Page 1 Anishinabek News May 2013 ANISHINABEK NEWS The voice of the Anishinabek Nation Volume 25 Issue 4 Published monthly by the Union of Ontario Indians - Anishinabek Nation Single Copy: $2.00 May 2013 OUR TIME IS NOW: Madahbee UOI Offi ces –This year marks the resentative of the Crown back then, governments that we don’t need in April, 2014. 250th anniversary of The Royal there was no doubt that we were ca- them to tell us how to look after our Madahbee pointed to the recent Proclamation, a landmark document pable of managing our own affairs, citizens.” stream of Harper government legis- by which the British Crown recog- governing our own communities – A key agenda item at the June lation that ignores First Nations ju- nized the nationhood of “the Indian the British representatives were well 3-6 assembly in Munsee-Delaware risdiction on everything from First tribes of North America.” aware of our ability to assert our ju- will be the future of the Anishinabek Nations election processes to matri- Commemoration of the 1763 risdiction because, when push came Education System, which is intend- monial real property rights. event is an agenda item for June’s to shove, First Nation warriors dev- ed to restore jurisdiction for educa- “We need to start occupying the annual general assembly of An- astated nine of eleven British Forts tion of some 2500 K-12 Anishina- fi eld in these areas – we’ve got to get doyouknowyourrights.ca ishinabek Nation chiefs, and Grand in Pontiac’s War. bek Nation students. Half a day on moving on some of these issues. Our Council Chief Patrick Madahbee “Today we have an opportunity the three-day agenda is being set organization has engaged every An- refl ected on the persistence of First to demonstrate the same kind of aside for a discussion by chiefs, who ishinabek community in developing Nations during that time. persistence by proving that we can are expected to endorse a plan that our own templates for citizenship “When our chiefs met the rep- govern ourselves, and telling other would launch the education system and matrimonial property laws. The Anishinabek Nation has developed the tools necessary to build gover- nance institutions in our own com- munities.” The Grand Council Chief used the development of the Anishinabek National Aboriginal Hockey Chi-Naaknigewan as an example of Championship story important governance groundwork anishinabeknews.ca that had been put in place, but not pursued as actively as it could have been. “We understood that some of our Ontario Budget communities required more time to review this important process – to create a constitution that provides the framework for our law-making authority as a nation. Our leaders collectively decided the process needed another year’s study, and the document we proclaimed at last year’s assembly included the amend- ments from a year earlier.” chiefs-of-ontario.org Madahbee said that time was of the essence in implementing key governance issues or First Nations could fi nd themselves dealing with 19th Annual Great Lakes Pow-wow Guide situations where, for example, in the event of marital breakups, the prov- ince will be making decisions on- Stephanie Peltier with daughters reserve and as a result, non-native Ciara and Autumn spouses may end up with owning the on-reserve property. “We can no longer afford to al- low foreign governments to decide who our citizens are, or about the IInsidenside thisthis issueissue process of First Nations elections.” He cited child welfare as another area where Anishinabek leaders have Anishinabek an opportunity for implementation, Nation in this case about the importance of the principle of “customary care”. General “No kid should ever be placed in Assembly care outside our communities. They could be placed with members of the June 4-6 immediate family, the extended fam- Munsee-Delaware Nation ily – even in neighbouring First Na- tions. Our kids are being placed in www.anishinabek.ca homes as far away as England! “We can either assert our juris- ‘Our time is now’ diction or we can complain about government laws being imposed on us. The status quo hasn’t worked. “OUR TIME IS NOW. IT’S Plaque commemorating contributions of Anishinaabe warriors in defence of York on April 27, 1813, was TIME TO DO SOMETHING unveiled 200 years later. Story on Page 12. NOW.” Good credit, bad credit, no credit… we have an approval waiting for you. Over 500 new & pre-owned vehicles available. Call Bobby Toll Free @ 1-888-219-5883 Email @ [email protected] Rate: 0% to 29.99% O.A.C PICK up your phone!! CALL Bobby Today!! DELIVERED to your door!! Bobby & Bill make it that easy!! Online: villagebobby.com Village Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Page 2 Anishinabek News May 2013 Agreement changes an ‘abuse of power’ Text of a March 28, 2013 letter from Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee to Bernard Valcourt, Minis- ter of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Dear Minister: Re: Unilateral Amendments to the 2013-14 First Grand Nation Funding Agreements Council I am writing in regards to the 2013-14 First Nation Chief Patrick Funding Agreements. As you are aware your ministry Madahbee has made unilateral amendments to these agreements that anticipate future legislative change. It is disturbing and in our view unreason- able, that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has chosen to add language to First Nation Contribution Agreements (FNCA) Protesters outside the hotel where Aboriginal Affairs offi cials were meeting with First Nations that appears to give your department almost unlimited power to make representatives about the First Nations Education Act. (Joshua Lynn/CBC) unilateral changes through “administrative measures” and an “Act of Parliament”. One of these possible legislative changes is Bill C-27, the First Proposed education act Nation Financial Transparency Act. This unilateral change in fund- ing agreements based on Bill C-27 is clearly high-handed, an abuse of power and contrary to the honour of the Crown as a fi duciary. The more ‘crap’ from Harper reasons are as follows: Anishinabek News (right) under legislation from an- development and imposition of a 1) The amendments refl ect an unknown factor-- possible legis- With CBC fi les other government, then you un- First Nations Education Act. lative change. This may include Bill C-27 in its current state or as THUNDER BAY – Grand Council dermine the original relationship Ontario Regional Chief Stan amended at some future date or some entirely different bill. First Na- Chief Patrick Madahbee says a pro- which was a treaty relationship be- Beardy attended the Thunder Bay tions that do sign are unaware of what this could entail including posed federal First Nation Educa- tween the British crown and Indig- protest and says COO continues the costs of compliance, the capacity required to comply and if they tion Act is another example of the enous peoples." to encourage the Aseembly of First could even comply with the reporting burdens at all; Harper government using unilat- "There's no...consent on my Nations to take a more prominent 2) In our view, it is coercive to have a newly-introduced bill be eral legislation to ignore the rights part for that legislation to be passed role in opposing the federal process the condition to which a First Nation receives funding for essential of First Nations citizens. that will affect my children and my COO hosted a May 7-8 Educa- services. Speaking on behalf of 39 An- children's children," she added. tion Symposium in Toronto to build 3) First Nations that have signed “under duress” have had their ishinabek Nation communities, The protesters were later al- on the Our Children, Our Future agreements fl atly rejected by INAC with the explanation being that Madahbee used a megaphone to lowed to come in to the Aborigi- Our Vision education report pro- this would not create a binding agreement. INAC has failed to en- address about 50 people protest- nal Affairs consultation meeting duced in 2012. The symposium quire about the exact source of the duress so it may be addressed; ing an April 11th meeting between and make a deputation. They were was designed to collect grassroots 4) The unknown legislative changes that INAC is attempting to First Nations representatives and asked to leave their signs at the input on education issues in Ontar- incorporate do not possess the requisite certainty required to create offi cials with Indian and Northern door before heading in. Some pro- io and produce recommendations a binding contract so these provisions would likely be non-binding Affairs Canada, one of eight sched- testers were told it was because of for Chiefs at June’s annual general anyway; uled regional “consultations” to health and safety reasons. assembly. 5) FNCA are for essential programs and services. As in the past, discuss a proposed First Nations A CBC reporter was asked by Please check the COO web- these unilateral amendments to First Nation Funding Agreements are Education Act. an Aboriginal Affairs offi cial to site http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/ put to our First Nations on a “take it or leave it” basis. If they do not "I know some of our lead- leave the meeting. regularly for updates and feel free agree, they will not get their funding. This creates duress in a fi du- ers are (in the meeting)," he said. Meanwhile, the Chiefs of On- to contact Education Coordinator ciary relationship whether they state it or not. "But they're going in there because tario, coordinating body for the 134 Julia Candlish at [email protected] or 6) Considering that the legislative standards in proposed legisla- they're so desperately underfunded First Nations in Ontario, pledged to (416) 597-1266 or Education As- tion have not yet been agreed to by parliament, let alone First Na- that they're trying to tell these peo- continue to support the position of sistant Sally Hare at educationas- tions, this shows a lack of good faith in dealing with First Nations.