how you’re going to treat people, then I no longer want

to be your friend”… And like the girl told the other girl down because she was

like “that’s not right” and she got all mad and soon became friends with the girl

that was called “black” so now they’re good friends.

Nevertheless, many of the stories shared were painful examples of racism and discrimination many of

the youth have already needed to deal with. One Aboriginal youth shared her experiences:

…Like on the street, we’ll be walking and like I often got called names like racist

Native names, like the squall or wagon burner, and it’s just not right... It’s just

terrible… And they would also be like “your family’s so poor” or like “you don’t

have a mom”… There’s a lot of Natives in orphanages and stuff, so whenever

someone says it, it hurts a lot because I was adopted, right? So it’s just like “why

did you even say that?” you know?

When asked by the facilitator, “How does everybody perceive Aboriginal kids and Aboriginal people?”

one of the non-Aboriginal non-Canadian born youth commented:

I don’t know how to put this but it kind of bothers me that Native kids they get

so much benefits. And it’s like they don’t use it and people are struggling every

day, struggling so hard every day just to get scholarships and get everything.

And, like me for one thing. It’s like if Natives are getting so much scholarships

and stuff they don’t use it. And there are some scholarships that are based just

for Natives. And so people go to school, they go to universities for free. It bothers

me because there are so many people that work so hard just to get these

scholarships and people aren’t taking advantage of it.

An Aboriginal youth responded by addressing the history of residential schooling and the Government of

Canada’s recent apology. Another non-Aboriginal non-Canadian born youth supported the Aboriginal

youth by saying:

I think it is wrong… [It happened in Australia and parts of Africa too]. The white

people that came and they thought like “Oh, these people. They can’t take care

of their kids. So we’re going to take them away. We’re going to re-educate them

so they can fit into the world.”

A non-Aboriginal Canadian born youth suggested that people should be treated as people, not as one

race or the other.

49

By the last session, many youth agreed that one way to

address racism and discrimination between communities is

through dialogues like the one they had just experienced. One

youth said, “It’s really understanding each other. And their

actions, what they are facing. And [it’s] good understanding

each other.” An Aboriginal youth expressed her appreciation

by saying,

Well I think it has opened my eyes. Because

usually I used to just stand there. And watch

them do it. But now I have to step in and tell

them it’s not funny, what you’re doing is

wrong…Actually stepping up and do

something. Instead of just standing there. Say

“that’s not funny.”

One suggestion brought forth was to encourage schools at

all levels to facilitate these kinds of dialogues on a regular

basis.

Thus, the pilot dialogues and their engagement of youth to

understand the issues faced by themselves and their peers, but as well to view their responsibility as

agents of change, encouraged the long term goal of fostering a shift in fundamental attitudes.

The Centre is keen on continuing the movement of these youth based and led dialogues in order to

foster long term breaking down of prejudices. Integrating newcomer and Aboriginal youth into these

discussions we feel will build a strong foundation of solidarity as well.

Education

As part of the Circle Alberta project, it became clear that there is a lack of resources regarding Aboriginal

culture and history within the curriculum. Furthermore, new approaches to education would support an

Aboriginal frameworks and move beyond traditional classroom pedagogy. Two DVD resources were

developed as part of the Circle Alberta project; creating lesson plans and manuals that support these

two visual resources will be critical. These resources serve as an opportunity to replicate the experience

of dialogue at various levels as well as address issues of discrimination. It is thus imperative to develop

new educational pedagogy and resources to support the understanding of Aboriginal issues, challenges,

culture and history. It will foster the longer term ability for communities to understand issues and build

a common future that embraces diversity and difference.

Patricia Makokis and William Aguilar speak of

the complexity and necessity of healing.

Excerpts from Presentation...

I’ve seen governments come and go and been part of

the government and part of the political process. It

hasn’t been easy to participate in this process. As a

matter of fact, when I was first considering running in

Manitoba, some of the Aboriginal leaders didn’t want

me to run or didn’t want to participate in the provincial

elections or the provincial politics because they felt that

somehow we would be lessening our relationship with

the federal government. They said our relationship is

directly with the federal government, the treaty

relationship that we have.

Of course as you know the federal relationship in

Manitoba and the western provinces is based on

treaties and to us that is very important and sacred and

certainly should be carried on. Harold Cardinal was a

very prominent and dedicated leader in this country for upholding our treaty rights and I pursued my career as

a result of that. In 1990, I stopped the constitutional amendment known as Meech Lake Accord and in that

process, we were going to entrench in the constitution that this country was founded by two nations; the

French and the English and there is no acknowledgement of our people in the Constitution and there was no

acknowledgement of the tremendous contributions that we

What we have done is actually shared our land to the people that have come to this land that we call Canada

today, and this land is what we call our home. This is our home and our country and will always be

will always be our home, will always be Aboriginal land no matter how many titles you confer on it.

As a matter of fact, I stated that in the House of Commons in 1995 when the referendum was taking place in

the House of Commons – I said no m

Crown, but I say to the government that the fundamental foundations will always be Aboriginal no matter how

many laws you pass. This Alberta Circle that is being developed to generate d

and I think that is a key to creating an awareness and educating our people about the challenges that face us to

be involved in being involved in mainstream society. Governments have always tried to launch a program or to

initiate some sort of action to include us. In the documents, no matter what I see, new agreements or programs

are said to be about establishing a new relationship

toward… new relationship and new dialog

guaranteed us, they secured a place for us in this country through the treaties. How they secured this place

was to share the land and the resources and for us that meant that we would bene

distribution of wealth that would be accrued from the land and resources that is available in this country.

The government is always saying that there is lack of money. A few years ago, 15 years ago, I was looking at

revenues generated by the mining industry. At that time, they generated some 20 billion dollars that year. 15

years ago, how much that has increased. I looked at the forest industry and it was the same about 20 billion

and gas and oil was double that – about 40 billio

resources. The three of these were about 100 billion. If we ever asked the federal government that we get 5%

or 10% of the revenues generated from land and resources, there is certainly enough mo

50

Aboriginal Engagement in Federalism

I’ve seen governments come and go and been part of

the government and part of the political process. It

hasn’t been easy to participate in this process. As a

matter of fact, when I was first considering running in

e Aboriginal leaders didn’t want

me to run or didn’t want to participate in the provincial

elections or the provincial politics because they felt that

somehow we would be lessening our relationship with

the federal government. They said our relationship is

directly with the federal government, the treaty

Of course as you know the federal relationship in

Manitoba and the western provinces is based on

treaties and to us that is very important and sacred and

ed on. Harold Cardinal was a



e were going to entrench in the constitution that this country was founded by two nations; the


acknowledgement of the tremendous contributions that we have made in the development of this country.


today, and this land is what we call our home. This is our home and our country and will always be



I said no matter what you do, there will always be a title of the property under


many laws you pass. This Alberta Circle that is being developed to generate discussions at the community level




are said to be about establishing a new relationship – this seems to be the common theme they always work

toward… new relationship and new dialogue. If they would just look at the treaties, what our forefathers


was to share the land and the resources and for us that meant that we would benefit from that from the



ated by the mining industry. At that time, they generated some 20 billion dollars that year. 15


about 40 billion. This was not including fish and agriculture, those other


or 10% of the revenues generated from land and resources, there is certainly enough money to pay for the

Aboriginal Engagement in Federalism

Elijah Harper



e were going to entrench in the constitution that this country was founded by two nations; the


have made in the development of this country.


today, and this land is what we call our home. This is our home and our country and will always be our country,



atter what you do, there will always be a title of the property under


iscussions at the community level




this seems to be the common theme they always work

ue. If they would just look at the treaties, what our forefathers


fit from that from the



ated by the mining industry. At that time, they generated some 20 billion dollars that year. 15


n. This was not including fish and agriculture, those other


ney to pay for the

51

treaty obligations they have to First Nations in this country. The way that money is distributed is through

Parliament through debate and passed through the House of Commons and a certain portion is allocated to

Indian Affairs and through the Minister. He is ultimately responsible for reporting on that money and if there is

ever a problem, he is the one to report to Parliament. That is how accountability and responsibility is to get

delegated by parliament and oftentimes we don’t see how the money is spent.

There is no transparency on how the money is being spent but the point I am trying to get at is that there has

to be a better way of transferring money to First Nations and I’ve said that the way to do this is the way

transfer payments are being made to provinces and that we be treated like governments. After all when we

signed treaties, we were treated as equals. The governments of the time didn’t question if we had self

government, there was no debate about it. We signed the treaties. The monies should be transferred as

transfers are made to provinces. The way it goes now, we go though contribution agreements to each reserve

or region. But the problem has always been that the money that is being appropriated through parliament and

given to First Nations is being viewed as taxpayers’ money of Canadians and that is why we get the reaction

some times when reports are being made to Parliament about mismanagement of money. Many people say

‘there goes my tax dollars being mismanaged’ or ‘what are they doing with this money’. The thing I say to

people is that we have shared this land, we have not asked for your money which you are taxed on to support

social benefit programs. Those are benefits that accrue to all Canadians but because as First Nations people,

we have given up our land and what I say to the governments and not to the ordinary citizen, is to give us

revenues generated from the natural resources of this country.

I mentioned the mining, forest and oil and gas industries making billions of dollars. Those are monies we should

be getting from the government to develop our own communities and put into programs that we need. For

example, education is the key to our survival and the key to being successful. We know that education will

open many doors. People who are educated, we know from statistics, will make more than those that do not

complete education. Education will provide that. It’s harder for the government to control or administer people

who are educated. Education will provide a way for us out of poverty; otherwise, we commit ourselves to a

lifetime of living in poverty. I could quote you many statistics about our people such as 43% of Aboriginal

people under the age of 25 have less high school education. We are a growing population and our population

under the age of 25 is 60% and we are the fast growing population in the county and there is a tremendous

workforce that will be available. These young people will also be demanding services that they need. There is a

need for us to develop some sort of programs and way to make governments allocate and prioritize funding for

educational programs.

As you know, one of the things we have to get out of as Aboriginal people, we seem to have this mentality

because our lives have been in control by the federal government and we have been colonized. The mentality is

innate in us and I see it everywhere I travel across the country even in communities we tend to not listen to our

people. There are qualified people in our communities and we don’t use our own people. We would rather

have someone else come in and do the workshops and tell us what we should do. We should be supporting our

people and building that confidence in our communities. Because of this mentality that has been ingrained in

us for generations, that is something we have to address and I believe by having these dialogues, in the

community people will begin to recognize that and this is very important.

Today, things that have happened more recently in terms of the government’s apology, to me that is very

important for the government to apologize and acknowledge the wrongs or the sins that have been committed

against our people and individuals. As indigenous people, that apology is incumbent on us how to take that

apology. From an individual standpoint we have to make that decision whether or not to accept it and to

forgive the government for all the injustices and harm they have done to our people. As an individual, I’ve

forgiven the government myself for what they have done to our people. I have spoken to many people and our

people are hurt and there are others that will never forgive. My feeling, at some point at our walk on this

journey of healing and reconciliation, by the time they leave this place, there will come a time to release all the

hurt they carried throughout all their lives. That point in time will come.

52

The government in apologizing was done at the highest level in the House of Commons where the Prime

Minister apologized on behalf of the government to First Nations people but being involved in government, I

know how symbolic and how systems operate and this is where a lot of people wouldn’t realize what happened

in the House of Commons. When our Aboriginal leaders walked into the House of Commons, in order to

respond to the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Commons left his chair and went down to the floor.

That meant that the House of Commons went into the committee as a whole so our Aboriginal leaders spoke to

the committee as a whole and not to the House of Commons representatives.

When foreign leaders come to Canada and speak to a representative, they are allowed to speak to the

representatives in the House directly and not to the committee as a whole. If we’re to recognize the treatment,

to be treated equally, our leaders being the first people in this country should have walked in as equals not

address the committee as a whole. This was historic because our people were able to see our Canadian Prime

Minister apologize to First Nations. To me, those laws, those institutions, those barriers that were legislated by

parliament through a democratic process are still alive and well today despite this example of how we were

treated; the Aboriginal leaders in the House at the time. This is not to undermine the great work to get where

we are today – this Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the Prime Minister said this was a cornerstone in

trying to deal with our relationship. He said that the tragic past has no place in this country today.

But the thing is that the Prime Minister didn’t have a plan or vision how this would go about. He did say he

apologized and asked for forgiveness but there are consequences for sins or wrongs that are committed. It’s

like when a man rapes a woman, abuses a woman, there are consequences. As Aboriginal people we have been

physically and psychologically abused – there are consequences to that. When a man rapes a woman and goes

to apologize to say he is sorry for what he is done, the woman may forgive that man but it does not make the

problem go away. The woman may be pregnant and has children and there is ongoing responsibilities for the

injustices that have been committed against this woman. As a result of the sins that have been committed

against our people and taking away our children to residential schools, those consequences today are living. It’s

being manifested in our communities. Domestic abuse, sexual abuse, alcoholism, and our people live in poverty

and are not educated and people wonder why we’re not going to school. Of course many of us have been taken

away and placed in a residential school in an environment which is not conducive of a good experience. Being

placed in an environment where you are denied your identity and culture – where it has been taken away.

These laws were passed by Parliament through a democracy through a democratic process and we of course

were not included in that process. As a matter of fact, the famous Indian Act, we weren’t even considered

people. It’s only 1960 the first time we were given the right to vote and here we are, the government is saying

to come in with open arms and those barriers are still in place today. The government has to begin to remove

those barriers and change these laws that have been in place for a long time. They define what an Aboriginal

person is or what an Indian is.

No wonder our people don’t just get up and say ‘move forward’. There is a lack of trust in the government

today. Even when I look at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it does not have real power or teeth.

When I look at the mandate in terms of the hearings, I don’t want to call them hearings, they want to call them

gatherings where people would come forward and tell their stories. The people who tell the stories are

voluntary and they are expected to tell their stories and in some cases, people want to open up and some of

these may be criminal in nature and this Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hear these and I’m not sure

how they will handle that. They may refer to an appropriate body or person to follow up or investigate these

stories. In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I don’t know how these stories will be reported or will they

be done in a way to recommend to the government. It doesn’t say how the report will be accepted.

I’ve seen many inquiries and commissions, the example is the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples which

was an extensive and exhaustive inquiry made to Parliament and that Royal Commission was only done

because of the Oka crisis. It was one of the commissions that was offered to us in Manitoba when we were

dealing with the constitutional crisis at the time. They said we’ll have an Aboriginal inquiry and we rejected the

commission, we don’t need a constitutional crisis to address the interests of Aboriginal people. You can do that

53

anytime, you have that executive power to do that at any time. We declined that in 1990. That was the

beginning of the Royal Commission and that report cost 60 million dollars and it is just collecting dust.

This Truth and Reconciliation Commission is supposed to be a cornerstone for this government and I’m not sure

where it will end up. Presently there is a commissioner that was appointed, Harry Laforme and he resigned. I

was very disappointed as he made some very important decisions as a chief and also is a very qualified and

respected person. I had some faith that he would carry through this commission that if he put something

forward that there would be some credibility behind the report. Now he is gone, I am not sure what will

happen to the Commission. It is tainted now and I’m not sure how it will go and who will be put in place. This

hearing, which is not a hearing but a gathering in which they will invite people. It doesn’t seem to have the

legal mandate that it should be given after all, it is something that will put us on the path of reconciliation and

it’s not happening.

One of the things we have to do is begin to develop our own institutions as indigenous people whether

educational, social, cultural, language and so forth. I’ve spoken to many people across the country at all ages.

I’ve met with many university students who are frustrated with their studies and they come to me and

complain saying ‘you know we take these things at the university level but we have so much information to

offer … our knowledge and wisdom of the elders is with us that we are taught in our communities’. At the

academic level, they have Native Studies but it is not given the same stature of any other program of study. To

me, we have to have our own academics in various fields such as literature, arts, history, world views and

more. There is a hierarchy in academics and they won’t listen to a Masters student telling about our history or

knowledge. We need to develop those understandings of our traditional knowledge, this land and our view of

the world. We have a particular view of the world and our language which is rapidly deteriorating in

communities and we need to preserve that. We have our own professional people in various fields and we

should not rely on other people. I think the government and these institutions are scared of us. They don’t

want us to be in control of our own lives and they want to be in control of everything we do. They delegate this

and that but don’t want to give any authority to First Nations.

I wanted to say so many other things in my own experience in government and as a member in the Legislative

Assembly and Cabinet. I have seen it from inside and I’ve attended all the constitutional conferences starting in

1980s with Pierre Trudeau. To me that was just yesterday but I have had great experience going through this

constitutional conference. We were attending as just invitees of the federal government and not as equals at

the constitutional table and they wanted to define what self-government was. Our people took the position

that it wasn’t up to them to define and that we already have it and is expressed in the signing of the treaties.

Those are things that I would like to address in terms of our treaty relationship which is important because this

is the fundamental relationship. Many Canadians are not aware of these treaties and I become more concerned

as immigrants are arriving by the thousands and they don’t even know that Aboriginal people in this country

exist, let alone treaties. I challenge our leaders to go and meet with governments, with the municipalities and

different organizations to talk about our issues because this is our home and our land. Many of us are not

included in this economic, social and political process and this was done by design – by legislation to exclude us

and these things are still in place today and no wonder our people don’t go out and vote or participate in the

election. We don’t feel part of the system. To me, we have to be involved. We have to get involved.

54

In the area of Wetaskiwin and Hobbema, educators, police and community have come together to address issues

within the education system, racism in the communities, as well as a focus on crime prevention. The following

highlights the speaking notes from a panel held from three critical community members and provides a powerful

example of how diverse stakeholders can come together in a community to affect positive change for the

community and its children.

Randy Ristow True protocol starts with your heart. Sometimes we get caught in the trap that we know a little bit of protocol and

that if we just offer tobacco that is enough. Are we just trying to pay lip service or we actually trying to change

something for the better?

In the classroom for too many years, we focused on teaching and not on learning. Learning is the learner. If he is

not learning, then we haven’t done our job. I can stand and teach but if the person isn’t learning, we haven’t done

our job. There is a relationship. There are protocols. There has to be respect between the teacher and the student.

In some schools we see a definite division between students (non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal) and we have to find

ways to make the connections and build those bridges.

People have to come to school, feel good about themselves, feel cared for, safe… those foundations have to be

there before you can engage in learning and there is a lot of complexity around that – family dynamics, social

problems, all of those things.

There are a lot of barriers to learning. If a child comes to school hungry, that is a barrier. If a child has low self

esteem; ashamed of who they are. A child comes to school from a family in a cycle of violence. We are starting to

see intergenerational gang influence – fathers who were in gangs, now have sons who are in gangs. The solutions

are not easy. Some are not within the realm of the school to solve. While they are in the school however, what

can we do? Lunch programs, literacy programs… when they need someone to talk to, who can they talk to? I

interviewed three gang members and I asked them, and these were gentlemen that wanted to be out of the gangs,

I asked what would have made the difference in your story so you wouldn’t have joined the gang. In those three

cases they talk about if one person would have taken an interest in me and came along side and helped me in a

caring way, I probably wouldn’t have been attracted to the gangs.

We have an Elders in Residence Program trying to engage the elders to be able to counsel the kids at risk who need

counsel. That was not provided or is provided in many school districts. Who can be significant people who can

come alongside youth to be successful?

The school system has its problems with allowing youth to dialogue and we have to work on that. Schools

traditionally are set up around a structure and it really was focused on teaching rather than learning. We do need

to try and find ways for youth to dialogue. I have a project with the University of British Columbia where we have a

youth working with them to tell their stories through animation… to tell their stories and dialogue with each other.

Dialogue CAN create action.

The Experience of Wetaskiwin:

Enhancing Education and Overcoming

Violence through Citizens for Healthy

Communities

Randy Ristow, Carolyn Buffalo, Daryl Bruno

55

There’s fear, misunderstanding, ignorance. We don’t want to be called racist but there is a lot of ignorance. We

come across racist because we don’t understand. There has to be relationship building first to build trust. How do

we make our classrooms our homes? Comfortable? I’ve never been able to talk about it because I’m afraid

someone’s going to call me a racist but I want to understand. So both sides need to work together.

...In dialogue, the image of the hearing aid has a lot to teach us. We have listened to a lot of speakers and all of us

have a different worldview. We are raised in a certain way. Our parents, our grandparents or even if our parents

are absent, we have a worldview and some of us feel that is all we need to know. Some of us even say our

worldview is superior and is the best worldview. What we have been doing at Wetaskiwin Public Schools has been

putting on our hearing aids. Not those little tiny ones that stick in your ears to hide, but those big ones that hang

off your ear so that people can tell you are listening. I think that is what we have been trying to do and it’s

probably because before we put our hearing aids on, we heard some loud cries…. The first one that was a loud

noise that was annoying but we had to deal with was the Alberta Commission on Learning and the

recommendation on First Nations’ education and it gave Alberta educators a failing grade in that area. What does

that mean for our school division? What does it mean for our teachers? We talk about high school completion

rates – High school completion starts way back before high school and it’s a community thing. So what does that

mean?

We had a very wise board, particularly our chair, but all of them wanted to take up that challenge and about the

same time, we had a tragedy in our town. We have a lot of tragedies in Wetaskiwin if you read the media but

there are a lot of good things too. There was a murder in our town and it was a non-Aboriginal and an Aboriginal

youth. It wasn’t race related but it turned the whole town upside down. There were people saying racist things

and our mayor took some leadership and said we have to bring the communities together and he called the Chiefs,

the Council and some of the other key leaders including our superintendent to a meeting and said we have to build

a better relationship. There was another loud cry. It was at the end of one of those meetings that one of the

Chiefs said “how many students from our community do you have in your schools?” We had about 17 or 18%. He

said “why don’t you have representation from our four Nations on your board?”

Well easy answer is they weren’t elected. But our board chair was wise, and our board chair was wise and they

said, well there’s a better solution than just to say ‘well we’ll just follow the same old way’ and they wrote a letter

to the Minister and it was Gene [Zwozdesky] who gave permission to Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools to have

an appointed Trustee from the four Nations. But we had more work to do before we could have that Trustee on

and we put on our hearing aids and we started to build relationship.

I had been learning for many years but had not really realized the importance of ceremony and protocols. We

began to engage in ceremony and protocol. Our board members have attended sweat lodge ceremonies and they

have prayed on these things. True protocol is not just business protocol – ‘here’s some tobacco, let’s go’; it starts

in your heart. True protocol is a motivating thing from your heart. You wake up early in the morning when you

have what your know your intent to be and you go to the elder’s home while he rises and just after he is dreaming

and you offer your protocol.

We began to do that and I was given the task to go and speak to Chiefs and I had my big brother Roy with me and

we went and spoke to Chiefs and I offered tobacco and protocol and asked them to come to a meeting. We had

two meetings. I remember one Chief said ‘it’s about time someone came here to my place and offered tobacco.

My own people don’t always do that’. So we began to build respect and trust and that Chief said ‘I’ll be there and if

I can’t be there, I’ll have one of my Council members there’ and that was Carolyn Buffalo. She came to that

meeting with the other Chiefs and it was two years after we got permission to have the Trustee and the Chiefs said

‘yes it’s time’; everything comes in time. One of the Chiefs said ‘I think that Carolyn would be good’; all the other

Chiefs agreed and Carolyn said ‘well when the chiefs say you go, you go.’

That’s how we have her as Trustee and now Chief Buffalo and wants to continue that work because we have more

dialogue. How do we maintain that relationship that trusteeship? How is the next person selected? We have more

dialogue to do. One thing I learned about dialogue in action, when you begin to act, it requires more dialogue. The

big mistake as we end today is we go home and say ‘well we had our dialogue’. We have to have ongoing dialogue.

56

One thing our board did was meet a public meeting on reserve which isn’t even our jurisdiction. But we went there

to tell the people we wanted to work together with you. We don’t want to attract kids to our schools or kids to

your schools; it’s about working together.

And we haven’t solved all the problems. We’ve engaged in activities because of what we heard. Some of them

have worked, some are in the process of working... some are still challenging. We have the issue of youth in gangs

for example. Their parents were in gangs and now they too are in gangs… two generations. How do we help those

students? We have elders in residence that we can call on for counselling in a traditional way if that is what the

family requires. We have Cree language programs. But our board set some priorities in our education plan to

enhance the success of all students and the second priority was to enhance the success of First Nations students

and to engage their parents. Those are pretty tall orders… then we realized we made a mistake.

In our own worldview we used the word parents. What I understood when I became adopted into the Cree family,

is that it may not be the parent but it may be the Uncle that should be at the school, or the Moosum or Kookum.

So we changed our priority to family. We began to use a filter of what it is we understood by listening with our

hearing aids to be able to make decisions. We have a long way to go but it starts with your heart.

I’ll close with a story. A teacher came to me – she said “for years we have had families that leave in May or June

and they don’t come back. I could never figure out what went on. When we began to do the work you are talking

about and doing dialogue, one of the parents came to me and said it was Sundance time and they were taking the

kids out to the Sundance”. In the past, the teacher would say they should be in school for exams. This year the

teacher said “good, go and if you can do me a favour and tell your friends and colleagues a bit about what you did

when you were away when you come back”. The family came back and shared what they did while they were

aware and the teacher was so excited.

Daryl Bruno Citizens for Healthy Communities are a committee of stakeholders to address crime prevention and social issues in

the Wetaskiwin and Hobbema area. My approach is crime prevention through social development, an approach to

preventing crime and victimization that recognizes the complex issues, economic, cultural processes that

contribute to crime and victimization. Crime prevention through social development seeks to strengthen the

bridges between criminal justice policies and programs and the safe and secure pro-social development of families,

individuals and communities. It does this by attacking factors which contribute to crime and victimization that are

amenable to change. (National Crime Prevention Centre and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness)

Back in 2004, the Wetaskiwin region was recognized by the Solicitor General in having a higher crime rate than

normal. What they did was they paid for a position above the allotment that was there and that was the position I

occupied. People have to understand that when we deal with crime, it deals with many facets such as health,

justice system, corrections and RCMP. There is literally billions and billions of dollars that are being spent as a

result of crime and those that are being victimized. This initiative is relatively new, not only Wetaskiwin is involved

but there are a couple of members of our St. Paul that are doing the same thing.

In 2004, the Solicitor General supported the development of a crime prevention strategy that would involve and be

supported by the city. As a pilot project, one enhancement position was allotted to the City of Wetaskiwin to work

specifically on crime prevention initiatives rather than working on crime prevention specifically for the City of

Wetaskiwin however, the decision was made to regionalize and include the communities of Hobbema, Millet and

County of Wetaskiwin. This project would be beneficial for the entire region of Wetaskiwin as crime is not

exclusive to the City of Wetaskiwin. The RCMP approach to initiate this by engaging local governments, key

interagencies and hosting a number of focus groups and town hall meetings throughout the region. The focus

group would have been the women, elders, youth, victims of crime and local governments to identify the priorities

of these groups. The results of these meetings have been used to assist in the development of a community crime

prevention plan. A copy was provided to the Alberta Solicitor General to determine the future of this initiative.

57

This plan was based on input received from clients, partners, stakeholders; questionnaires were presented to help

identify the issues for the community and crime prevention plan. The City of Wetaskiwin selected for the plan and

also included the Village of Hobbema, the Town of Millet, the area of Pigeon Lake and the County of Wetaskiwin. It

was important to engage the community at various levels to correlate the information into a comprehensive needs

assessment. To understand crime, community members need to identify the root cause to crime with possible

solutions. Through this needs assessment of this committee, identify the strengths, weaknesses and specific

priorities for the current and emerging issues. The impact of crime affects every community in Alberta as crime

has no boundaries. Given the motivation and commitment of various organizations within the region of

Wetaskiwin, the crime prevention plan is now in place and is inclusive and tailored to meet the needs of the

communities. The plan is now being implemented throughout the region.

I started out the needs assessment by first targeting the vulnerable. I got their input, I asked for their solutions and

I asked specific questions. I gathered all that information, put it down on paper and went to the leadership in the

region and did the same thing. I asked for their three main concerns with regard to this process. We had

completed also a terms of reference for the community which was the Wetaskiwin Integrated Crime Prevention

Steering Committee which is a partnership comprised of citizens and organizations united to develop programs

aimed at the reduction of crime through education and active participation resulting in a safe and caring region.

The mission of the Committee is to work together to improve community safety through the reduction of crime.

The Committee shares the following basic beliefs and ideas: in order to be successful, crime prevention activities

must be community owned and directed; effective crime prevention activities require collaborative effort involving

the input of community members, stakeholders and community agencies; planning is an essential component of

crime prevention strategy; action will be guided by the quality of research and ongoing evaluation; local

organizations effective in mobilizing broad based community support for effort to deal with local problems;

problem solving will be aimed to be inclusive, creative and community based on best practices. Our definition of

crime prevention includes all activity, in the short, mid and long term, aimed at reducing crime in the region.

These activities include utilizing known crime prevention strategies including situational and social development

approaches as well as providing opportunities for educating citizens.

I asked eight questions and one was what they thought their three crime concerns were and what the root causes

were and what the solutions were and how we could work together. After the needs assessment, we went to the

leadership in the region and were advised of the outcome and they bought into it. We have many diverse people

involved. There are 35 on the Committee and they meet monthly. Some of the programs developed so far and

have been successful include a gun amnesty program for the Hobbema detachment which for the first time the

gun amnesty was only for a certain area. We have the drug house program which is for the whole region which has

been successful in shutting down eight known drug houses in the region. Drugs of course are one of the problems

we are attacking and there are many social issues as a result of that. One of the things we try to do is to try to

educate. We have to engage with the media. Some of the things that we have sent out to the community is

around what we can do about the problem. We need to let them know that the responsibility, we have to become

involved, the mobilization of the community. This is not just a police problem, it is a society problem and the whole

community must be engaged. The need to have more positive role models and mentors to address the problems.

Cooperate with the police. Take account of what resources are available in the community and who can help.

Another program has been the Hobbema Cadet Corps in which we have over 1000 youth registered in this. It is an

alternative program to joining the gangs – it is youth development at its finest. What they do is teach them

leadership, discipline, drill. They have to be in school to be involved with the Cadet Corps. They get a uniform

which is around $400 in value. They have to work back and give back to the community in order to get that

uniform. So they go to the community and do things to give back. They build self-esteem, are taught team work,

mentoring, positive choices, physical activity. There is a component around culture and language, support

developmental assets and life skills. This is crime prevention at its finest. This is through social and community

development.

You had to develop the skills of the community and the youth in crime prevention. These are important

components with regards to addressing the specific problems.

Carolyn Buffalo The Wetaskiwin Regional School Board recognized

Cree but they didn’t have any voice at any level in the region. They wanted to give the community and the parents

and the students an opportunity to have a voice directly at the governance level.

position… It’s been a great experience so far. I have learned a lot serving as a Trustee.

The Citizens for Healthy Communities is a fantastic organization made up of members of the community in

Wetaskiwin, Millet and the four Bands. It’s a multi

busy schedules to talk about issues that the

different communities have in common. The thing

that I like the best about this committee is the fact

that this is a group of people from all different

kinds of agencies such as the health agencies, the

school board, the child welfare agencies, the Boys

and Girls club, the AADAC, as well as the cities, the

towns and the bands and the police. We work

together really well and is a group that varies in

size depending on who can attend. Within our

greater plenary committee, we also have

subcommittees that work on different issues. I

serve on the violence subcommittee which we

have a lot of work to do.

We are a community of 15,000 plus people and we

are probably one of the larger communities and

we don’t have any kind of court within our

community, we don’t have the court related services. We have the police and the prison but we don’t have any of

the services proceeding, or after, or in between and so the main mandate of the Amiskwicy Justice Society is to try

to fill those gaps and I’m happy to report that we are making substantial progress over 15 years and are slowly

getting there. We also have many programs in the Justice S

first ever provincially funded victim services unit in the four Bands and that was something our committee did. We

also had Leaders of Tomorrow for the four Bands and we have a suicide prevention program

and our Youth Justice Circles.

Last night was our Annual General Meeting and we had our first ever Amiskwicy Leaders of Tomorrow Awards and

we presented our victim services advocates with their certificates. It’s the first time we ha

community and it was so great to see these kids getting their awards and some of them got iPods and it was just

the coolest thing. In order for us to combat crime, what we have to do is build up the communities. Our society

which is strictly volunteer, we got together and got funding for our programs and we are administering these

programs all on our own time and with our own resources. It is so great to see all of these kids so happy to get

their certificates and the advocates getting t

people in the community who are committed to a cause and are willing to stand up and say we are going to take it

anymore, we aren’t going to be participating in crime and the degradation o

filled with so much pride. This is the start of many great things to come I am sure.

But as far as the racism and the children are concerned, and something I have addressed at our Wetaskiwin School

Board level, is there is a loosely existing group in Wetaskiwin and they are called the Hobbema Haters. This comes

from the misconception that is out there that all Indians just live off taxpayer money and we don’t do anything and

if we would just all go out and get a job our

held belief out there that we’re all the architects of our own misfortune. That gives rise to these groups. The

Hobbema Haters are in existence in the community and a lot of the racist a

such as this. It doesn’t just stay with children in the schools or the younger people where you might expect. I had a

call from one of my Band members last week and she was quite upset. She’s a hockey mom and she has

58

The Wetaskiwin Regional School Board recognized that they had a large number of students from the Maskwacis


and the students an opportunity to have a voice directly at the governance level. The Chiefs appointed me to that

position… It’s been a great experience so far. I have learned a lot serving as a Trustee.


he four Bands. It’s a multi-disciplinary, interagency committee and we take time out of our

busy schedules to talk about issues that the

different communities have in common. The thing

that I like the best about this committee is the fact

oup of people from all different

kinds of agencies such as the health agencies, the

school board, the child welfare agencies, the Boys

and Girls club, the AADAC, as well as the cities, the

towns and the bands and the police. We work

nd is a group that varies in

size depending on who can attend. Within our

greater plenary committee, we also have

subcommittees that work on different issues. I

serve on the violence subcommittee which we

000 plus people and we

are probably one of the larger communities and

we don’t have any kind of court within our


er, or in between and so the main mandate of the Amiskwicy Justice Society is to try


getting there. We also have many programs in the Justice Society that we are happy to be part of. We have the


also had Leaders of Tomorrow for the four Bands and we have a suicide prevention program, family group circles


we presented our victim services advocates with their certificates. It’s the first time we have done that in our



ictly volunteer, we got together and got funding for our programs and we are administering these


their certificates and the advocates getting their certificates. This goes to show what can be done when you have


anymore, we aren’t going to be participating in crime and the degradation of our communities. Last night I was

filled with so much pride. This is the start of many great things to come I am sure.


is a loosely existing group in Wetaskiwin and they are called the Hobbema Haters. This comes


if we would just all go out and get a job our problems would just disappear. There is that pervasive and strongly


Hobbema Haters are in existence in the community and a lot of the racist acts that are committed are from groups


call from one of my Band members last week and she was quite upset. She’s a hockey mom and she has

that they had a large number of students from the Maskwacis


The Chiefs appointed me to that


disciplinary, interagency committee and we take time out of our


er, or in between and so the main mandate of the Amiskwicy Justice Society is to try


ociety that we are happy to be part of. We have the


, family group circles


ve done that in our



ictly volunteer, we got together and got funding for our programs and we are administering these


heir certificates. This goes to show what can be done when you have


f our communities. Last night I was


is a loosely existing group in Wetaskiwin and they are called the Hobbema Haters. This comes


problems would just disappear. There is that pervasive and strongly


cts that are committed are from groups


call from one of my Band members last week and she was quite upset. She’s a hockey mom and she has one of her

59

young daughters in league hockey and they were in Canmore and they were waiting for their game to start and

what happened was there was a group of non-Native parents standing around and they were talking about my

community and were saying things like “well these guys are going to show up” and “oh we will never go there, we

will never go into Hobbema because it’s like Sarajevo, it’s like Baghdad. You need a bullet proof vest in order to

walk around in that community and we aren’t sending our kids there to play league games unless we have a bullet

proof vest”. This was just last weekend, this is not something that was talked about during the civil rights era, this

is how people are talking about other people. What they were doing is what I would call racism because what they

were doing is they were painting a whole community, a whole people with the same brush. Guess what? Who

heard that message? The kids. Their kids heard that message and our kids heard that message and our kids were

hurt. My position is that their kids were also hurt because this is what they are teaching their children.

Another thing that happened along the same lines was there was supposed to be a league game in Hobbema

taking place in our arena and the team didn’t show. Why? Because they think you need a bullet proof bus and

bullet proof vests just to come into the community. Thank you media I have to say because every time there is

anything remotely negative, the media is always there and of course they weigh in with their opinions which

because I live there and am now the Chief of one of the communities, I know are not fully well informed opinions.

Last night we had a fantastic event. We had a fantastic showing of the future of our community with these little

kids getting their awards for different things. These kids were leaders. These kids are accomplishing things in their

lives despite all the things they have going against them. Where was the media? We had one local paper show up

from Millet; Millet Pipestone Flyer, thank you for showing up. They were the only ones because nobody cares

when our children are accomplishing something, great, it’s not interesting, it’s not newsworthy. But that’s life for

us in the community.

This group is one of the best groups of people that I have ever had the honour and privilege to work with. This

group after the shooting of the little girl in April 2008, there was a flurry of emails going out and our group said

‘enough is enough. We have to do something about crime, the drug trade, gang violence. We have to do it

together.’ We said “this is our problem. This is not a Hobbema problem. It is our problem because it is in our

schools. It’s in our communities. It’s in our backyard and we are partly responsible. So the onus is on us together

to do something”. Citizens for Healthy Communities took ownership of the problem. They didn’t stand back and

say “oh it’s those Indians again. Oh, it’s the Hobbema people again”. They said “no, we are going to be part of the

solution”. That is why I can’t say enough good things about Citizens for Healthy Communities because they take

ownership and they have they say “we are all one community. We all live together. We are all part of the same

economic area. We are all people”. That is probably the best thing about this committee.

60

I have a story to tell and I have a responsibility to tell you that story….

Aboriginal people account for the fastest growing population in Canada. In 2006, Aboriginal people

accounted for 3.8% of the total population up from 2001 and up from 1996. Furthermore, the

Aboriginal population is becoming increasingly urban. In 2006, 54% lived in and urban centre, an

increase from 50% in 1996. 71% of First Nations, Métis and Inuit children do not live on an

Aboriginal reserve but in an urban setting. Among urban Aboriginal women, among 5% live in

overcrowded housing and 14% live in homes in need of major repairs. It is estimated that by 2031, I

will be 80 years old, there will be over 3 million Aboriginal people in Canada; almost 8% of the

entire population. It could be surmised that as the population grows, so will the disparities that

Aboriginal people continue to face. So we must work together today to see change tomorrow.

What can we do today to contribute to positive and sustainable outcomes for our aboriginal

women, men, youth and elders?

I was reminded earlier that it was people in our communities – that it was First Nations people,

leaders, Chiefs and Councils, aunties and uncles, grandmas and grandpas that were with the leaders

in the urban environment; the mayors and the councillors and the women that had those women’s

institutes and helping organizations way back then that could see the disparities, that could see the

racism, that could see us on the streets waiting for our parents to come out of those other

institutions or things that we helped to build in other economies. And they understood … one of

the aunties told me that she had come to the city to receive medical treatment and was never

afforded or shown or given the opportunity to go back home. So we got stuck here some of us but

we also knew that we looked around and we saw other people but it was people that understood

the problems we were having way back then and that if we could get together at tables and talk

and say ‘who are we’? Where’s our families? What’s our connection? What’s our way home? How

can we help those ones that will come behind us into this urban environment? We have to do

something. That is really how friendship centres came about. Because people way back then cared,

cared about us and cared about our future and wanted to design something that would help that

whole influx of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people to urban centres.

In an effort to address the unique needs expressed these new communities, concerned individuals

started to push for the development of specialized agencies. These agencies known as Friendship

Centres would provide referrals and offer counselling on matters of employment, housing,

education, family, health and liaison with other community organizations. Over the past 50 years,

Friendship Centres have evolved into vital pillars in the infrastructure of vibrant Aboriginal

communities in urban areas. On any given day, you can walk into any friendship Centre and see

people receiving employment referrals, housing help or quite simply sitting around enjoying

bannock and soup. That has always been the vision of the Friendship Centre movement – provide a

warm and safe environment for First Nation, Métis and Inuit people to come together and

celebrate and preserve our rich cultural histories. Friendship Centres exist to ensure that a First

Nations, Métis or Inuit person regardless of status or residency maintains his or her culture while in

our communities. These programs are there to ensure that we cultivate friendships, create

opportunity, enrich lives and they also remind us of the beautiful cultures that Aboriginal peoples

have preserved despite the atrocities that were committed against our people to strip us of our

spirits.

The Value of a Friendship Centre

Vera Pawas Tawapadong

61

So in the spirit of friendship, the National Association of Friendship Centres is committed to

working closely with all of you to combat poverty, racism, inequality and issues that affect First

Nations people. In the rich diversity that represents the stories of our peoples, our respective

organizations are the threads that narrate how the stories will unfold. The NAFC does not represent

one segment of the Aboriginal population. Friendship Centres are here to serve the needs of

Canada’s urban Aboriginal population. The NAFC is Canada’s largest urban Aboriginal service

delivery infrastructure and as our purpose is to provide tools to Aboriginal peoples to succeed in all

areas of Canadian society. We strive to do this by offering traditionally enhanced and culturally

appropriate programs and services to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people that live in an urban

setting. Friendship Centres pride themselves in developing and implementing programs and

services in a manner that is respective of unique Aboriginal customs and beliefs. As such, when

developing policy, and making program decisions, we keep in mind the importance of balance. Our

policy and program development processes, take into consideration the other facets of well-being

that contribute to a healthy and prosperous life.

Adequate housing is a precursor to pursuing an education. Research shows that education is

essential to acquiring meaningful employment. And meaningful employment is critical to sustaining

housing yet almost 2/3 of Aboriginal youth do not successfully complete high school. How do we

ensure that urban Aboriginal people have the same opportunity to attain the same quality of life as

the rest of Canadians.

Let’s use the Odawa Native Friendship Centre as an example. Ottawa has the third fastest urban

Aboriginal population in Canada. The Odawa Native Friendship Centre offers programs and services

such as youth programs, employment referral and training services, healing and wellness program,

Aboriginal home child care agency, and a highly successful Aboriginal alternative high school. The

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples states that Education must develop children and youth as

Aboriginal citizens, linguistically and culturally competent to assume the responsibility of their

nations. Youth that emerge from school must be grounded in a strong positive Aboriginal identity.

Consistent with Aboriginal traditions, education must develop the whole child – intellectually,

spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

I do not speak on behalf of all of us here today nor all the members and clients of our Friendship

Centres, but I would like to ask if any Aboriginal people here have attended school in an urban area

at any point in your lives. Did you find that the pages in your history books did not accurately tell

your story? Perhaps you felt that your peers or your teacher did not understand where you come

from so how could they effectively know where you should be going? Odawa Native Friendship

Centre is not the only Friendship Centre in Canada to offer an alternative high school program to

teenage members of the urban Aboriginal community but it is one of the flagship Centres to do so.

In Ontario, there are eight Friendship Centres that provide similar programs. Here in Alberta, you

have two such Centres, one in Cold Lake and one in Pincher Creek. These programs are design to

address the epidemic dropout rate of Aboriginal children. These programs encourage young people

to feel proud of their culture, to preserve our language and our traditions, and to feel safe and

confident in an environment that recognizes our unique learning needs.

When one participant in Sault Ste Marie was asked if they could change anything about the

program, the student’s response was ‘no, I wouldn’t change anything, but it changed me.’

Those four simple words have such a profound and resonating impact on the work we do on a day

to day basis in the Friendship Centre movement. In 2008, NAFC predicts that we will reach over 1.3

million clients by way of 1200 programs and services that are specifically tailored to nurture

positive social growth for the members of our community.

62

In addressing the education, employment and housing needs of Canada’s urban Aboriginal people it

is the hope of the Friendship Centre movement that clients and members will go on to enjoy the

same quality of life and access to opportunities as the rest of Canadians. Today, the Friendship

Centre movement is fortified by women who make up 55% of the Executive Directors, almost 55%

of our Board of Directors, and close to 75% of Centre staff is women who work on front lines to

make sure that all urban Aboriginal peoples have access to equal opportunity to succeed in

Canadian society. For over 50 years, the Friendship Centre movement has been honouring the

leadership roles of our women. Women are historically the backbones of our societies, ensuring

that family and community members are well taken care of, nurtured and disciplined. It is only

natural that these traditions have continued in urban Aboriginal society. Our women are

predominantly on the front lines and leadership positions because historically, we are the ones that

kept the community together.

The Friendship Centre movement experiences are what we call lifetime members and these are

volunteers who are committed to contributing to the movement whether it’s through sharing their

expertise, knowledge, passion or dedication, they are critical to the positive development and

growth of Canada’s urban Aboriginal people. Also, many of our staff has reached exceptional years

of service from within our local Friendship Centre Provincial/Territorial Association or even national

level. A lot of the contributors to the Friendship Centre movement started out as young people in

various capacities; that long time board and Senate members started out as interns or volunteers.

National staff has started as summer students, Executive Directors have participated in

employment training opportunities, youth executives have started out as participants of programs

and so on. I wanted to acknowledge that the Senators of our organization are the crème de la

crème; they are the ones that way back there in the 60s fighting for what they believed we were

going to need when we got to grow up past our baby stage. They were the ones that absolutely sat

in government offices and didn’t leave until the funding was there and promised. Those are the

ones with real commitment and have left a real legacy to the Friendship Centre movement. Our

youth executive sits with our board and is considered just as capable as chairing meetings, making

policy and program decisions and representing the youth council on the local, provincial, national

and even international level. We pride ourselves in looking for and acknowledging the capacity that

currently exists within a Friendship Centre movement. We like to say that our doors are always

open for those looking to gain the necessary skills to succeed in all areas of Canadian society.

Not only do we focus on offering activities that focus on capacity development on an individual

level but we also have a large focus on finding opportunities to grow as an organization. Most

recently the NAFC and National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation signed an MOU of which we

talked about our ability to share each other’s experience, we would look at sitting down together

and defining the processes of how we could put policy forums together, how we would look at

urban analysis and we do that together; that we would stop doing that in isolation – that we were

going to be full and honest partners in that Memorandum of Understanding because we wanted to

improve the communications; that we wanted to look at routine and frequent contacts and liaison

for the sharing of information for mutual interest. We also understood that it was one way that we

could at least display and show to the young people that we were capable of signing a

Memorandum of Understanding that we could be partners and that we were going to move away

any of those barriers that get created because we don’t talk and we don’t share good ideas. That’s

one of the reasons we wanted to sign the MOU and it’s also one of the reasons why we signed an

MOU with the Assembly of First Nations. As leaders, if we couldn’t display to each other, ourselves

and to our constituents that we were doing things about removing the barriers, that we were going

to start going on this road that we were told of in the beginning – to be unified, to have

63

communiaiton, to have a voice and to share that voice and to share the work and that our young

people in their work should be able to see that and that the door doesn’t need to be opened again

60 years from now. You might want to remember that those protocols and those understandings

are in place. That’s our commitment to do our work and to most effectively serve the people we

work for. The overall purpose of both of those is to ensure that the work we do is not duplicated

and we are collectively working towards improving the lives of the people we serve. The

organizational development is reliant upon our participation in national and international

committees and venues.

We were honoured in April 2008 to present to the present to the United Nations Permanent Forum

on Indigenous Issues in support of the recommendation…

One such way of strengthening the identity [of indigenous peoples] is by providing urban Aboriginal

people tools and resources that will allow them to fully engage in economic opportunities. This

brings us back to the Circle – in order for one to acquire meaningful employment, the generally

have to possess post-secondary education or other forms of formal training, yet to be able to

comfortably attend school they must have safe and affordable housing. Finally, in order for them to

attain that they must have meaningful employment.

How could we provide opportunities for urban Aboriginal people to pursue education and training

while offering a sense of comfort that their children are being well taken care of and they will have

a safe home to return to. There is so much untapped talent in Aboriginal communities. Why should

a talented bead worker or artist have to struggle at a minimum wage job while they could be

making a living by doing what they do best. That’s were micro-lending opportunities could come

into play offering a bead worker $1000 to buy supplies and pay for booth, rental and travel to pow

wows or artisan shows. And from their earnings they could continue to invest in their own

endeavours, perhaps one day financing a craft shop or taking it on full time as a means to

supporting their family.

In my travels, I have met an innumerable amount of people with brilliant business ideas yet they

don’t know where to begin. We need programs that teach community members how to develop a

business plan and where to apply for grants and loans. Within these programs, we could develop

toolkits that contain business plan templates, samples of proposals, letters and common questions

and answers. As an organizational scale, we could develop a report card for Friendship Centres and

other organizations that would essentially assess the human and physical assets that currently exist

in that particular group. We could identify gaps that would assess how the organization could be

strengthened in the area of human or physical capacity. We have experienced many Friendship

Centres who have seized the opportunity for economic success and we look forward to gaining

insight from all of you here to help us to enhance those stories of success.

Oftentimes our people are powerless to combat social and economic conditions on their own.

Rights violations and poverty is too often tolerated by them. It is our responsibility as mothers,

fathers, sisters, and brothers, all of us here today to speak for those whose voices have been

muffled by oppression. It is our hope that the NAFC, that the work over the past couple of days, will

benefit the overall conditions of our people’s lives. Let us work in collaboration and in the spirit of

friendship to develop a concrete action plan to help address the disparities that Aboriginal peoples

face. Our mothers, fathers, daughters, sons and friends are counting on us to influence change.

Our grandchildren and great grandchildren are not asking, they are demanding.

I feel as though I have been on this dialogue with Aboriginal

people for about 30 years. Chief Mercredi talks about

exclusion and I think of my journey on this issue as a loss of

innocence. I grew up in Newfoundland and Newfoundland has

a very unenviable reputation of having no indigenous people

existent because the Beothuk First Nation were wiped out by

the time my ancestors came from Ireland to Newfoundland.

So the last Beothuk Indian died in 1829 and my great

grandfather came over from Ireland in 1830.

The memory of the Beothuk people really pervades the island

that I live on; an island of half a million people. In 1997, I was

asked to make a documentary to celebrate the 500

anniversary of the John Cabin voyage and I went around the

island with a cameraman. I grew up Catholic and I don’t see

myself as a very religious person but it was a very spiritual

experience. We went to Red Indian Lake and that was the last safe place for the Beothuk to live; they were

basically shot on sight by the European settlers

they needed because of the violence of the settlers. Some of that violence came from the fact that the Beothuk

had a kind of belief that if they associated with the Europeans, and we calle

Island”, because there was an account from a Beothuk that they believed that if they came into close contact with

the Europeans then when they died they wouldn’t be able to go to their paradise which was the Happy Island

Some of the theories about why the indigenous people of Newfoundland died out was because we never got to

see, there is no excuse for it, their humanity was not on display because there were no relationships. Relationships

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are key to the way forward in this country.

My relationship began and my innocence lost when I went up to

related to the Cree culturally and linguistically in 1977. I was in my 20s and I had gone to

but I had never heard tell of the Innu. They did not exist in the life of our province. They were not taught. We

learned nothing about them in school and they told me that they feel like they were invisible. That is the exclusion

that Chief Mercredi talked about and I’m not talking the Dark Ages; I am talking the late 70s in Newfoundland.

When I went to Davis Inlet and I saw these people, 10 years after the last nomadic people and hunters had to

move from their tents to their houses and all the promises that were made of a school, of water and sewage… they

were leered from the insecurity of living on the land to a secure base where they were told there would always be

good food and healthcare and none of those promises were kept. Wh

It was the despair, the poverty, the addiction … the way people were living was so disturbing and yet when I went

back to my newsroom I couldn’t really get any attention paid to that because they weren’t consider

think I was actually told that. I was a very young television journalism and didn’t have editorial power but I can

remember saying ‘My God we have to do something about this. People need to know about this’. There was this

cone of silence for many many years until the Innu themselves became active. Until they started taking video

pictures of their conditions and we know that the people of Davis Inlet brought those videos to the world and

shamed Canada into taking some action.

What Chief Mercredi says about the need for your own people to come forward is very important. What I have

learned in my 30 years of association with Innu people is that they need our support and the support of a majority

because provincial and federal governments will

Every single provincial premier and territorial leader and the Prime Minister of the country signed that agreement

64

feel as though I have been on this dialogue with Aboriginal

people for about 30 years. Chief Mercredi talks about

exclusion and I think of my journey on this issue as a loss of

innocence. I grew up in Newfoundland and Newfoundland has

utation of having no indigenous people

existent because the Beothuk First Nation were wiped out by

the time my ancestors came from Ireland to Newfoundland.

So the last Beothuk Indian died in 1829 and my great

grandfather came over from Ireland in 1830.

e memory of the Beothuk people really pervades the island

that I live on; an island of half a million people. In 1997, I was

asked to make a documentary to celebrate the 500th

anniversary of the John Cabin voyage and I went around the

an. I grew up Catholic and I don’t see

myself as a very religious person but it was a very spiritual


basically shot on sight by the European settlers and died of diseases. They were kept away from the resources that


had a kind of belief that if they associated with the Europeans, and we called our film “The Voyage to the Happy


the Europeans then when they died they wouldn’t be able to go to their paradise which was the Happy Island



iginal people are key to the way forward in this country.

My relationship began and my innocence lost when I went up to Sheshatshiu, an Innu community very closely

related to the Cree culturally and linguistically in 1977. I was in my 20s and I had gone to school in Newfoundland



hat Chief Mercredi talked about and I’m not talking the Dark Ages; I am talking the late 70s in Newfoundland.


s and all the promises that were made of a school, of water and sewage… they


good food and healthcare and none of those promises were kept. When I saw those communities in 1978, I wept.


back to my newsroom I couldn’t really get any attention paid to that because they weren’t consider



or many many years until the Innu themselves became active. Until they started taking video


shamed Canada into taking some action.

credi says about the need for your own people to come forward is very important. What I have


because provincial and federal governments will do nothing. Look how close we came to the Kelowna Accord.


Reflections of a Non-Aboriginal Ally

Marie Wadden


and died of diseases. They were kept away from the resources that


d our film “The Voyage to the Happy


the Europeans then when they died they wouldn’t be able to go to their paradise which was the Happy Island.



, an Innu community very closely

school in Newfoundland



hat Chief Mercredi talked about and I’m not talking the Dark Ages; I am talking the late 70s in Newfoundland.


s and all the promises that were made of a school, of water and sewage… they


en I saw those communities in 1978, I wept.


back to my newsroom I couldn’t really get any attention paid to that because they weren’t considered one of us. I



or many many years until the Innu themselves became active. Until they started taking video


credi says about the need for your own people to come forward is very important. What I have


do nothing. Look how close we came to the Kelowna Accord.


Aboriginal Ally

Marie Wadden

65

and a new government came out and just tore it up. Unless non-Aboriginal Canadians stand up in absolute force of

our numbers and say “this isn’t good enough. This isn’t the country we want to be part of”, nothing is going to

change.

My 30 years has been an education because I used to always think that the Innu were exaggerating about their

problems or exaggerating the issues that affect them. I was living in Montreal at the time I heard talk about plans

that Canada had plans to put NATO jet bomber training centre in Northern Quebec and Labrador. I didn’t think it

could be that big of a problem as the Innu were hunting in the bush, so I went in the bush with Innu families and

that was a life changing experience. That was a wonderful experience and I brought my tape recorder and every

time I would try to get sound of a jet bomber going overhead because I really needed that to prove their point…

that these jet bombers flying 30 meters above the ground were disserving them and the animals. I remember

being in the tent one day and was just fiddling with something when we heard jets in the distance and I was trying

to get my tape recorder out. A jet bomber flew right over the tent and knocked me to the ground in shock; the

weight, the force, the sound, the whole thing. My heart started beating and I later learned from health test that

this is the fight/flight response. The Innu were not exaggerating – there were plans to have air to air combat

training. There were plans to have live missile testing. It was going to be huge. It was going to be on the scale of

the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

Our own John Crosby was the minister at the time responsible and all this time this was going to go ahead had the

Innu not stood on the runways and confronted their worst fears of our authority and gotten arrested and done all

the things they did, that may have been a reality today. Other things happened. One of the Gulf wars showed that

these low flying bombers were getting knocked out of the sky by air ground missiles very easily so they just didn’t

turn out to be a very good idea to have anyway in a warfare situation.

The Innu activism was really key and years later I was sent out to do a story at John Crosby’s home. He lives out on

a little lake, very beautiful home and lake. He and his wife were complaining of plans by a neighbor to sub-divide

his building lot was going to disturb the environment of their lake. As I was standing there trying to be impartial

and do the interview, I really had the urge to kick him in the leg. He was worried about a few mink and a duck or

two on his little lake and that man was going to sell out the Innu homeland to these jet bombers. That is the

paradox of our society. We non-Aboriginals are on another planet really when it comes to environmental issues.

Now the book that I had just written came from a continued interest in the social problems in Aboriginal

communities. What I noticed in Sheshatshiu after I saw all the activism and all the people working so hard and

coming together in such unity to fight the NATO base proposal that gradually they started to slip into an enemy

where it got so bad that we heard about children sniffing gas in Davis Inlet and in fact 40 children had to be

airlifted from the community and this happened because the leadership asked that they be taken from the

community to somewhere safe under the Child Protection Act because they were damaging their brains so

severely from all the gas sniffing. These beautiful communities where I had spent so much time with people, it

broke my heart to see what was happening, especially to the children. Then we were learning about Fetal Alcohol

Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and in fact of the 40 children that were airlifted out, 29 were diagnosed with FASD. The

word wasn’t getting into the communities about FASD and I know that this didn’t happen because I know in my

own pregnancy, I was always encouraged to have a drink and I was always considered really uptight because I

didn’t drink when I was pregnant. I was only educated in it because I had interviewed Dr. Ted Rosales who had said

that one single drink during pregnancy is enough to diminish the potential of your child. Of course the more

drinking you do, the more you diminish that potential.

This book had received funding from the Atkinson Foundation and I had a year to travel around the country and

went to First Nations communities and Inuit communities. The book is a result of what I learned. I won’t tell you

about the bad news but my editors supported me in the title “The Urgent Need for Reconciliation” because I really

do believe that there is a tipping point that we’re reaching now in terms of the social problems in many Aboriginal

communities.

I’ll give you an example of two days in my travels. I went to Wanipigow on the eastern edge of Lake Winnipeg to

see the wonderful work that is being done there and there is this wonderful recovery movement happening in

66

Aboriginal communities. I went to meet the people there and while I was there, I picked up a young man in the car

to drive him to the store and he explained to me that he was from Baron’s River and that he was in Wanipigow

that day because his sister’s boyfriend had hung himself and he had found the body and was upset and needed to

get away for awhile. I was a bit shaken by that story. As we drove along in the community he pointed out “oh that

house there, there is a suicide watch on a 15 year old girl there”. Then I went to Marcel and it was a beautiful day

and I told him about my conversation with the young boy who had to leave his community because of this suicide

and Marcel told me that he and his wife were raising a child whose both parents had killed themselves. With that I

drove to Kenora and it was in the Anishinable Ojibway communities around Kenora that I had planned to do my

research on suicide and I got to the hotel and there was an email from Tanya Cameron and she is First Nation and

she was going to take me to one of the reserves and she said we couldn’t go there because there was a suicide

that day. I opened another email from a gentleman from a First Nations community in New Brunswick and the

subject line was “Another Suicide Here Today”. I feel those sorts of experiences that I had on the road were telling

me that indeed this is an urgent situation but I had to find solutions.

I think we need a National Support Group for Aboriginal people and I base this idea on a group we had in St. John’s

in the early 80s and it was a support group that if there was an issue in the Aboriginal communities, we would hold

a news conference and we would throw our support behind them. One thing we did was to take a huge ad in the

local newspaper to criticize the Justice Minister at the time on what was being done to the Davis Inlet Innu people.

If we had a national support group of non-Aboriginal people, we would have to have people who are prestigious –

like John Ralston Saul! Need people of calibre to put their names to the list and then have average Canadians join

so we can work as a bridge and maybe focus on 3-4 issues a year that we could focus on and make it a national

priority. With Aboriginal leadership and communities telling us, we can list our priorities and we can put our voices

next to theirs.

When I met Innu friends and became aware of how tragic the addiction issues were and the effects it was having

on each generation, it made me reflect back to my own family. My mother’s father was a very violent alcoholic and

I think he even sexually abused his daughters even though that was a big secret in the family. My mother was

mentally ill as a result of that as she got older and her behavior to her own children was very dysfunctional.

Though my research trying to understand addiction in Aboriginal communities, I came to understand and maybe

forgive my grandfather a little bit because as I look back at the Irish, they had to leave Ireland because the English

had come in and taken over their land and subjected the Irish, they lost their language, the Roman Catholic religion

was suppressed and there was a great immigration from Ireland to Newfoundland. So I picture my grandfathers

and part of his family maybe intergenerationally was affected by the trauma of their loss of identity, land,

language, religion, ceremony and perhaps that explains why he became the person that he was. I am trying to

forgive him but there are times when I shook my fists at that man, and I never even met him, but his impact on my

family was so profound because the way he treated my mother and her sisters and the rest of the family. There is a

connection between identity, trauma and addiction.

In 1963, Innu people were forced off the land by a big hydro-electric project called Churchill Falls Hydro Project.

These were people that lived in great comfort in their tents in one of the coldest climates on earth. I had the great

privilege of spending time with them in the bush as hunters and gatherers in that communal way of life. In the 60s

they were forced away from that to settle in a village where they had no work, there was nothing to do. Their way

of life was criminalized. If people went out hunting, they were arrested. It was unbelievable what was done. The

same with the language and children were educated in English, their religious practices, everything was

suppressed. No wonder that first generation of families that settled into houses, these terrible poor houses, no

wonder they medicated themselves with alcohol because the losses they experienced were so so great and the

loss of identity was the biggest loss of all.

The first thing that we have to acknowledge as non-Aboriginals with our Aboriginal neighbours is that experience

that they had to help them stop blaming themselves for the tremendous social problems in their communities. Not

to let people off the hook, they have to take responsibility for now healing and moving beyond the trauma and

making sure that it is not passed on. Alcoholism and drug addiction creates its own traumas. It becomes another

issue, it’s no longer loss of identity, its mom and dad are drunk all the time and their not nurturing me or looking

67

after me. Then I medicate by drinking. You go to end that cycle. The community on the outside has to stop the

racism, the name calling, you have to make those connections that my family suffered and I see what that suffering

has caused your people. What Ovide Mercredi said about the importance of justice; there cannot be reconciliation

without justice. I feel a responsibility to add my voice to Aboriginal Peoples in calling our politicians to do the right

things, to acknowledge the past wrongs, to redress them and even just on an individual person to person level,

non-Aboriginal people have to reach out, go into Aboriginal communities and learn more about the history and

experiences they had to cause all the damage and then just become true neighbours sharing, giving back some

that was taken. Get to know one another and get over the fear and distrust of one another.

Dialogue isn’t enough. It has to be dialogue to action. Our responsibility as neighbours is if someone is down on the

street and people are hungry, that those of us that have give to those that don’t have. Dialogue to action we have

to make acts of reconciliation and of mutual giving and helping each other out in hard and difficult times.

The gift that Aboriginal communities have given me has been to remind me of the values of us and thinking

collectively as opposed to individuals.

Excerpts from Interview...

I think in many ways, the non-Aboriginal community is dealing with what you may call compassion fatigue and the

difficulty is that all the solutions we have tried to deal with Aboriginal social issues seem to fail. So we then seem

to think that this is not our problem to solve, we can’t solve it, this is their problem, let them solve it. But I think we

can’t proceed unless we do things together. In the first place, Aboriginal people themselves have to step up and

take responsibility and leadership roles and that if Aboriginal leaders continually adopt this version of victimhood,

it doesn’t help the young people coming of age today. At the same time though, I think it is the responsibility of

the larger community to say, you know what, we came, we took their land, we stuck them on these reserves and

now by treaty we have legal, not just moral, responsibilities that we have to live up to. It’s about practicalities. If

we want a community where people are safe walking the streets, where our public health system is not

overwhelmed, where our child welfare system is not overwhelmed, where our criminal justice system is not

overwhelmed, we have got to work together because only together can we provide the practical solutions that

move people forward. Practical solutions in public health, in education, in creating healthy families, in giving young

aboriginal women reproductive choice so they can manage their family size and not start families too young and

not start families when they are addicted themselves so those kids are going to grow up with brain damage that is

irreparable. Unless we can put aside all the hurt feelings and all the distrust and join forces, we cannot get this

generation to succeed.

In this province the provincial government has put restrictions on what we can report specifically about children

who are in care. So it means oftentimes when terrible tragedies happen, we can’t put that child’s picture in the

paper, we can’t name the child so children die in complete animity. You can’t get the kind of inciting emotional

reaction from people where they go “My God, that is terrible, that is an outrage, we have to do something!”

The Challenges of Media and

Aboriginal Issues

Paula Simons

68

Instead we get statistics and facts about numbers of kids who were put up in hotels, kids who have to sleep in

homeless shelters because we don’t have the beds for them. IN some ways we have to overcome the obstacles

that the government has put in front of them. Although, this is not just an issue about children. I think in the media

we have an obligation to document the tragedies and bear witness but not to keep reinforcing this culture of

victimhood. We have to find the stories of celebration, hope and success and publicize them. We have to have

better relations with the Aboriginal communities so the people in the Aboriginal communities trust us to tell their

stories. It’s very difficult when you are trying to win the trust of communities but we have to do that because we

need to represent that reality. We also need more Aboriginal people in the media themselves. In my Edmonton

Journal newsroom, I have one Aboriginal colleague and she’s fantastic but she doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed

only doing Aboriginal stories. She wants to be an excellent journalist who happens to be Métis, not a Métis

journalist. We need more Aboriginal young people graduating high school, taking journalism and being able to tell

their own stories with authenticity and reality. People who can build those bonds in the Aboriginal community

because why would anyone want to talk to me? I’m a white city girl. I don’t know what it’s like to live on a reserve.

I don’t know what it’s like to grow up in Abottsfield or West Jasper Place. We have to do more in our industry to

provide that kind of training, internships and mentorships so that we get more Aboriginal people telling their own

stories and bringing their perspectives to stories on sewers, bridge construction and everything else. Aboriginal

journalists shouldn’t be only able to tell Aboriginal stories.

Sensationalism sells newspapers and brings TV viewers. I also have this deeper theory that since 9/11, we have

lived in North America in a culture of fear and we now have this emotional need to hear the stories of the gang

violence and the shootings in the street in a way that we didn’t before because they self-reinforce this sense that

we have that we live in this dangerous world. It’s difficult because happy stories are never newsworthy of

themselves; they have to have some human interest that makes people care. And it’s hard to write those stories so

that they don’t become patronizing either. That is not helpful either. If it just becomes token, then it becomes

meaningful. We have to pick the places to celebrate success.

Mainstream newspapers are undergoing a huge squeeze. We have lost staff in newsrooms across the country. We

have lost news hold so that we have less space in our newspapers to report stories. In my own newsroom, we have

30 fewer bodies than we did this time last year. It’s easy for us to go after the superficial stories – the shootings,

the gang violence… those are easy news hits. They are served up to us on a plate. To look deeper into a social

problem requires time and journalists who have experience in the field. Right now all across the country because

of huge economic pressures on the newsprint industry, we have young rookie reporters who are gung ho but who

don’t have the years of experience and track record and have years of contacts. We have less news hold than ever

before. WE have editors who are under constant pressure to get stuff on the website as soon as it breaks. WE have

become a very reactive medium and it’s very difficult in newsrooms across the country to be able to be freed up to

have the time and the space in the paper to report on things in depth.

The best kind of journalism is about people. It’s the journalism that gives people voice and puts their faces and

their names and their stories and their journeys into the paper because that’s the kind of stuff that people can

relate to. We need to do more to be out in the community and to be meeting people. Frankly, it’s what our

industry needs to do; not because we want to be nice to minority groups. Why would anyone want to read the

Edmonton Journal when they can read the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Globe and Mail online?

The only thing that we as a local newspaper can offer to local readers is local stories. That is what sets us apart.

Why you want to come to us for your news is because we are reflecting your community and if we don’t reflect

your community, you might as well to read the Globe and Mail. It is in our interest as a corporation to get out

there and tell the story, not just of the Aboriginal community but the immigrant communities, the gay community,

women’s communities to really reflect the reality of this city otherwise the newspaper isn’t an accurate reflection

of the incredible diversity of this community.

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ADDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES AND RESOURCES

This section is included to share the resources and best practices that were shared during the dialogue

sessions and presentations.

EDUCATION

Child Trauma Academy: childtrauma.org

The Child Trauma Academy is a community of practise that focuses on high risk children and youth

that have been maltreated or traumatized through the provision of direct service, research and

education. They believe in the crucial importance of childhood experience in shaping the health of

the individual, and ultimately society. They seek to improve systems that educate, nurture,

protect and enrich children’s lives.

Keyano College Aboriginal Child & Family Services Certificate:

www.keyano.ca/prospective_students/programs/certificate_diploma/aboriginal_child.htm

The Aboriginal Child & Family Services Program addresses the concerns of First Nations, Métis

and urban Aboriginals as they respond to the redesign of family and social services for children

and families as well as the move by First Nations People to provide local control for social

programs. All courses within the program emphasize the influence that family, health and

culture have on child development. Students learn practical skills to provide help as a qualified

child and family services employee.

NAIT Aboriginal Alumni: www.nait.ca/38540.htm

NAIT Aboriginal Alumni is a successful program to support Aboriginal alumni and students and to

promote higher education in our communities. The Alumni group offers mentoring, role

modeling, professional development aimed at enriching the lives of NAIT’s Aboriginal community.

NorQuest College: http://student.norquest.ca/collegeservices/studentsupport/aboriginalsvs/elder.htm

Norquest College provides learner a balance of strong academic foundations with Aboriginal

culture. Their inclusive approach supports the diversity of the learner population, preparing

graduates for work in a wide range of environments, including Aboriginal communities. Norquest

offers a variety of programs catering to the Aboriginal student. These include: Wechetowin, a

program integrating academic and workplace skills development; Aboriginal Family and Youth

Support, preparing learners for entry-level positions in human service agencies; Ben Calf Robe,

upgrading courses that emphasize Aboriginal literature, Native Studies and includes a Cree

language component; and a partnership with Maskwacis Cultural College to deliver the First

Nations Social Work Diploma Program. In addition, it provides Aboriginal students with business

preparation, career and diploma programs that incorporate the unique cultural, spiritual and

social needs of Aboriginal students.

Portage College: www.portagecollege.ca

Portage College focuses on educational programming and services for Aboriginal people and

strives to be a model for rural education. Programs are offered in a number of community

campuses including Bonnyville, Lac La Biche, Saddle Lake, Cold Lake, St. Paul, Elizabeth

Settlement, Fishing Lake, Frog Lake, Vegreville, Wainwright and Whitefish Lake. Areas of study

include health, social services, Native culture, business, technical, apprenticeship, vocational

training and pre-employment.

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St. Paul Storefront Campus:

www.stpauleducation.ab.ca/rep_docs/Storefront%20Campus%20Brochure.pdf

Is located in St. Paul and is an example of an alternative learning environment for individuals who

are at risk of not completing their education.

University of Alberta Aboriginal Student Services: www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/aboriginalservices

The Aboriginal Student Services Centre (ASSC) helps the University of Alberta provide an

environment that encourages full access, participation and success for Aboriginal students. Their

vision statement recognizes our commitment to the Aboriginal community on campus and for

providing services that reflect this responsibility. ASSC honours the Indigenous worldview of

education as a continuous ceremony of learning by respecting and supporting the voices and

spirit of our community at the University of Alberta. The University of Alberta also provides

services to Aboriginal people in more remote communities. It provides special first-year bridging

programs for Aboriginal students. The University of Alberta’s Aboriginal Teacher Education

Program at Blue Quills First Nations College was developed in partnership with specific

Aboriginal communities to meet specific needs within Aboriginal communities. The Faculty of

Native Studies at University of Alberta is designed to meet the knowledge needs of First Nations,

Métis and Inuit. The University of Alberta reaches into Aboriginal communities and talks to

potential students at a much younger age through its Summer Science Camps for Aboriginal high

school students.

Yellowhead Tribal College: www.ytced.ab.ca

Since its inception as the West Edmonton Tribal Council in 1977, Yellowhead Tribal Council has

endeavored to provide economic, social and educational support services to First Nation

member bands. From the early 1980s onward YTC has offered education programs to its

members to provide educational opportunities that could not be successfully accessed in

mainstream institutions. The first permanent education program, the University and College

Entrance Preparation Program, was established in the spring of 1984. YTC Education has evolved

from this once small upgrading program into Yellowhead Tribal College, a center offering

accredited post-secondary courses, certificates, diplomas, and degrees through recognized

colleges and universities, in particular, Athabasca University, Northern Alberta Institute of

Technology (NAIT), NorQuest College and the University of Alberta. Programs presently offered

at YTC include: Adult Basic Education, Academic Upgrading, UCEPP, Early Childhood

Development, Micro Computer / Office Professional, University Studies Diploma, Management

Studies, Hospitality Management and Off-Campus studies.

EVENTS

National Aboriginal Day: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ach/ev/nad/his/index-eng.asp

Proclaimed by the Governor General in 1996, National Aboriginal Day provides an opportunity

to acknowledge the unique achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit in fields as diverse as

agriculture, the environment, business and the arts. In cooperation with Aboriginal

organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21 for National Aboriginal Day because it

is also the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For generations, many Aboriginal

peoples have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day. On June 21, thousands of

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Canadians across the country will celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and

outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.

BURSARIES, SCHOALRSHIPS AND FUNDING

Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada: www.afoa.ca/afoa/Alberta.asp

Aboriginal Funding Tool: www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/apps/fundingtool.nsf/index_en.html

Information on various sources for funding Aboriginal project.

Aboriginal Scholarship and Bursary Guide: www.ammsa.com/ammsabursary.html

CharityVillage.com Source of Funding: www.charityvillage.com/cv/ires/fund.asp

Is a website that provides information on different funding opportunities for a variety of projects.

Ermineskin Education Trust Fund: www.eetf.com

In 1981 the Ermineskin Chief and Council approved to establish a trust fund in perpetuity for the

purpose of advancement of education for Ermineskin tribal members.

INFO-GUIDE- Aboriginal Entrepreneurs:

http://entreprisescanada.gc.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1099569601315&lang=en&pagename=CBSC

_QC%2Fdisplay&c=GuideInfoGuide

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation: www.naaf.ca

The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF) is a nationally registered non-profit

organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for

Aboriginal youth to achieve brighter futures.

Writing Better Proposals: www.contractscanada.gc.ca/en/writin-e.htm

This website provides information on how to write funding proposals.

INITIATIVES

Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge: www.acleth.ca

The Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge evolved out of an informal coalition called the Aboriginal

Interagency Committee of stakeholders working to support the Aboriginal population in

Lethbridge. The Council now represents this coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated

to improving the social economic conditions of urban Aboriginal people and building bridges

with respect to Aboriginal culture and community.

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Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee:

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_766_236_0_43/http%3B/content.calgar

y.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Boards+and+Committees/Aboriginal+Urban+Affairs+Commission/Calgary+Aboriginal

+Urban+Affairs+Committee.htm

The Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee was created in 1979 to represent Aboriginal

issues and concerns as the urban Aboriginal population began to increase throughout the 70’s.

This Committee has the authority, on behalf of the City Council, to investigate areas of concern to

people of Aboriginal ancestry and to make recommendations on policies and resolutions which

would give urban Aboriginal people a more meaningful role within the Calgary community. The

Committee’s achievements includes addressing issues relating to education, employment and

training, child welfare, income security, health, Aboriginal women, Aboriginal/police relations and

human rights.

In addition, the City of Calgary also has a “Calgary Aboriginal Services Directory”, which lists all

services provided to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples in Calgary, available online through

Inform Calgary (www.informalberta.ca)

Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiatives: http://www.cuai.ca/

The Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative (CUAI) grew out of “Removing Barriers: A Listening Circle”,

a multi-phase, qualitative, community-based research initiative that took place in Calgary in 1999.

“Removing Barriers: A Listening Circle” engaged Aboriginal Calgarians in identifying barriers to

service and systems access in Calgary, and, together with other stakeholders, vision solutions and

recommendations. CUAI is a partnership initiative that aims to support and enhance work across

and between eight Domain groups by engaging broad bases of stakeholders in order to affect real

and sustainable advances for urban Aboriginal people in Calgary.

Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/human-rights/fight-against-

discrimination/coalition-of-cities/north-america/

The Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination (CMARD) is a UNESCO-led

initiative calling on municipalities from across Canada to be part of a larger international coalition

of cities to combat racism. Municipal governments, as well as other orders of government in

Canada, along with local, national organizations and individuals share responsibility and have an

important role to play in combating racism and discrimination and fostering equality and respect

for all citizens. CMARD will broaden and strengthen our society’s ability to protect and promote

human rights through coordination and shared responsibility among local governments, civil

society organizations and other democratic institutions. In Alberta, ten municipalities have

officially signed onto the Coalition including in order of occurrence: Wood Buffalo, Calgary,

Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Drayton Valley, Brooks, Lethbridge, St. Albert and Innisfail.

Citizens for Healthy Communities:

Is a Committee in Wetaskiwin, Alberta that successfully brings together a diverse group of

concerned citizens, including Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, to develop and implement

various community initiatives. See more information earlier in report.

Common Ground Initiative: www.anfca.com

Is an initiative to help develop a relationship plan and tool kit that can used by Aboriginal groups,

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communities and municipal governments. See more information earlier in report.

Edmonton Urban Aboriginal Affairs Committee: www.aboriginal-edmonton.com

A volunteer committee appointed by the Edmonton City Council working toward an equal and

positive partnership between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal citizens in the city. The committee

acts as a catalyst to promote the awareness and development of all Aboriginal people in the

community.

FNMI Liaison Workers – Alberta Education

FNMI (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) liaison workers in the public educational system help to

enhance the inclusion of Aboriginal culture in the public school system by providing cultural

content and context. Schools work together with First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI)

communities, Elders, parents, teachers and other education stakeholders throughout the province

to learn from each other to best meet the needs of FNMI learners.

Métis Crossing: www.metiscrossing.com

Métis Crossing is a unique cultural site situated in the Victoria District National Historic Site

celebrating Métis cultural interpretation, education, gatherings and business development. This

Cultural Centre is unique, the only one of its kind in Canada, which proudly showcases Métis

history and is owned, operated and managed by Métis.

NWT’s Impact Benefit Agreement (IBAs): www.atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=2303

The IBAs is an example of how Aboriginal people and communities can deal with a range of issues

including employment and training of Aboriginal people, profit-sharing, compensation, and

environmental regulation.

Office of Diversity and Inclusion with the City of Edmonton:

www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/office-of-diversity-and-inclus.aspx

This Office was established in 2005 to recognize and value diversity while ensuring that all

Edmontonians are provided with the best possible municipal services and programs. More

information can be found at,

Strategic Economic Initiatives: www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/515.cfm

The Strategic Economic Initiatives (SEI) is a Government of Alberta Aboriginal Relations program

that provides funding to First Nations, Tribal Councils, First Nation companies and organizations,

and other non-government organizations that directly promote the economic capacity building of

First Nations.

Urban Aboriginal Strategy: www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/ofi/uas/index-eng.asp

The Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) is a community-based initiative developed by the

Government of Canada to improve social and economic opportunities of Aboriginal people living

in urban centres. Through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, the Government of Canada partners

with the Aboriginal community and local organizations, municipal and provincial governments

and with the private sector. These partnerships support projects that respond to local priorities

and advance the UAS national priority areas of: improving life skills, promoting job training, skills

and entrepreneurship and supporting Aboriginal women, children and families.

Wicihitowin: Circle of Shared Responsibility

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A community-driven model of an urban governance process that is inclusive of the many

Aboriginal peoples and the agencies that serve them in Edmonton. See earlier in report for more

information.

Youth Justice Committees

Youth justice committees are groups of volunteers working in partnership with Alberta's justice

system to deal with youth in their communities.

Youth Justice Committees:

• allow citizens to work out differences between young offenders, victims and

community members

• provide support for young offenders

• provide community-based resolutions to youth crime

• provide young offenders with an alternative to the formal court process and the

possibility of time in custody

• resolve legal conflicts through extrajudicial sanctions, community-service work, and

meeting with victims and community members

• provide sentencing advice to the youth court

• authorized by section 18 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act

What principles guide youth justice committees?

• Young persons should be held accountable for their criminal behaviour.

• There must be regard for the rights and freedoms of young persons and victims.

• The least intrusive alternatives and restrictions of a young person's freedom must be

sought while maintaining the protection of the community.

• The community has a right and responsibility to participate in the youth justice

system. A youth justice committee can provide the opportunity for citizens to be

directly involved in reconciling the differences between the young offender, victims

and community members.

ORGANIZATIONS

Alberta Native Friendship Centres’ Association: www.anfca.com

The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association is a provincial organization that represents

and provides support to twenty Aboriginal Friendship Centres located in Alberta. Their mission is

to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal people in urban areas by supporting self-determined

activities that encourage: the development of human and community resources; the

improvement of socio-economic and physical conditions; better understanding and relationships

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal citizens; and the enhancement of Aboriginal culture

among Aboriginal people and the communities they reside in. Each of the 20 Friendship Centres

is dedicated to providing culturally-based programs and services that respond to the distinct

needs of urban Aboriginal people in their communities and bridging the gaps that occur

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in urban areas.

Aboriginal Commission on Human Rights and Justice: www.achrj.org

The Aboriginal Commission on Human Rights and Justice was established to advocate for

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Aboriginal human rights in Alberta. The Commission works across sectors and in close

collaboration with diverse organizations and community groups.

Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission: www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca

The Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission was established to carry out the Human

Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act in Alberta which exists to ensure all Albertans are

offered an equal opportunity to earn a living, find a place to live and enjoy services without

discrimination. The Commission aims to foster equality and reduce discrimination through public

education and the resolution and settlement of complaints of discrimination.

Alberta Ombudsman: http://www.ombudsman.ab.ca/contact.php

Is a non-profit organization can provide last resort third party investigations to ensure

administrative fairness within the government of Alberta departments and certain professional

organizations.

First Nations Treaty Organizations: www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/al/hts/tgu/index-eng.asp

Not all First Nations in Canada have their own treaty organization sites but Indian and Northern

Affairs Canada (INAC) have a fairly comprehensive Treaty Guide for the Numbered Treaties 1-11.

These Guides consists of a Treaty Research Report, typed transcripts of the Treaty, a map

depicting the geographical span of the Treaty and links for more resources. These are the Treaties

that have their own sites:

Treaty 3: www.gct3.net

Treaty 6: www.treaty6.ca

Treaty 7: www.treaty7.org

Treaty 8: www.treaty8.ca

Freehorse Family Wellness Society: www.freehorse.org/

Freehorse Family Wellness Society (FFWS) is a non-profit organization founded by a few

committed and dedicated leaders of Alberta based First Nations. The FFWS staff is committed to

working with First Nations to develop and deliver programs and services that will provide

knowledge and enhance skills necessary to thrive in this ever-changing world.

Indigenous Elders Cultural Resource Circle Society:

Provides access to Aboriginal cultural teachings, practices and ceremonies as well as council on

issues of the day. For more information send an email to [email protected].

Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women: www.iaaw.ca

The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women works to advance and promote the

well-being and rights of Aboriginal women through advocacy, research and other programs.

Grande Prairie Regional College Native Friendship Centre:

http://www.gprc.ab.ca/students/aboriginal/FriendshipCentre.html

The Grande Prairie Regional College Native Friendship Centre is a model partnership between a

college and Friendship Centre that provides direct services and support to students in the

institution. The Friendship Centre, open to all students, provides a warm and welcoming

environment for students to connect with other students, meet faculty and staff and seek out

existing college and community support to help adjust to College life and life in a new city.

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The Métis Nation of Alberta (www.metis.org)

The Métis Nation of Alberta advocates on behalf of and works to meet the needs and aspirations

of Métis people in Alberta. The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) strives to be the representative

voice for Métis in Alberta, providing an opportunity to participate in government policy and

decision-making processes. The MNA also works to promote and facilitate the advancement of

Métis people through the pursuit of self-reliance, self-determination and self-management. The

described mission for the MNA is to pursue the advancement of socio-economic and cultural well-

being of the Métis people of Alberta.

National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation: www.nnapf.ca

NNAPF commits to working with Inuit and First Nations in furthering the capacity to address

addictions and related issues through networking, research, best practises, training, advocacy

and creating a continuum of care. Aboriginal people, families, communities and Nations who, by

tradition held this holistic view of health are best able to restore the balance that will lead them

back to health. NNAPF approach is rooted in the participation of First Nations and Inuit

communities and organizations in their own journey of freedom from addictions and return to

health.

Native Counselling Services of Alberta: www.ncsa.ca

Launched in 1970 with its flagship Courtworker program to provide support to Aboriginal

Peoples navigating the justice system, Native Counselling Services has evolved to become a

leading organization committed to the healing and harmony within Aboriginal communities.

Programs offered by the organization focus on prevention of youth recruitment o gangs, family

and community wellness, legal education, health promotions and research.

Sun and Moon Visionaries Aboriginal Artisan Society: www.sunandmoongallery.com

Sun and Moon is a non-profit organization in Edmonton offering cultural programming to

Aboriginal youth and artisans. The organization focuses on creating opportunities for the

intergenerational sharing of knowledge, wisdom and culture. Programming includes cultural

regalia, visual arts, DJing, cultural dance, hip hop and breakdancing, drum making, peer

mentorship and more.

Women Building Futures: www.womenbuilingfutures.com

Women Building Futures is a registered, not-for-profit, charitable organization that works to

help women build better lives and achieve economic independence through training,

employment and mentorship. Women Building Futures is valued for empowering women to

succeed in non traditional careers, inspiring positive economic change for women and forever

transforming the face of industry in Canada.

YOUCAN: www.youcan.ca

YOUCAN- is an acronym that stands for Youth Organizing to Understand Conflict and Advocate

Non-Violence. YOUCAN has served youth in the Edmonton area for eight years and our mission

is to equip youth to engage and inspire others to peacefully resolve conflicts and develop

healthy relationships in their communities. In Edmonton, YOUCAN offers four unique programs:

The Peacebuilders Project, The Verto Project, Step up and Step in Project, and the YOUCAN

Conflict Resolution Training. It is our intention with all of our projects to have conflict resolution

at the core of what we do, with the idea that it is the component of a bigger picture

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including personal development, employment development and community building. YOUCAN

Edmonton strives for youth by youth programming.

PROGRAMS

Alberta Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) Program: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/canada/regions/ab-nwt-

tno/program-programmes/ahs-eng.php

In 1995, the Government of Canada initiated this early childhood intervention strategy o

address the needs of Aboriginal children and families in urban and northern communities. The

program integrates culture and language, education, health promotion, social support and

parental involvement. Parents are provided parenting skills as part of the program. A number

of Friendship Centres are delivering this program with success in Alberta.

Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference: http://www.dreamcatcher.macewan.ca/index.cfm

In 1993, Grant MacEwan’s Child and Youth Care program joined Aboriginal youth together in

celebrating the strengths and vitality of adolescence in an experience that strengthened the self

by sharing the joys of faith, healing and tradition. With a new sense of self, youth left the

conference with the courage to pursue and obtain their dreams. Today, the attendance has

grown to 1800+ delegates making Dreamcatcher one of the largest youth conferences of its kind

in Canada. Delegates are primarily from Western Canada, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut

and the Yukon although delegates have come from as far as Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, Nova

Scotia and even Australia.

The many workshops and events are aimed at achieving the following goals:

• encouraging aboriginal youth to pursue a balance of education and culture as the

foundation for their future;

• assist aboriginal youth in their personal, cultural, and emotional development;

• help aboriginal youth develop a network of positive aboriginal role models;

• aid aboriginal youth in focusing their strength and resources to realize their dreams;

• strengthen their attitude and knowledge about their culture.

Conference workshops continue to offer a range of topics relevant to aboriginal youth and the

adults working with them. Workshop topics include: Educational Options; Career Choices;

Leadership Skills; Healthy Life Choices; Traditional Teachings, Dance, Singing, Drumming, Craft;

Sport activities and much more.

The conference also acts as a platform for youth to showcase their talents. Many youth develop

their cultural dance skills in school clubs others have cultivated their natural talents in the vocal

or modern and hip hop dance arts. In the past Dreamcatcher has offered a youth talent show to

showcase these talents. The conference continues to offer opportunities for youth to share their

talents with others attending the conference.

Flying Eagle Program:

Unique lifeguard training program that incorporates Aboriginal cultural practices.

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History in the Hills: http://www.heritagecollaborative.com/projects/?id=51

History in the Hills is a successful week-long cultural event that takes place in Cypress Hills

Interprovincial Park, and is designed to foster an appreciation of Aboriginal history and culture

and the natural and cultural history of the Cypress Hills.

Hobbema Community Cadet Corps: www.hobbemacadets.net

The Hobbema Community Cadet Corps initiated in 2005 as a crime reduction strategy to prepare

at risk Aboriginal youth of the surrounding four Cree bands for future leadership positions and

challenges through mentorship. The program puts a strong emphasis on native culture,

language, education, sports and healthy lifestyle and their success relies on the support of the

four Band Council Chiefs. With over 1000 registered cadets, the program provides youth with a

safe and healthy alternative to crime, violence, drugs, suicide and gangs.

IBM Partnership Agreement (www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/942.cfm)

An agreement signed on June 4, 2007 between the Government of Alberta, IBM Canada and

several First Nations and Métis communities aimed at furthering First Nation and Métis

participation in Alberta’s information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. This

agreement promotes future economic development opportunities in the ICT sector. The

agreement is designed to create opportunities and increase Aboriginal participation in the IT

economy through employment, education and training, small business assistance and investment.

Men without Hats: www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/resident_services_programs/mens-support-

services.aspx

A weekly drop-in group for men in need, at risk, or interested in pursuing personal

development. The group is available to men when they are in need of support. Experienced

group members provide support to other men in times of crisis and are able to share their own,

first-hand, personal experiences of separation, job loss, or other personal crisis. The group is

facilitated by professional social workers and experienced group participants. The goals are to

provide responsive support to men in their time of need, reduce the barriers to connecting with

supports, help men identify their own reasons for personal change, and develop ongoing peer

support.

Oteenow Employment and Training Society: www.oteenow.com

Oteenow Employment & Training Society is the First Nation Society responsible for employment

and training services in the greater Edmonton area. The Society provides labour market and

youth programming and has had successful initiatives in the past including the training of

Aboriginal bus drivers.

Sentencing Circles:

In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that judges have a duty under the Criminal Code to

consider an offender’s Aboriginal background during sentencing. Originating in the Yukon in

1991, Sentencing Circles have become a controversial practice. They are an application of

Aboriginal concepts of justice to crime and are aimed at increasing community involvement in

the justice system and work towards remedying problems, rather than just punishing the

offender. The concept of a Healing Circle is also a practice originating out of bringing

community together to address crimes.

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For more information on how the Circles are integrated into the Canadian Justice system, visit:

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/dept-min/pub/ccs-ajc/page3.html

For a brief overview of key concepts of the Sentencing Circles, visit:

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/02/27/sentencing-circles-

what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work.aspx

REPORTS AND GUIDES

Education is our Buffalo:

This document is a teachers’ resource for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education in Alberta. This

resource can be found at www.ldaa.ca/assets/pdfs/freeResources/EducationIsOurBuffalo.pdf

Families First. Final Report.

A model program was developed and implemented by the Tucson Unified School District in

Arizona to establish a family-school partnership to improve the educational achievement of at-risk

preschool students. This article can be found at

http://eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_

&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED416954&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED416954

Guide to Aboriginal Edmonton:

http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/CityGov/GuideToAboriginalEdmonton.pdf

The Aboriginal Perspective on Human Rights in Alberta: www.achrj.org

This research report is a first step in creating a more complete Aboriginal human rights story in

Alberta that will be used to expose issues, to develop policy, and to inform community race

relations. The report is a survey of Aboriginal people from across Alberta to bring the voices of

Aboriginal people into a conversation on how to identify and eliminate discrimination in

Aboriginal communities.

The Rights Path - Alberta:

culture.alberta.ca/humanrights/bibliography/Institute%20for%20the%20Advancement%20of%20Aborig

inal%20Women/The%20Rights%20Path%20Booklet.pdf

The Rights Path, adapted from a booklet produced by the Manitoba Friendship Centres

Association, was produced for Aboriginal people in Alberta to explain their human rights and to

explain where they can turn if they have been treated unfairly or without respect. The booklet

describes human rights that federal and provincial laws are designed to protect. This booklet is a

guide for Aboriginal people who may not be familiar with their fundamental rights under the

laws of Alberta and Canada.

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CIRCLE ALBERTA Written and Performed by: Stephanie Harpe

All Live Better

My friend, we’ve walked this road

Seeing life outside the circle

Everyone here already knows

They know we need each other

No more fooling you or me just tell me what you need

And we’ll set it so we all find what we see

We will all live better

We must all live better in this way

My friend, we must know

Know enough to trust

That if we built an understanding

The rest gets written by us

No more fooling you or me just tell me what you need

And we’ll set it so we all find what we see

We will all live better

We must all live better in this way

And just look forward to your tomorrow

Don’t dwell on your yesterday

There’s enough love in this world

We can make these better days

We must all live better

We will all live better in this way

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John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

www.jhcentre.org Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Documents

CA Final Report June 2010 v12