Chiefs Dissolve Board, Lonechild Negotiating for Restoration of Funding
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FEBRUARY 2010 VOLUME 13 - NUMBER 2 FREE Province, feds pull FNUC funding Chiefs dissolve board, Lonechild negotiating for restoration of funding By Warren Goulding Of Eagle Feather News ith the words most knew were inevitable still ringing in their years, student leaders and Federation of WSaskatchewan Indians Chief Guy Lonechild say school is not out for troubled First Nations of Canada University (FNUC). First Saskatchewan’sAdvanced Education Minister Rob Norris announced the Province was with- drawing $5.2 million in annual MÉTIS REGISTRY funding. MN-S Secretary Alan Morin “Our government has lost confi- proudlyholdshisMétis citizen- dence in the governance and ship card. - management of First Nations Page3 University,” Norris said. “This is a regrettable but necessary decision.” CREDENDASUCCESS Federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl followed suit five days Cameco has committed $2 later when he told the University the million to an innovative federal government would not be education program. providing $7 million in anticipated - Page16 funding, effective April 1. But the dramatic announcements don’t mean FLYING HIGH the final bell has rung for the univer- SIIT has inked a deal with the sity that has been plagued by allega- federal government to provide tions of financial mismanagement trainingfortheaircraftindustry. and political interference for several - Page 18 years. Chief Guy Lonechild says government has a treaty obligation to provide “We have had lots of conversa- funding for First Nations University. (Photo by JenniferDubois) GRADUATING! tions with Minister Chuck Strahl at Katherine Bear has completed (Indian and Northern Affairs) and FSINshowedaccountabilitybytaking the Muskoday Adult Basic with Minister Norris,” Lonechild action and dissolving the board. Education Program. said. “We all agreed that the status “We did our part by listening to -Page 20 quo was unacceptable.” the students and the grassroots Key to delivering on what people. It’s the government’s time to DOUBLE PLAY Lonechild promises will be a new era act responsibly as well,” said PlaywrightKen Williamshas for FNUC was the announcement Lonechild. accomplished a rarefeatin from the FSIN on February 9 that an “The new board’s terms of professionsal theatre circles. interim board of governors was being reference will be decided by the - Page 25 put in place. That followed the interim board of governors. They FSIN’s move to dissolve the univer- will have at their access the Meyers Norris Penny financial review and Welcome to our sity’s board of governors and to put the Manley Begay governance report Health & Wellness Issue the senior administration on leave. which is due on February 18,” Coming In March : That action took place at the FSIN’s Lonechild said. Women’s Edition legislative assembly in Saskatoon. Lonechild said the chiefs of • Continued on Page 2 DIANE ADAMS CPMA #40027204 2 Eagle Feather News FEBRUARY 2010 That place is home: Cadmus Delorme • Continued from Page One Lonechild agrees both levels of government have a The Chief was referring to a review of allegations duty to provide funding for post-secondary education. made by former chief financial officer Murray Wester- “The province and the federal government have to lund and a study being prepared byAmerican academic honour treaty,” Lonechild said. “We need to have mean- Dr. Manley Begay. ingful discussions which will be the first step in many The new members include Bonita Beatty of the Peter discussions.” Ballantyne Cree Nation; Don Pinay of the Sakimay First Lonechild says negotiations need to take place in the Nation; Diane Adams, president of the FNUC students’ short-term, suggesting it will happen in the next few weeks. association; Sidney Fiddler of the Waterhen Lake Cree There were several events that led up to the funding Nation; and Joely Big Eagle of the Whitebear First cuts. In December, the university’s chief financial officer, Nation. Saskatoon lawyer Donald Worme has been Murray Westerlund claimed he was fired from his job, named legal counsel to the board of governors.Addi- although university president, Charles Pratt, said the tional board members will be named soon. decision was mutual. Westerlund alleges he was released Student leaders expressed support for the develop- from his duties after presenting documents highlighting ments that will see a new board in place and negotiations inappropriate spending. Westerlund’s memos alleged to restore funding take on a new urgency. that Pratt had received $98,000 for unused vacation pay “I am confident in a bright future for the Universi- and Vice-presidentAl Ducharme was paid $82,000. Both ty. Our first goal is to reinstate funding obviously so that were over the course of four years.Among other things, next year students can go to FNUC like they did this Westerlund highlighted costly trips to Montreal, Las year,” says Adams, the students’association president Vegas and Hawaii. and new board member. On February 3, students from the Prince Albert, “This is new board will be professional and account- Regina, and Saskatoon campuses organized a trip to the able and I look forward to the work.” FSIN legislative assembly, where they were given the Cadmus Delorme, vice-president of the students opportunity to address the assembly. association says students are determined to see FNUC Five presenters spoke, asking for the board to be continue to meet the needs of Aboriginal students. dissolved. During a closed-door session of the assembly “Education is the key out of poverty. We don’t want that lasted about seven hours, the announcement came scraps. Our education is treaty right,” Delorme said. that Norris had withdrawn funding. “Sadly, people are often afraid of change, but last The debate went into the next day and sources say week, action was taken and the future is bright. We do 46 chiefs voted in favour of dissolving the board in a not accept that the school will be gone next year. Our unanimous display of support for the resolution. There fellow students are like brothers and sisters of ours and were eight abstentions. Students’Association Vice-President Cadmus Delorme the instructors like our parents. That place is home.” - With files from Delaney Windigo FEBRUARY 2010 Eagle Feather News 3 Genealogical Centre will assist in registration process By John Lagimodiere known,” said Doucette, himself a history buff who has federal government. We want to build some momentum Of Eagle Feather News collected thousands of historic documents and materials because this is the most important initiative the MN-S has ebruary is registry month for citizens of the Métis over the years. undertaken. Nation – Saskatchewan. To kick off the “Thesedocumentsandmapsshowthatthisareaaround “We need to register people and get them citizenship month of awareness, the MN–S cards and get both the federal and provincial announced the grand opening of Saskatchewan’s governments recognizing the Métis. When we Fnewest Genealogical and Archival Research knowhowmanypeoplewehave,itispowerful.” Centre. The old MN-S registry had 21,000 Loaded with historicaldocuments,maps and members. Doucette, on the other hand, estimates text books, the centre will be pivotal for people there are 100,000 Métis in Saskatchewan. looking to find out about their family trees and “This centre is our effort to help people personal history. understand their history. Other than some big One of the biggest assets of the centre is the institutions, this is one of the best collections of microfiche collection of all of the Scrip land documents for Métis people going back to the documentsgiventoMétispeopleforlandpayoffs 1700-1800s,” said Doucette who expects the during the expansion into the Canadian West. registry process to be ongoing for several years. “The grand opening today symbolizes the “This will be important for us to get people continuing reestablishment of the Métis Nation to register.Wehave to have a credible and veri- Saskatchewan as a legitimate third order of fiable registry as we negotiate harvesting agree- government which will lead to the realization of The four MN-S executives, Treasurer Gabe Lafond, Vice President Alan ments. our self-governing aspirations as a positive, Morin, President Robert Doucette and Secretary Max Morin were the first “This centre will help.Weneed to establish (Photo by John Lagimodiere) productive contributing sector to the province to get their Métis citizenship cards. in the minds of government that we are a legiti- and this great country,” said MN-S President Robert SaskatoonwasheavilysettledbyMétispeoplebeforeChief mate people.” Doucette. Whitecap and John Lake came anywhere near here. The The Genealogy Centre will ultimately help people The Genealogy andArchival Centre will assist those settlements were all up and down the South Saskatchewan prove their connection to the historic Métis communities in tracing their family roots and preserving parts of their River. Many of these settlements are unknown.” of the homeland. To qualify for a Métis citizenship card history that in the past have been lost.Toassist those, there To supplement the Genealogy Centre registry work, you must: Self-declare, prove historic tie to one of the is a genealogist and assistant genealogist on-site should the MN-S has hired several staff to reach out and make the historic Métis communities, be accepted by the community anyone require help in tracing family lineage. process accessible. and be distinct from First Nation and Inuit people. The registry will formalize and clarify citizenship “We have seven full-time intake officers and ten “This is a very pragmatic research room with lots of requirements, aid in the accurate return of statistical data mobile ones. They will be out going to the regions to help resources for people to discover their past and move into on Métis citizenship, and provide a basis for improving theregionalpeopleworkontheregistryprocess,”saidMN-S the future,” said Doucette. quality of life for all Métis people in Saskatchewan. Secretary Max Morin who holds the Registry portfolio.